Murals are giant wall paintings, the style and content of which have evolved over the years. Here are some of the trends in murals in no particular order of importance.
Text murals
Text in giant lettering with stylized graphics and a cogent message can make for compelling murals. Text alone, when it has a powerful message, can be attention grabbing, and it is no wonder that text based murals are trending.
Nature
Nature offers one vast canvas ranging from a wide angle view of the landscape to a macro look at elements of nature such as a flower or the eye of an insect. Today, there is a resurgence in murals using nature as the inspiration and it is apt considering the current focus on sustainability and conservation.
Collaborative
As the term indicates, here it is not one person but several, including whole communities, that can participate in creating public art in a collaborative manner. Topics may be as diverse as heritage, culture, and social issues. Collaborative murals confer a sense of shared ownership and pride in belonging to a community.
Socially Conscious
There is rising awareness of social issues and environmental issues that has sparked an interest in creating socially conscious murals that address racism, discrimination, gender quality, environment, youth, unemployment, and health, among other topics.
Geometric and Abstract
Geometric and abstract art are on the rise with artists giving free reign to express themselves using abstract shapes and geometric patterns coupled with bold colors that encourage viewers to think and interpret the idea behind that work of art.
3D Illusion
This is a catching trend with artists using optical illusion and perspectives to create 3D effects. The artwork and its components seem to pop off the wall, giving an added dimension of depth. Such murals are striking and captivating.
Interactive
In keeping with current technological trends, the thrust is towards the development and creation of interactive murals with elements of augmented reality. Viewers can use smartphones to unlock animation, or interact with various physical elements of the mirrors, taking murals to another level.
LED
LED display hoardings are ubiquitous and it should be no surprise if these displays become the medium to create and display murals in real time or display a sequence of murals for a visual effect that simply cannot be matched by static images or objects.
Murals are evolving and will continue to enchant humans for ever, a testimony to the creative powers of the human mind.