Response to Bostik's new worldwide branding program has been excellent. The new branding features a new corporate logo, which includes a multi-colored gecko. The rationale for using this image, is that a gecko is capable of sticking to almost any surface at any angle with a remarkably strong bond.
Bostik's gecko will be even more focal at Coverings 2014. On April 29 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, an 8' x 8' mural portraying the gecko, crafted with more than 35,000 individually-placed, tiny glass mosaics, will be officially unveiled at 11:00 a.m. The event will take place at Bostik's exhibit # 7087; a coffee bar will be on hand for those attending.
To produce the glass mural, Bostik turned to Surfaces, Inc., of Miami. Elida Art, a division of Surfaces, has been creating highly detailed, labor-intensive murals for two decades. Albert Claramonte, president of Surfaces, stated, "We took a high resolution image of Bostik's gecko and then scanned it, using our special software program to elicit a gigantic, pixelated grid. This indicated to our artisans exactly which color tiny mosaic tile would go where, in order to make our Bostik glass gecko glass mural a visual reality. From there, they began mounting the thousands of half-inch glass mosaics each by hand, one-at-a-time, on square foot mesh, perfectly following the computer-generated grid."
Claramonte added that those working on the mural are not just automatons who meticulously follow the gridwork and affix the tiny mosaics in place. "They all are art school-educated, with high sensitivity to the best usage of color. If just one of the glass "chips" is even a bit off color-wise and they think it would disrupt the flow of the mural, they have the choice to replace that piece, taking time to source the most appropriate substitute mosaic tile. Our mosaic artists are absolute perfectionists!"
Bostik's Dimension RapidCure, Pre-Mixed Urethane Grout, was used to finish the project. In particular, because it contains micro glass beads and a translucent, urethane binder that both reflect light as well as allowing it to pass through. This creates a unique reflective, three-dimensional effect within glass tile installations. Visitors to Coverings exhibit # 7087 will see a huge, luminous glass mosaic gecko that will look a bit different from every angle.
“We can't wait for Coverings to take place and everyone to see our giant gecko mural," stated Scott Banda, director of marketing for Bostik’s Consumer and Construction Unit.
