BLINK: When Environmental Graphic Design Comes to Life
We can talk about wayfinding, signage, murals, branded environments, placemaking, storytelling and the relationship between graphics, architecture and space. But sometimes the easiest way to explain why it matters is simply to experience it.
That's why BLINK feels so important to us at Mertz Design.
For four nights, BLINK transforms Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky into a massive public art experience spanning more than 30 city blocks, using projection mapping, light installations, murals, animation and interactive experiences to change the way people see the places around them.
And suddenly, the value and beauty of Environmental Graphic Design becomes very easy to see.
When the Environment Becomes the Experience
At Mertz, we see Environmental Graphic Design as the intersection of graphic design, architecture and storytelling. It is about using the physical environment to communicate something—to help people navigate, connect with a place, understand a story or simply feel something.
BLINK does that on a citywide scale.
Buildings become canvases. Streets become galleries. Murals become landmarks. Light changes the character of familiar architecture. Animation gives static structures movement and personality.
The environment becomes a completely new experience.
Art, Animation and a Little Mertz Magic
BLINK brings together so many of the things we love at Mertz: art, environmental graphics, animation, technology, storytelling and creative experiences.
It also brings an incredible range of creative talent to Cincinnati. The 2026 festival includes 92 artists representing 20 countries, alongside artists and creative organizations from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Also included in this amazing group of creative is one of our own Art Directors of Motion, Bern Iseli, has contributed his animation skills through a creative collaboration.
As a multidisciplinary design studio, we love seeing what happens when creative disciplines overlap. Seeing motion and animation become part of the physical environment is especially exciting for us. It's a reminder that design doesn't have to stay on a screen, a page or inside a building. It can spill into the streets and become something thousands of people experience together.
Why It Matters to Cincinnati
BLINK is more than a collection of beautiful things to look at, it changes how people interact with our city.
People walk neighborhoods they may not normally visit. They stop to look at buildings they have passed hundreds of times. They discover artists, businesses and public spaces. And for a few nights, Cincinnati becomes a shared creative experience.
Great environmental design can create a stronger connection between people and place. It can make a space memorable, encourage exploration and give a community something that feels uniquely its own.
BLINK demonstrates that beautifully. It shows what can happen when a city is willing to become a canvas.
Go See It for Yourself
If you are in town, please go experience BLINK.
Walk the streets. Look at the architecture differently. Watch the projections. Find the murals. Experience the installations. Pay attention to how light, graphics, animation and architecture work together. And please check out Bern’s piece at 109 W Court Street.
You may leave with a favorite piece of art. You may discover a new part of the city.
Either way, you'll experience firsthand why Environmental Graphic Design matters—and why we're so excited to be part of a creative community that makes experiences like BLINK possible.
BLINK 2026 runs October 8–11 from 7–11 p.m. across Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. It's free, it's walkable, and it's worth experiencing.
Mertz Design Studio is a brand and environmental design studio in Cincinnati. We partner with developers, institutions, architects, and brands across the Midwest to build places people actually want to be in — through environmental graphic design, wayfinding, placemaking, and brand identity that works as hard as the buildings around it.
[Let's talk about your project →] email us now at letstalk@mertzdesignstudio.com
