How branding can make or break a sports event
My regular visits to the London Stadium to watch the mighty Hammers allows me (along with the many tourists!) to enjoy 90 minutes of VAR assisted Premiership football, my enthusiasm fuelled by a cheeky Chicken Balti pie washed down with a couple of lagers (happy to conform to stereotype!).
But on a professional level, I can’t help but analyse and note the development of the stadium, a process which has become termed by the media as “West Ham-ification”. From the huge wrap around digital screen to facades and signage, every surface has been sugar coated in claret and blue. The huge effort is self-evident and unrelenting, an obvious effort to imbue the space with the club’s brand and over time it appears to be paying off – the ground is slowly starting to feel like home (it may take many years as memories of the Boleyn are engrained in many supporters).
But stadiums like this don’t just brand themselves. I know from the longs hours and scar tissue on my back, just what a challenge the new owners of the London Stadium face. Bringing a stadium to life to the satisfaction of sponsors and spectators is hard enough under normal circumstances without a sceptical crowd who have been forced to move there from their spiritual home.
So how do you do it? Well, having branded some big events over the last decade, I have learned that there are some key things that make the difference between a big empty place and an atmospheric cathedral of sport.
10 Step Guide to Getting it Right
1. Understanding the Space
Always do a recce, even if you think you know the space inside out. Modern structures have a tendancy to evolve with the ability to expand or contract given their needs. Our work at the The O2 is an obvious example – in the blink of an eye the ICON Outlet sprung up and changed the environment dramatically.
2. Get Organised
Joblists, spreadsheets and good old fashioned job bags (yes, containing paper). Establish a central work server and label like a demon. Make available to all an archive of any previous work for the event and establish a central reservoir for any assets (logos, guidelines, templates etc).
3. Know the Brand
Research the hell out of any event they have touched upon and recognise any failings and indeed successes. All relevant and can be used to shape your designs. Analyse any previous projects you have worked on with the client and understand how they might shape your thinking going forward. Ask for feedback – what did the client think was a success, what did the fans rave about and what clicked with the sponsors? Events can be experienced on so many levels and you need to know all the angles. Oh, and actually read the brand guidelines, they are not made just to burn up a marketing budget and will prove useful!
4. Colours and Substrates
Always get a colour proof produced by the printers and run out on all relevant substrates – this becomes your song sheet which everyone will sing from. With big events multiple suppliers can be involved, each with their own machines and unique settings – mis-matching graphics at an event are a real eye sore and won’t gain any Brownie points.
5. Develop Relationships
Particularly with the people outputting your designs! Nothing beats a good printer and developing a good working relationship is synonymous with positive results onsite. Establish dialogue early on – understand how they require files and most importantly when! Deadlines are always crucial, so be aware how long certain artworks take to produce.
6. Getting it Wrong
Yep, things always go pear shaped no matter how organised you are, so expect the unexpected and mentally prepare for the spanner in the works. Most common – incorrect dimensions or cutter guides.
7. Mentality
Don’t consider yourself or allow yourself to become a supplier – you’re better than that! You’re an integral part of the brands team and you’ll enjoy the whole process infinitely more once you got that straight in your mind.
8. Have the Best Tools Available
Ramp up that memory on the Macs and clear some disk space – big spaces means BIG files and have a little think about file transfer – with a printer shouting for artwork, processing power and fast internet connections are a must!
9. Be Meticulous
Go all compulsive obsessive if you have to, but mistakes at this scale are the stuff of nightmares… Check, double check and if need be triple check artwork, no matter how routine. A fresh pair of eyes is invaluable.
10. Visit and Enjoy
Nothing like seeing the fruits of your labour up close and personal! Soak it up, take loads of photos and ideally walk around with the client and list any snagging while fresh in the mind – could prove really useful for next year’s event!
If you’ve got to number 10 then I’m guessing you have more than a passing interest. I’m always happy to share knowledge or advice, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you want to chat about an event – contact me at paul@junctiondesign.co.uk or +44 (0)20 7404 6766.
Paul Emery
Owner, Junction Design