'Walking Dead' Wallcoverings

San Diego’s Hard Rock Hotel received a scare with this chilling décor, sponsored by AMC’s apocalyptic series “The Walking Dead” for the Comic-Con International convention this past July. In partnership with out-of-home agency Above All Media, Off the Wall Signs (Las Vegas) produced 3500 square feet of wall, floor, and elevator graphics featuring the cast – human or otherwise – of the hit show to promote its return to television this fall.

The graphics, printed on adhesive vinyl with the shop’s HP Latex 3000 printer, presented a color management challenge that every print provider has faced time and time again – although blood, specifically, may not be a hot topic on every shop floor.

“Getting the blood the right shade of red took a few tries,” says co-owner Mariela Faith. “We wanted to be sure red popped while maintaining the dark, gloomy vibe of the rest of the artwork.”

On installation day, Off the Wall Signs installers – many of them “Walking Dead” fans – got a taste of the zombie lifestyle, completing a six-hour overnight install after spending a full day onsite for another job.

“That was probably the most challenging part,” Faith says, but perhaps working with images of their larger-than-life heroes was worth staying up for. After staring at these haunting images, who would be able to sleep a wink anyway?