Graduation Projection Mapping for Commencement and Homecoming

Graduates walk past the same buildings for four years. On the night they leave, or the weekend they come back, those buildings can finally speak to them: school colors climbing the clock tower, the class year across the library, a crest that builds itself stone by stone in front of the families on the lawn.

We design and build projection experiences for universities, colleges and schools, from the story to the rig. If you are planning commencement or homecoming, tell us about the campus and the date.

A campus already has its icons: the administration building, the chapel, the stadium. Large-scale projection mapping can turn building facades, stadium structures and other campus surfaces into visual displays. Multi-projector blends can cover large surfaces, with projector placement and audience sightlines planned around the venue.

The defining creative advantage is reuse. Mapped content can be modular, allowing messaging to be swapped for different teams, cities or sponsors without rebuilding physical elements. For a campus, that could mean adapting a school's visual identity for commencement, a homecoming theme or an alumni event. The content and technical setup still need to be planned for the surface and event.

• Content in school colors. Our animation process begins by identifying the visual aesthetic, tone and format through storyboards and moodboards. That gives the university team a starting point for reviewing the creative direction before production moves ahead.
• Building mapping. We map the surface using photogrammetry or laser scanning to capture its geometry. This helps ensure the crest, class year and colors align with the real architecture.
• Stadium moments. In a stadium or arena, projection can transform tunnels, concourses, facades and sponsor structures. Visuals can be timed to gates, player entrances or halftime, which also creates possibilities for a homecoming game.
• Graduate photo moments. A graduate's name could appear on a wall as they arrive. Another option is a photo booth that projects a personal story onto a large wall, adapting an approach Lumen and Forge has used for private events.
• Guests in the picture. Real-time visuals and camera-based experiences can put guests inside a projected scene. A graduate might stand on a marked spot and see themselves become part of the visuals.
• Test runs. We recommend a test run at least a week before the event to confirm alignment and brightness.

Commencement is about the graduates and their families. A building show after the ceremony gives families another way to celebrate, with the school's best-known facade as a backdrop for photos.

Homecoming brings alumni back. A show on the stadium or a central building can mix the school's history with this year's team, and it can run across the weekend. Projection mapping can also be timed to key moments such as player entrances or halftime.

Campus nights and student events work at smaller scale too. Small projection domes, approximately 10 to 20 feet in diameter, are suitable for portable setups and smaller installations in schools. Projection domes can also support educational experiences for institutions such as universities.

Anniversary and centennial celebrations have their own anniversaries page, and city events belong on our civic events page.

We have not published a graduation project. Our closest published work is a centennial show on a university's best-known building.

• Texas Tech 100th anniversary: We transformed the Texas Tech Administration Building into a canvas for the university's 100th anniversary celebration in February 2023. Using seven 4K Barco projectors mounted on custom truss structures, we created a five-minute show that brought the university's history to life. The production combined archival media with original motion graphics and animations, and the building came alive each night to tell its story.

Tell us the event, the date, the building you have in mind and the crowd you expect. We will come back with content ideas, a rig plan and a timeline that fits the academic calendar. For the wider range of surfaces we map, see our projection mapping services, or contact our team to start.