Apple Manhasset Mural
Client: Apple Retail; Manhasset, NY
Project: Public-facing mural. Community solidarity and brand expression.
Role: Lead Designer & Creative Director
Category: Fine Art, Mural, Experiential Design, Public Art, Brand Expression
The business problem: Apple stores were boarded up during the peak of both COVID and the George Floyd protests. The opportunity landed to say something that corporate couldn't.
Summary
Amid the peak of COVID-19 and widespread civil rights protests, retail storefronts were heavily boarded up. The location desperately needed an authentic public-facing statement, yet corporate leadership supported the new WFH workforce and could not speak with the human voice required. Stepping into that gap, myself and other talented employees conceived a powerful fine art mural expressing genuine community solidarity and core brand values without feeling performative.
Recognizing that drivers pass the building within three seconds, I rejected complex script for bold, immediate typography. Grounding the entire composition were Gianna Floyd’s evocative words, the quote centered raw humanity over institutional branding. Subtly woven into the visual architecture, the background gradient precisely mirrored the iconic color sequence of Apple’s original rainbow logo. This detail celebrated employee unity rather than division.
After pitching and securing executive approval, We assembled and led a cross-store team through execution across two six-hour build days. Amplified by Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, the mural became an community landmark. It proved that strategic creative direction can bridge corporate identity and profound cultural moments, directly generating subsequent large-format commissions while proving RFL Design Corp's rare capacity to lead authentic, high-visibility public fine art projects.
Special Thank you to: Jai, Brandon & Christina, Steven, Ariana, Ashley, August, Brian, Kamarah, Court, Ajon, Adam and everyone who helped install the mural.
The Story
It was 2020. Protests were happening across the country and COVID was still at its peak. Apple stores were boarded up, most of the workforce was either remote or gathering in chat groups just to be together.
Two of my frequent collaborators and I had a group chat going. We wanted to create something — a response that felt real, not institutional. Something from the people who actually worked in the building.
I came up with the design. We used Gianna Floyd's words as the anchor. The visual statement reflected Apple's values with clarity and empathy without feeling performative.
The concept was presented to the Market Director and Market Leader and approved. We assembled a team by pulling equally talented Apple employees from nearby stores. I led the installation from there — coordinating the build, the materials, the execution across two six-hour days.
Design Decisions
The first decision was the letterforms. People viewing the mural are moving. You have maybe three seconds as someone passes in a vehicle to make an impact. Script would spend those three seconds creating confusion, not impact.
The letters needed to be legible and immediate. I have a graffiti background, but I also know that not everyone on a production team shares that foundation equally — and this wasn't the project to navigate around that. I went back to typography. Forms I could control and hand off with precision.
What most people won't notice: the gradient sequence matches the exact color order of the original Apple logo. It was a nod to the company that approved the work, built into the visual without announcing itself. The gradient isn't decorative. It represents the community of employees inside that building — not the divisions, not the lines that separate people, but the blend.
Gianna Floyd's words were the anchor for the whole concept. Her father's life was the subject of much discussion, protest and emotion. But her quote is what centered this design. That's the part that made it human rather than institutional or politically driven.
What Happened
The mural became a visible symbol of solidarity for the local community. It received support and amplification from Apple's VP of Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives.
The project led directly to additional commissioned mural work, including a 105-by-50-foot installation at Chelsea Piers Fitness in Downtown Brooklyn.
