Sports Arena & Stadium Signage

Fans flock to sports venues for more than just the game. A sporting event is an immersive experience and an opportunity to connect fans — to make them feel like they’re part of something special.  

How can you achieve that in such a massive space? With Great.Big.Graphics from SpeedPro. 

Stadiums are a blank canvas for telling your team’s story through high-impact graphics, inspiring images and bold branding. From functional wayfinding signage to soaring window graphics that welcome fans from the farthest reaches of the parking lot, SpeedPro offers end-to-end solutions for the design, printing and installation of stadium signage.

What Makes Stadium Signage Unique?

First, let’s review how large-format printing and signage for sports arenas differ from other businesses.

Scale

Some NFL football stadiums have miles of concourses and stairwells, thousands of seats and hundreds of toilets. But who wants to stare at blank walls while they walk 10 minutes to their seat?

The challenge is scale. Stadiums must have a reliable and capable partner when exploring large-format signage solutions. 

Moderation

On the other hand, with so many signs to hang and surfaces to cover, it can be easy to get carried away in such a large venue. Look for places where your stadium branding will have the most impact, like signage menu boards at concession stands, pylon wraps to brighten concourses and large murals in entryways.

Your marketing and branding team will work closely with your graphic designer at SpeedPro to create a cohesive stadium branding strategy that enhances fans’ experience without overwhelming them. 

Consistency

Consistency is key when installing stadium signage and artwork. Everything should adhere to your brand standards. This doesn’t necessarily mean your team colors. Your stadium should have branding that complements your team to create a seamless experience for guests while helping them navigate the venue.

The brand strategy should include even health and safety signage and wayfinding signs. 

Compliance

Like other places of business, stadiums must be accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes ADA-compliant stadium signs.

According to the Accessible Stadiums section of the act, “Signs that identify permanent rooms and spaces, such as those identifying rest rooms, exits or room numbers, must have Braille and raised letters or numbers so that they may be read visually or tactually (by feeling the characters with one’s fingers). They must also meet specific requirements for mounting location, color contrast, and non-glare surface. Signs that provide direction to, or information, about functional spaces, must only comply with requirements for character proportion, character height, and finish and contrast between the characters and background.”

Not sure how to make your stadium signs accessible? SpeedPro has you covered. We’re well-versed in ADA requirements to ensure your signs are compliant. One more way we go the extra mile to help our stadium clients create a more enjoyable experience for all. 

Types Of Stadium Signage

So what are the most common types of signage in sports stadiums?

Environmental Graphics

Many stadium signs and art we’ve already mentioned fall into the environmental graphics category.

This type of design uses principles of environmental graphic design (EGD), also called experiential graphic design (XGD). It’s the equivalent of website UX for brick-and-mortar facilities: it improves visitor experience.

Types of environmental graphics include:

• Branded and themed signage – This is the fun stuff. The giant wall murals, window graphics, decals, floor graphics, vinyl banners, custom backdrops, and other branding give your stadium its identity. These branded graphics welcome fans, honor players and help visitors connect with their environment.
• Wayfinding signage – Directional signs, symbols, arrows, maps, directories, and placards help people navigate a building. These are critical for large venues like sports complexes.
• Selfie Stations – create photo opportunities for fans and visitors where they can stand in front of a fun photogenic backdrop to take pictures with friends and family to share on social media how much fun they are having there.
• Identity signage – Signs, murals and artwork that define a space, give it an identity and help people feel connected to it. In stadiums, this might be VIP seating areas, the press box, or special access areas of the locker rooms.
• Exhibition signage – Stadiums sometimes feature special events for visitors to enjoy, like a collection of art. Or, a collection of every jersey from the Red Sox’s 2004 drought-breaking season, complete with dirt stains from the Fenway Park baseball stadium. Whatever the items are on display, custom signage informs visitors and guides them through the displays.

Wall Murals & Graphics

Large murals that span entire walls draw people in with bold colors and imaginative graphics. They can celebrate the home team with pictures of star players, team colors and logos. Or, they can serve as stunning pieces of art.

Murals work well in entryways and large open areas where people gather or stand in line. You can also wrap the exterior facade of the stadium in a weather-resistant vinyl wall wrap for year-round advertising to people driving by.

Floor Graphics

As much as people stare down on their phones these days, you may want to put your branding on the floor rather than the walls.

While floor graphics and decals have been commonplace on basketball courts and stadium stairs forever, you can get creative and put them in places where they’ll get even more traction — like bathroom and concession lines.

Put a QR code vinyl decal on the floor every few feet in the bathroom with no other information. Link it to your team or stadium’s social media site, and get real-time access to fans and potential followers! Giant floor graphics also double as murals and artwork in large open spaces like entryways.

Vinyl Banners

Vinyl banners are incredibly versatile and less labor-intensive to install, making them easier to change throughout the season. They could be 30-foot-long hung vinyl banners from the ceiling of the entryway to celebrate past tournament championships or retired players.

Or, you could highlight that information on smaller boulevard banners that line your concourses. Standing banners can display information on a merchandise table or informational ticket booth for season tickets.

Digital Signage

Every stadium has a digital scoreboard, but the opportunity to use digital signage goes beyond that and is a must-have in modern stadium branding.

Digital signs can produce ad revenue, and it’s cheaper to run your ads versus re-printing signs and banners as your promos change throughout the season. It’s also easier to fix mistakes in graphics on a digital sign, and your marketing team or SpeedPro graphic designer can quickly create new signs.

Finally, there’s no limit to what you can display on a digital sign. You can cycle through ads, run video recaps and highlights, or display a static information sign — like a menu board for concession stands.

Give your stadium its brand and help it stand out by partnering with SpeedPro. Find your local studio for a free consultation to learn more about custom signage for your stadium.