Stairwell of Imagination

A Vivas Inc., Avery Dennison and Roland DGA collaboration.

Courtesy of Luis Vivas, Vivas Inc., Images © 2024 Avery Dennison Corporation. All rights reserved.

Almost everything that we in the graphics industry do is about marketing and branding and personal expression. And we love it! This is a great business. Vivas Inc. is proud to have served renowned brands such as Disney, Uber, UC Berkeley, and Reddit. But every once in a while, an opportunity comes along to work on a project with a higher purpose.

That was the case with the Stairwell of Imagination project at Sherman Elementary School in San Francisco. Vivas was invited by Roland DGA to help transform the nearly 100-year-old building’s drab three-story central stairwell into something truly extraordinary.

Sherman Elementary, a K-5 public school, has long been recognized for its commitment to academic excellence, social-emotional growth, and equitable access for its diverse community of learners. The project aimed to promote inclusivity through innovative interior design for students of all ages, backgrounds, and learning styles.

To create an environment truly representative of this mission, the school and Roland worked with local neurodiverse specialists and educators to combine sensory and educational design components to strike the right balance between youthful creativity and functionality. The actual design elements of the murals were based on input from Sherman Elementary students and staff.

The full installation spans 2,900 feet and includes unique digitally printed graphics and 3D elements for children to discover. Roland turned to San Francisco-based Vivas to design and produce the wallcoverings. The fullservice graphic design and printing company founded by Luis Vivas in 2010 has established a particular reputation for wall art and graphics.

Some of the overall challenges for this project included logistical coordination, surface preparation and ensuring precise alignment of the graphics on the stairwell walls, which included wooden moldings. Through careful planning, communication and teamwork, Vivas was able to overcome these challenges and deliver outstanding results.

Vivas opted for latex printing due to its versatility, eco-friendliness, and ability to produce high-quality prints with vivid colors. The durability and flexibility of latex printing made it the ideal choice for a hightraffic area like a school staircase.

For the media, Vivas specified Avery Dennison MPI 2105 flexible high gloss calendered vinyl. This film offers excellent printability, durability, and vibrant color reproduction, ensuring the longevity and visual impact of the graphics. The prints turned out exceptionally well, with vibrant colors and precise details that shone through under the Avery Dennison DOL 2080 matte overlaminate.

The interactive installation, spanning 2,900 feet, features Avery Dennison wall films with custom digitally printed graphics and 3D elements. Designed to support classroom curriculum, it engages children with colorful imagery and hidden educational discoveries.

It took approximately two weeks to complete production, from pre-press preparation to final output, and another seven days to install the wall coverings. Now the stairwell is working its magic every school day.

The journey begins on the lower level, deep under the sea, inspired by the school’s beloved mascot, the Sherman Shark. You see the shark passing by a variety of fish and a welcome greeting in six different languages spoken by children at the school.

As you make your way to the surface, you’ll interact with school expectations and values (Be Safe, Helpful, Accountable, Respectful, and Kind - Be a SHARK!) and start to recognize sights familiar to the Bay Area. You might even catch a glimpse of hot air balloons floating past math facts as they climb the floors of the school. A rocketship taking off in the corner gives you a hint of the theme of the top floor where the oldest kids enter outer space. That’s where the children will learn about the planets, engage with a maze to get to the moon, and even say hi to the Sherman Shark, who’s going for a space walk.

“I imagine our children growing with the space,” said Sherman Elementary Principal Helen Parker Leigh. “As kindergartners, they will only manage to touch the kelp of the ocean floor and count the crabs and numbers they see. By the time they are fifth graders, they will be able to reach for the stars on the top floor and interact with all the exciting 3D elements. The social-emotional tools that are showcased on the mural will stay with them for life.”

Luis Vivas Chief Executive Officer, Vivas Inc

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