Covestro brings colour into play

When graffiti appear on brick walls, it’s rarely a result of legal activity. But that’s not the case at Covestro headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany. The materials manufacturer, which formerly operated under the name Bayer MaterialScience, is using an art project to focus attention on its new company name.

The graffiti artwork produced by three artists from Wuppertal, Germany, along part of the wall of the Chempark Leverkusen site is more than 25m long and just under three meters high.

Why use graffiti, of all things, as an advertisement? "Covestro stands for a new, courageous approach with a colourful brand," said CEO Patrick Thomas at the official unveiling of the artwork. "The graffiti symbolises this perfectly and the result is really impressive."

The painting event was led by Martin Heuwold, with the able assistance of Ognjen Pavic and Lukas Pauer. The trio worked on their creation for two days, emptying more than 100 cans of paint in the process. "Graffiti expresses an aesthetic all its own and it was fantastic to bring this art form into play for Covestro as a new company," said Heuwold. The artists didn’t spray their paint directly on to the chemical park’s brick wall but instead on to special panels that will be removed in early 2016.