Commercial Workplace Mural | Swindon, UK
Thames Water – A Celebration of Water, People & Place
A bespoke, hand-painted mural spanning 23 metres of curved wall at Thames Water office, Swindon. Developed in collaboration with AWW Interior Designers, the colourful illustrative artwork celebrates the history, people, infrastructure and natural environment connected to Thames Water.
23m
Curved wall
60%
Coverage
56
Hours
12
Over days
The Brief
Working alongside AWW Interior Designers, Squiggly Ink was commissioned to create a large-scale mural for Thames Water's newly refurbished workplace in Swindon.
The brief was to create something bright, joyful and inspiring, celebrating Thames Water's heritage, its people and its connection to the surrounding region.
The design needed to feel timeless, avoiding specific wording or written values, instead communicating the organisation's identity through visual storytelling.
The initial creative direction included a number of suggested themes, from the River Thames and local heritage to wildlife, infrastructure, the history of Thames Water and the people who work there.
There was also a strong emphasis on making the mural personal to the employees, incorporating elements of the business and its history that they could recognise and connect with.
With an initial design style supplied by AWW, I was given creative freedom to interpret the brief in my own illustrative style and develop the visual narrative.
The canvas - An impressive 23-metre-long curved wall, standing 2.5 metres high.
Concept Development & Creative Direction
Rather than creating a collection of disconnected illustrations, I wanted to develop a continuous visual story that flowed along the entire length of the wall.
The central idea was to use flowing blue ribbons intertwined around the River Thames to represent the movement of water, weaving their way through the composition and connecting the different scenes, characters and landmarks.
The mural brings together a variety of references, including:
Thames Water heritage: A celebration of the organisation's history and its connection to the River Thames.
Local identity: References to Swindon, the Thames Valley and the region's railway heritage.
People & community: Illustrations representing employees, families and the communities connected by water.
Infrastructure: Water pipes, engineering details and the essential work that happens behind the scenes.
Nature & wildlife: Trees, birds, fish, insects and native natural habitats.
Landmarks & transport: Recognisable architectural features, railway references and canal boats.
One of the key requirements was to make the artwork feel inclusive and representative of the people who work at Thames Water, without relying on written messages or specific corporate statements.
The result is a layered illustration that tells a much bigger story than a traditional corporate wall graphic.
Colour Palette
The colour palette was designed to be bright, bold and full of personality, while taking inspiration from the wider office refurbishment by AWW.
Strong blues and oranges form the foundation of the artwork, with greens, yellows and additional accent colours bringing the individual illustrations to life.
The flowing blue elements provide continuity throughout the composition, while the contrasting colours help individual scenes and characters stand out.
The overall aesthetic is playful and contemporary, bringing warmth and personality into a busy workplace environment without losing its connection to the organisation's identity.
Technical Design & Execution
The scale and shape of the wall presented an interesting technical challenge.
Measuring 23 metres long and 2.5 metres high, the curved surface required careful planning to ensure the composition worked as one continuous piece of artwork.
Unlike a conventional flat wall, the curvature meant that the positioning and proportions of individual elements needed to be considered from multiple viewpoints.
I used a Meta Quest VR headset as part of the planning process, helping me visualise and check the placement of the design across the curved surface before committing it to the wall.
The wall had been prepared and painted by Thames Water ahead of the installation.
The mural was hand-painted using Dulux Trade Matt Emulsion, with the entire project taking approximately 56 hours of painting across 12 days.
The Challenge: Designing for a Curved Wall
One of the biggest challenges was ensuring that the artwork worked visually across the full length of the curved wall.
With so many individual elements, landmarks and illustrations, it was important that nothing became distorted, lost its proportions or unintentionally dominated the composition.
The mural needed to feel balanced whether viewed from directly in front, from either end of the wall or while walking through the space.
The use of the Meta Quest VR headset helped me assess the design in relation to the curved architecture and consider how the artwork would be experienced within the room. I encouraged employees to try on the headset to see the proposed design and experience my vision ahead of painting.
It was a particularly interesting opportunity to combine traditional hand-painted mural techniques with technology to help solve a very practical design challenge.
Painting in a Live Working Environment
The mural was painted within a fully operational Thames Water workplace, with the cafeteria remaining open and employees continuing to use the space throughout the project.
This required careful consideration of site safety, access and day-to-day working arrangements.
I established designated working areas, using high-visibility cones and safety barriers to separate my painting equipment, materials and working space from employees moving through the space.
Working around a live environment meant keeping the site organised, maintaining safe access and adapting to the activity within the space.
Despite the additional logistical considerations, the mural was completed over 12 days without needing the cafeteria to close.
The Finished Mural
The completed mural transforms an extensive curved wall into a colourful visual celebration of Thames Water.
The flowing river-inspired elements connect the different illustrations, creating a continuous story that moves between local landmarks, wildlife, infrastructure, employees and the organisation's heritage.
From the familiar references to Swindon and the Thames Valley to the smaller details celebrating the people and work behind the organisation, the mural offers plenty for employees and visitors to discover.
More than simply adding colour to the workplace, the artwork creates a sense of identity and connection, bringing together the history, people and purpose of Thames Water in one large-scale illustrative installation.
It's an example of how bespoke workplace murals can turn corporate spaces into engaging environments with their own personality, identity and story.
Project Details
Client - Thames Water
Interior Designers - AWW
Location - Swindon, Wiltshire
Project Type - Corporate / Commercial Interior
Space - Workplace Cafeteria
Wall Dimensions - 23m long x 2.5m high
Design - Bespoke illustrative mural
Paint - Dulux Trade Matt Emulsion
Painting Time - 56 hours across 12 days
Site Conditions - Fully operational workplace
Technology - Meta Quest VR headset used during design planning
Have a commercial mural project in mind, start your enquiry here
From corporate workplaces and hospitality interiors to public spaces and large-scale commercial environments, Squiggly Ink creates bespoke, hand-painted murals that bring spaces, brands and stories to life.
Working alongside interior designers, architects and businesses, I can take a project from initial creative concept through to the finished installation.
Have a space that deserves something distinctive? Let's talk.