If you run a business in Nigeria and you are thinking about commissioning a mural, this post is for you. And if you are an artist trying to understand what brand clients actually want, this is for you too.

After working with gyms, lounges, hotels, restaurants, and offices across Nigeria, here is what we have learned about how Nigerian brands approach mural projects, what they really need, and what gets a project from inquiry to finished wall.

How Nigerian Brand Clients Usually Show Up

Most brand clients fall into one of two types when they reach out.

The first type comes with some clarity. They know their dominant color, they have a reference image, they have a specific element they want drawn.

 They say things like "I want this color prominent" or "I want something like this on this particular wall." They have done some thinking and they want the artist to execute within that vision.

The second type says "you are the artist, do what you can." They hand over creative control entirely. This sounds easier but it actually requires more work from the artist upfront, because a blank brief without any direction can lead to a result the client did not expect, even if it is technically excellent.

Our approach with both types is the same: we ask for a photo of the actual space. How the room looks, how the light falls, whether it is a lounge, a restaurant, a gym, or an office. 

Then we ask about specifics,  brand logos, brand colors, any themes they have in mind. Even when a client says "do your artistic thing," we nudge gently for some direction, because there is always something in their head. Our job is to draw it out before we put it on the wall.

Who Actually Makes the Decision

Understanding who holds the authority on a brand project is one of the most underrated parts of closing a mural commission.

On the Silhouette Fitness Centre project in Yenagoa, the communication came through the wife, but the financial decision rested with her husband. Once she was convinced  once she could see the concept, understood the process, and trusted the artist,  the rest moved quickly. 

When one person close to the authority figure is fully on board, the rest is history. That is a pattern we have seen repeat across different client types.

For the Doncont Hotel feature wall in Yenegoa, the dynamic was different. We came in through a partner artist, which meant the trust was already built one level up. 

We were not selling ourselves to the client directly, we were executing within a relationship that had already been established. Partnering with other artists on large commercial feature walls is something we do regularly, and it changes the conversation entirely.

The lesson for brands: know who your decision maker is before you start the process. Involving them early, even briefly, avoids the situation where a design gets approved at one level and rejected at another.

What Brands React to in a Concept Presentation

When we present a mockup using our Mural Visualizer tool, what gets the strongest reaction is almost always the style, how the design feels in the space, whether the energy matches the environment.

A gym wants quotes, movement, energy. A bar or lounge wants color, warmth, personality, neon tones, music references, a vibe that makes people want to stay.

 A corporate office wants something that communicates professionalism and brand identity without being too loud. A restaurant wants something that becomes a backdrop people want to photograph themselves against.

Mockups do not reflect the full color accuracy of the finished mural, real paint on a real wall will always have a depth that a digital preview cannot fully capture. But what the mockup does is make the journey to investment easier.

 The client can see the concept sitting in their actual space, and that visual confirmation moves them from uncertainty to commitment faster than any conversation could.

The Biggest Mistakes Nigerian Brands Make When Commissioning a Mural

After multiple commercial projects, here are the patterns we see most often:

Not having a brand identity to begin with

Some business owners come to us wanting a mural but have not yet decided what their brand actually looks like. No consistent colors, no logo, no theme, no clear sense of what feeling they want customers to have. 

A mural cannot fix a brand identity problem, it will just make the confusion more visible, at larger scale, on a wall. In these cases we sometimes end up doing a light brand direction conversation before we even touch the mural brief. 

That is not extra work we charge for,  it is necessary groundwork. But it is something brands should ideally have sorted before they reach out.

Expecting the mockup to be the final result

Some clients fall in love with the mockup and expect the physical mural to match it exactly, same color temperature, same saturation, same level of finish. We always manage this expectation upfront: the mockup is a concept tool, not a technical blueprint.

 The real mural is an upgrade. The texture, depth, and presence of paint on a physical wall is something a screen cannot replicate. Clients who understand this are always more satisfied with the final result.

Choosing colors based on preference, not environment

This is a conversation we have had more than once. A client insists on their exact brand color, which is completely valid, but the way that color interacts with the wall, the lighting, and the surrounding space creates a problem. 

We once had a client whose brand color was a particular shade that, applied to their wall, would have looked like a white design on a white background. Barely visible, no contrast, no impact.

Rather than just executing what they asked for, we applied color theory and proposed a cooler, adjusted tone that preserved the brand feel while actually working in the environment. 

When they saw the reasoning, how color behaves differently on a wall versus a screen or a logo,  they understood immediately.

 That kind of expertise is part of what you are hiring a professional artist for. Not just someone who can paint, but someone who understands how color, light, and space interact.

Underestimating the logistics of an out-of-city artist

Some brands reach out and the first question is "are you based in our city?" When the answer is no, some conversations end there. But hiring an artist based on proximity rather than quality is a trade-off worth understanding.

 If a brand in Benin or Lagos brings us in from Yenagoa, the travel and accommodation costs are quoted separately, they are not hidden in the per sq ft rate.

 What the brand gets in return is an artist who has delivered at hotel and gym level, whose process is documented, and whose results they can verify before committing.

What Brands Actually Get from a Mural: The ROI

Beyond the visual result, the return brands see from a well-executed mural is almost always talked about in three ways:

Foot traffic and atmosphere. A distinctive mural changes how a space feels. People notice it when they walk in. It becomes part of the reason they stay, and part of what they describe when they recommend the place to others.

Content creation. This is the one that surprises business owners the most. After the Silhouette Fitness Centre mural, the level of content being created in that space was significant. 

Members photographing themselves in front of the wall, posting to Instagram, tagging the gym. One person sent us multiple video collaborations of their workout sessions filmed against the mural. Some of those posts reached people who had never heard of the gym before.

We also share the results on our own social media and website, which means the mural generates visibility for the business through our audience as well. It becomes a win on both sides.

Brand perception. A business that has invested in original, custom art on its walls signals something to customers and staff. It says this space was thought about. That perception has value that is hard to quantify but very easy to feel when you walk into a room.

What to Prepare Before You Contact a Mural Artist

To get the most useful quote and the best result, come to the conversation with:

  • Photos of the wall or space, how it actually looks right now
  • A sense of your brand colors, logo, and overall visual identity
  • Any reference images that capture the feeling you are going for
  • Your budget range, even a rough one helps the artist propose the right style tier
  • Your timeline, especially if the space is operational and painting needs to happen at specific hours

You do not need to have everything figured out. But the more context you bring, the faster we can move from inquiry to concept to wall.

If you want to see what a mural could look like in your space before you commit, try our Mural Visualizer here  no payment required.

Ready to start? Talk to us about your mural project here.