City murals, Edinburgh office, Skyscanner

What I did: mural design, digital mural, print-ready design

What the client needed

Skyscanner, approached me, looking for three digital designs for their new Edinburgh office at Quartermile. The 1200mm x 2700mm artwork had to be delivered so that it could be printed and installed in their meeting rooms in advance of the opening celebrations in February 2025. The artworks were to be inspired by Paris, Madrid and Chicago, looking for dynamic, painterly and creative visuals.

My part of the project

To kickstart the project, I sketched out my research into visual mood boards. These sketches allowed us to have good conversations about each city. Based on their feedback, I created three rough draft sketches for each design, which were developed into the final mural. As each piece was 1200mm x 2700mm, I had to develop an approach that would allow me to split the digital artwork into manageable sections – which could be compiled into one large image. To finish each artwork, I signed them as an artwork made by a real artist.

I really enjoyed working on this project. It felt like we were building something cool together and feedback flowed naturally and promptly, making the short turnaround easy to manage. 

I worked on this project under the roof of Horizons Research.

Chicago mural in the Skyscanner Edinburgh office. The artwork shows the L train, a car driving, the Chicago theatre and a cityscape with an aeroplane.
Madrid-style painted tiles design with Spanish dancer surrounded by shapes of a paella - including shrimp, chorizo, rice and peas.

“I absolutely adore each and every single one of these. The playfulness of the Parisian rooftop is my personal favourite though. I feel it captures the spirit of us perfectly.”

Paul Fraine, Senior Workplace Manager, Skyscanner

Photograph of Ida Chicago mural in the Skyscanner Edinburgh office. The artwork shows the L train, a car driving, the Chicago theatre and a cityscape with an aeroplane.

Chicago, Illinois, USA

The theme for Chicago is about it’s transport links and, specifically, the L train. I was also inspired by the Chicago artist group the Hairy Who?, who were six artists active in Chicago in the mid-sixties. Their colourful and vivid artworks gave me a feel for the character of the cities, but I also enjoyed their vivid storytelling and use of bold shapes and lines. These inspired me to take an American comic-style approach and bring in some of that sketchy energy and humour – perfect for my style. 

Madrid-style painted tiles design with Spanish dancer surrounded by shapes of a paella - including shrimp, chorizo, rice and peas.

Madrid, Spain

The Madrid artwork plays with the beautiful painted tiles that can be found all over the city. I imagined a sunny evening in a Spanish restaurant with a la bailaora dancing. With this one, I was trying to evoke the feeling and taste of the city rather than the architecture.

Ida's Paris mural in meeting room at the Skyscanner Edinburgh office. It shows a family having breakfast in a rooftop flat, flying pigeons, and the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Paris, France

Paris is a beloved city in Europe and undoubtedly romantic. Rather than a single woman sitting in a beautiful cafe, I wanted to explore a family enjoying the city together, surrounded by the bustle and energy of the city. What is that? Is the pigeon drinking a glass of wine?!