By: Ethan Rogers
EastCoast MuralPros CEO Adam Herz is helping introduce architects, designers, schools, workplaces, and institutions to direct-to-wall printing, a technology that offers an alternative to traditional vinyl wall graphics.
For decades, the wall graphics industry has largely relied on the same approach. Whether in schools, hospitals, corporate offices, hospitality venues, or public facilities, graphics are typically produced on vinyl materials and then applied to walls using adhesives.
The process is familiar, widely available, and deeply ingrained within the architectural and design community.
Adam Herz believes there is another option that many decision-makers have yet to discover.
After spending more than twenty years working on Wall Street, Herz found himself drawn toward an entirely different industry, one focused not on finance, but on how physical spaces influence the people who use them every day.
Today, as CEO and Partner of EastCoast MuralPros, Herz is working to raise awareness about direct-to-wall printing, a technology that allows high-resolution graphics to be printed directly onto interior and exterior surfaces without the use of vinyl, adhesives, or seams.
His mission is not centered on replacing one company with another. Instead, it is focused on introducing what he believes is an emerging category within environmental graphics.
“Most people don’t realize another option exists,” says Herz. “When they think about wall graphics, they immediately think of vinyl because that’s what the industry has used for years. What we’re trying to do is educate people that graphics can now be printed directly onto the wall itself.”
The distinction may seem subtle, but Herz believes it has meaningful implications for architects, designers, facility operators, and organizations looking to enhance their spaces.
An Unexpected Career Transition
Herz’s path into commercial wall printing was anything but conventional.
For more than two decades, his professional career was spent in the financial sector, navigating the fast-moving and highly competitive environment of Wall Street.
Like many entrepreneurs, however, his next chapter began with a discovery.
When Herz first encountered NextGen WallPrinting technology, he was immediately intrigued by both the visual quality and the practical applications.
Unlike traditional wall graphics that require a printed material to be physically attached to a wall, direct-to-wall printing uses specialized equipment to print graphics directly onto the surface itself.
The result is a finished graphic that becomes part of the wall rather than an applied layer on top of it.
For Herz, the technology represented something larger than a new product.
“It felt like one of those moments where you realize an industry is about to evolve,” he says. “The more I learned about it, the more I felt there was an opportunity to help people understand that wall graphics don’t necessarily have to be vinyl.”
That realization ultimately led him to leave a successful career in finance and dedicate himself to building awareness around direct-to-wall printing.
Solving an Awareness Problem
While many businesses face challenges related to competition, Herz says one of the biggest obstacles for EastCoast MuralPros has been something much simpler: awareness.
Because direct-to-wall printing remains unfamiliar to many buyers, architects, and facility managers, potential customers often don’t know the option exists.
“People can’t evaluate a solution they’ve never heard of,” Herz explains. “The challenge isn’t convincing people after they’ve seen it. The challenge is introducing them to it in the first place.”
According to Herz, the response tends to be immediate once individuals encounter the technology in person.
Seeing a graphic printed directly onto a wall often changes how people think about environmental graphics, branding, and visual storytelling within physical spaces.
That reaction has reinforced the company’s educational approach.
Rather than focusing exclusively on sales conversations, EastCoast MuralPros has invested significant effort into demonstrations, presentations, and industry education designed to help architects, designers, and institutional buyers understand how the technology works and where it may fit within future projects.
Growing Interest Across Multiple Industries
As awareness grows, Herz has seen interest emerge from a wide range of sectors.
Educational institutions use wall graphics to create immersive learning environments. Universities leverage environmental branding to strengthen campus identity and student engagement. Corporate workplaces use visual elements to reinforce culture and communicate brand values. Healthcare organizations often explore environmental graphics as part of broader patient and visitor experiences.
The versatility of direct-to-wall printing has also expanded its use into locations that many people might not immediately associate with wall graphics.
During the past year, EastCoast MuralPros has completed projects in a variety of environments, including a prominent New York tourist destination located within a flagship supertall tower, healthcare facilities, and correctional institutions.
The diversity of those applications highlights a broader trend: organizations increasingly recognize the impact that physical environments can have on people.
Whether the goal is education, branding, navigation, engagement, or atmosphere, visual environments are becoming a larger part of the conversation.
The Connection Between Environment and Experience
For Herz, the growing interest in environmental graphics reflects a larger shift in how organizations think about space.
Historically, wall graphics were often viewed primarily as decorative elements. Today, many organizations see them as tools that support culture, identity, communication, and experience.
Research appears to support that perspective.
Gensler’s 2025 Global Workplace Survey, which gathered insights from more than 16,000 workers worldwide, found significant opportunities for improvement within workplace environments. The report identified strong connections between employee satisfaction, workplace experience, and organizational engagement.
Among respondents who viewed their workplace positively, many also reported stronger connections to their employers and greater pride in their organizations.
For Herz, findings like these reinforce conversations he has with clients on a regular basis.
“When organizations invest in their spaces, they’re ultimately investing in the people who spend time there,” he says. “Whether it’s a student, an employee, a patient, or a visitor, the environment contributes to the experience.”
That philosophy has become a recurring theme across many of the projects EastCoast MuralPros undertakes.
Educating the Architectural Community
One milestone Herz views as particularly important is the development of an continuing education course focused on direct-to-wall printing.
The course was created to help licensed architects better understand how the technology functions, where it may fit within project specifications, and how it can be incorporated into broader design strategies.
According to Herz, educational initiatives like this are critical because many decisions about environmental graphics occur long before construction is completed.
Architects and designers often determine visual elements during the planning phase, making awareness and specification knowledge essential.
By creating an accredited educational resource, EastCoast MuralPros hopes to provide industry professionals with practical information they can evaluate alongside other design solutions.
“Our goal is education,” Herz says. “Architects want options. Designers want options. We want them to understand what’s available so they can decide what makes sense for their projects.”
Sustainability Considerations
Another factor contributing to increased interest in direct-to-wall printing is sustainability.
Traditional wall graphics often involve vinyl materials, adhesives, transportation, installation processes, and eventual disposal. Direct-to-wall printing reduces reliance on several of those components by applying graphics directly to the surface itself.
While sustainability priorities vary by organization, Herz believes environmental considerations will continue playing a larger role in design and facility decisions.
“Organizations are paying closer attention to how materials are used and where waste is generated,” he says. “As those conversations continue, people naturally become interested in alternatives.”
For institutions balancing design goals with environmental objectives, that conversation is becoming increasingly relevant.
Looking Ahead
As the direct-to-wall printing industry continues to evolve, Herz sees significant opportunities ahead.
His vision for the next several years is centered on continued education, broader industry awareness, and deeper collaboration with architects, designers, and institutional organizations.
Rather than viewing growth solely through the lens of market share, Herz measures success by how many people become aware that another option exists.
“We’re still early in the awareness cycle,” he says. “The more people learn about direct-to-wall printing, the more creative possibilities they begin to see.”
For a former Wall Street professional who unexpectedly found a new passion in transforming physical environments, the mission remains straightforward: help organizations discover a different way to think about walls, branding, and the spaces people experience every day.
About Adam Herz
Adam Herz is CEO and Partner of EastCoast MuralPros, a commercial wall-printing company specializing in NextGen WallPrinting technology. The company prints high-resolution graphics directly onto interior and exterior surfaces without vinyl, adhesives, or seams. EastCoast MuralPros works with schools, universities, healthcare organizations, workplaces, hospitality venues, and institutional facilities seeking environmental graphics, branding solutions, wayfinding systems, and wall-design applications.
