NOVA Light Labs gave Western Washington University's welcome night a landmark to walk toward: The Herald, in full light.

WWU wanted incoming students off the hill and into downtown Bellingham. Not a year later. On night one, walking a single mile down to meet the city they had just moved to.

NOVA answered with architectural projection mapping across The Herald, a full stage lighting design for the concert below, and a countdown timed to the second that handed the night to fireworks. It became WWU Paint B'Ham Blue.

A legendary night for a college town repeated year after year.

A few thousand students, one downtown street, and a building that pulsed to the music.

Students crest the hill at dusk and follow the crowd down. Food trucks, open doors, bass rising off the pavement. Then The Herald starts to move.

Elation takes the block. Electronic sets run live on the stage while the facade rides every drop, and when the countdown hits 0 the whole crowd looks up together as the sky opens.

“We have a thriving art community here in Bellingham and it’s always been important to our company to help contribute to the arts in whatever way we can.”

Kane. H
Owner of The Herald
Whatcom Talk

Custom visuals built for live mixing on The Herald and for the countdown.

The Herald already carries its own signature looks from its permanent projection mapping system. NOVA developed new ones. Looks made to be mixed live against the musicians' sets and to land the countdown on the beat.

Bold type across the facade. Star bursts pouring down the windows. Washes of blue and violet tuned to Western's own palette, so the building read as the university's brand before a single word landed.

Outdoor rated projection mapping and stage lighting design in Bellingham, Washington.

Large format architectural projection mapping across the full Herald facade, driven by a live visual mixing rig. A stage lighting design built on the TUBIX LED Pixel Bars, moving heads, strobes, and haze. Every piece outdoor rated.

A timed countdown synchronized visuals, lighting, and the fireworks cue, with the pyrotechnics fired by a separate provider. Delivered across multiple years, in rain and clear skies, in partnership with Daylight Properties, the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, and the Associated Students of Western Washington University.