Papa John’s Graffiti Pizza Wings

by Julian Rucker

Client: Papa John’s

Agency: Camp + King

Goal

Transform a simple digital background into an iconic, Instagram-worthy design that sparked joy, reflected Papa John’s playful identity, and engaged employees during a time of remote connection.

Audience

Papa John’s corporate staff, remote employees, and internal event participants looking for fresh, spirited ways to stay connected.

Contribution

I illustrated and designed the pizza wings concept, merging cultural references from street art with Papa John’s brand voice. The work balanced bold graphics, humor, and on-brand elements, resulting in a visual that could scale across digital and social use.

The Story Behind The Wings

Papa John’s wanted a bold, culture-driven creative moment for internal events during the height of virtual meetings. At Camp + King, we reimagined the popular “angel wings” street art trend as playful Graffiti Pizza Wings — a vibrant, brand-ownable concept that celebrated pizza while creating a backdrop designed for sharing.

Process

Research & Inspiration

Explored global “wings” mural trends and their social media popularity to ground the idea in a recognizable, cultural reference.

Sketching & Iteration

Developed pizza-wing sketches based on signature Papa John’s pizzas, refining linework, toppings, and form for maximum playfulness.

Refinement

Applied brand colors, textures, and layout for digital adaptability while ensuring scalability across multiple formats.

Final Delivery

Delivered polished illustration files ready for Zoom backgrounds, digital campaigns, and social extensions.

Explored global “wings” mural trends and their social media popularity to ground the idea in a recognizable, cultural reference.

Refinement: Applied brand colors, textures, and layout for digital adaptability while ensuring scalability across multiple formats.

Final Delivery: Delivered polished illustration files ready for Zoom backgrounds, digital campaigns, and social extensions.

Impact

This project merged street art culture with brand illustration, producing digital-first artwork that felt fresh, Instagram-ready, and distinctly Papa John’s. The illustrated pizza-slice wings became a custom Zoom background for internal staff and were later adapted for social media campaigns, driving engagement while connecting to a larger cultural trend.

The Graffiti Pizza Wings not only highlighted Papa John’s playful brand personality but also demonstrated how illustration and cultural insight can create content that is shareable, memorable, and visually striking across digital platforms.