We’ve all been left with a pile of greeting cards after a special occasion and consigned them to the recycling bin, but have you ever thought about using them to create something else? A giant art piece, perhaps? Well, the staff at greetings card company Moonpig recently did just that. They created a huge mosaic in their offices, using 676 greetings cards.
With ‘May the 4th’ on the horizon, the Star Wars-loving staff at Moonpig wanted to celebrate the legendary saga in their own unique way… and a 4.7-meter-high recreation of the iconic battle scene between the heroic Luke Skywalker and infamous bad guy Darth Vader seemed a perfect choice. Here’s how the team managed to put together such an epic tribute to the beloved franchise.
Choosing the Perfect Picture
For any lover of the Star Wars films, the story evokes huge feelings of nostalgia and fond memories, with a shared love running through generations of family members. Most importantly, the Star Wars films are the source of much debate – which is the best film? Is Jar Jar Binks brilliant or just annoying? This meant that the team had to get it right when choosing an image for the mosaic.
There are so many iconic moments from the Star Wars films that it feels almost impossible to pick one to immortalize, however, we can’t argue with the choice of Luke’s first battle with his arch-enemy – and father – Darth Vader! The scene, from Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, is firmly etched into every fan’s memory and was definitely worthy of being replicated on a giant scale!
Creating the Cards
As a greetings card company, it made sense for the mosaic to be made from hundreds of cards. The cards themselves were all based on Moonpig’s own Star Wars themed line, making the image even more striking. The only challenge was to edit the colors of the original cards so they could be used to create the mosaic.
This is where Moonpig’s talented design and print teams came into their own. Using expert Photoshop skills, they set to work creating the oversized image. The result was a 4.86m by 3.48m rectangle, ready to be constructed in their offices. To do this, they needed a grid to help take the design from the screen into reality. Each card was given a co-ordinate, corresponding to a place on the grid and making it easy for the team to put it together.
Putting it Together
With all the parts prepared and the battle plan in place, all that was left to do was to construct the mosaic. To do this, four members of staff came into the office extra early and set to work with a pile of greetings cards and plenty of glue. Banding together like members of the Rebellion, our team set to work.
Six hours of positioning and sticking ensued for the team before their movie masterpiece was finally ready. It wasn’t all plain sailing, however, and the moral support provided by two Storm Troopers and numerous cups of tea came in handy when bringing the ambitious project to life.
Using The Force
As a company that has creativity running through it, it’s no surprise that the staff at Moonpig jumped into this project with great enthusiasm. As part of the build, everyone in the office was encouraged to wear Star Wars-themed fancy dress. This meant that Chewbacca, Princess Leia, and Jar Jar Binks could take in the construction first hand!
The construction of the mosaic was a great talking point for staff, with Star Wars fans and even non-fans marveling at the creation. Just like it has for over 40 years now, Star Wars helped to bring people together and spark friendship and conversation.