Hockey Arena Graphics and Imagery

OCTOBER 4, 2019| SpeedPro Premier

If you’re looking to spruce up a hockey arena with fresh new graphics, you’ll be happy to know that SpeedPro Premier has all the graphics needed to make a lasting impression on fans and visitors. The best arenas incorporate fresh graphics and imagery to provide the best experience for both the fans and the team. Graphics can be included throughout your arena, from the locker rooms, to the banners that welcome fans to the stadium, and all the other locations in between.

BENEFITS OF HOCKEY ARENA GRAPHICS

There are many benefits of using graphics, but in case you need some convincing, here are three main reasons you should consider using graphics:

1. Garner team spirit: If you’re going to see your favorite team play at home, it’s essential to feel like you are walking into a building that has an identity. Arena graphics give teams the opportunity to create that identity by posting graphics throughout that celebrate the team’s past and current accomplishments. Murals of players or the team’s logo, for instance, will make fans feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves.
2. Give players a home: Whether you’re trying to get players interested in playing for you or show veteran players that you value them, custom designed graphics will prove that you’re invested in the team’s success as a whole. As much as you expect them to show pride in the organization, the organization needs to set the tone by showing pride for the team. Give players a place they can see as their second home.
3. Generate attention: Stunning designs don’t go unnoticed. Build your arena’s reputation as a must-see attraction in your city by using only the most visually appealing designs both inside and outside the stadium. The more your team is known for the quality of its arena, the more people are going to be interested in coming to watch them play. Incorporating aesthetically pleasing graphics will draw people from all over to watch the games.

HOCKEY DASHER BOARD GRAPHICS AND IMAGES

Dasher boards are crucial to any rink, as they surround the ice and are highly visible to fans. As an organization, you want these boards to be sturdy — players and the puck will regularly crash into them — but you also want them to be visually appealing to your fan base.

At SpeedPro Premier, we have a history of creating appealing and functional dasher boards, so we know how important they can be for a hockey team. As a form of wall mural, dasher board graphics and images will allow you to do quite a lot. For instance, popular among hockey teams, vinyl graphics dasher boards are both durable and eye-catching.

Below are multiple ways that you can make dasher boards into something that visually appeals to your fans:

• Eye-catching designs: All wall murals are first and foremost about catching someone’s eye and communicating a message about an organization. Dasher boards are no different. With a dasher board, you can turn a plain background into a work of art that communicates essential information about your team. Do you want to show that your team is tough or exciting to watch? You can find a design and color scheme for the boards that helps fans receive a message about the team.
• Branding: As the game is being watched live, either in person or on broadcast, fans will always see your dasher boards in the background of the action. Continuously visible, dasher boards are excellent locations for your logo or other identifying designs to be placed. They can be designed to match the color scheme of your team and subtly build a stronger brand identity while fans enjoy the game.
• Sponsorships: Since dasher boards are highly visible, they make an excellent medium for advertising. Hockey dasher board advertising is well established at many hockey arenas, and there’s no reason you wouldn’t want to utilize the space to generate revenue for your team. Bringing on sponsors that are brand-friendly is a financially effective way to use dasher boards along with adding some color and design to the background of the hockey game.
• Variation: If your arena is hosting a special event such as a tournament or some other sport, like figure skating, dasher boards can be switched out quickly to match the occasion. This sort of flexibility is perfect if you’re looking to use your arena for purposes other than your team’s regular season games.

LOCKER ROOM GRAPHICS

An arena’s graphics are not only for the fans but also your players and coaching staff. In the recruiting process, coaches know the value of a dressed up locker room that gets recruits excited to come to play for their team.

For current team members and coaches, a visually appealing locker room is a must. These individuals will be spending much of their time in it, and you want them to feel like they’re appreciated by the organization or school as a whole. A dull locker room sends the message that you aren’t fully invested in their success.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to decorate your locker room with custom graphics, you can go about it in any number of ways. We’ve provided some of the best options to give you a taste:

• Wall murals: Having a custom-designed mural adorning a wall (or walls) of your locker room will set the tone for your team’s professionalism and personality. As they can be large, wall murals are going to stand out, so you’ll want them to tell a story and advertise the culture of your team. They’re a visually appealing addition to any locker room and can put your vision of what your team represents on center-stage.
• Signs: Hockey locker room signage can be used to indicate the exit, showers, “players only” sections and media zones. These hockey locker room signs will provide functional perk to players, coaches, members of the press and any lucky fans who get to tour the facility. On top of being helpful, the locker room signs can be an attractive addition. For example, the University of Oklahoma Barry Switzer Center includes a sign on every player’s locker that incorporates their picture, name, hometown and position.
• Decals: If you’re looking for an effective and affordable way to display your logo or other team-oriented imagery, you should consider employing decals. They’re easy to put onto lockers, windows and floors, but they’re also very durable. Additionally, if you want to change your brand a bit, decals can be quickly removed to make room for the updated graphics.
• Designs for the locker room tunnel: Don’t forget about the tunnel to the locker room. You can use signs that lead to the hockey locker room in the tunnel to display the name of your team, reminding the opposing team whose house they’re in. Also, while fans watch your team or the visiting one hit the ice, you can have a sign displaying your team’s logo or name outside the tunnel to put your brand front and center. In the tunnel, you can incorporate wall murals and decals as well.

VINYL ARENA GRAPHICS

Vinyl graphics can be used throughout your arena to brand your space and make it unique. They can be applied to optimize dasher boards, wall murals, environmental graphics, decals and banners.

There are several benefits to printing on vinyl, including:

• Affordability: You can likely find vinyl graphics at an affordable price that also provide great qualities for your arena.
• Long-lasting quality: Vinyl is a durable and long-lasting material that can be used for graphics on the inside or outside of the arena.
• Contemporary appearance: If you want to show that you’re keeping up with the times, vinyl is the perfect material to work with. It will add a stylish, attractive look to any graphic or image you’d like to display.

The flexibility of vinyl is highly appealing for many sports arenas, as it can be used for a number of different forms of graphics. The material is flexible, easy to cut and durable, making it a very functional material that any arena could benefit from. Some of the most popular ways graphics can be printed onto vinyl are listed below:

• Vinyl banners: To make your banner tough and able to stand the harshest elements while still retaining its flexibility, you should go with a cast vinyl material, which is designed to last for years even in the harshest weather. If you’re looking for a general purpose banner that doesn’t need to be flexible, you should go with calendared vinyl. Its thick and rigid substrate makes it a perfect match for any flat surfaces. Finally, mesh vinyl is ideal for a banner that needs to look translucent, providing two-way visibility.
• Vinyl decals: Vibrant and fresh, vinyl decals are the way to spruce up your arena and generate team spirit. Custom decals will go great in a locker room, where you can place them on any windows or lockers. Additionally, they can be easily placed in the arena on seats, floors and walls. To give fans the gift of appreciation, you can hand out smaller vinyl decals for fans to take home and place on their cars, laptops or whatever surface they feel is right.
• Vinyl wall murals: Wall murals offer an excellent way to create team spirit in your fans and team, so you want to use only the best material for them. A cast vinyl wall mural is designed to hug the curves of walls and divots while still maintaining its stunning resolution and colors. In contrast to the flexibility of a cast vinyl wall, calendared vinyl provides a thicker and denser option meant for long stretches of straight interior walls.

EXTRAORDINARY BANNERS

Hoping to make your arena stand out to anyone passing by on the street? Wanting to celebrate your past championships or celebrate legendary players? Planning to add some variety to your arena’s aesthetic? If you said yes to any of these questions, a custom hockey team banner will be perfect for you.

At any NHL game, you’ll see the hockey team’s banner as soon as you arrive at a stadium. When you take your seat, you can look up and see the championships previously won and the names of legends who used to skate on the ice below you. These banners give a feeling of awe and history, and they can do the same for your arena.

Designing your own custom hockey team banner will help to differentiate your arena from your competitors’ and give it its own personality. It can be as easy as selecting an image — such as your team in action — and uploading it to your local SpeedPro’s website, where they’ll turn it into a visually striking banner.

Banners can be hung from the ceiling, placed on stands, attached to streetlamps and strung across fences, giving them a great deal of versatility. Wherever you hang, place or stand your banners, they’ll come with many benefits, including:

• Visibility: Hockey banners provide an excellent way to maximize exposure at your next game. When you hang commemorative banners from the ceiling of your arena, you’ll remind your fans of your storied history and create a sense of pride. In addition, a large custom banner can be displayed on the exterior of the building, which will establish brand recall with anyone walking by the building and eventually lead to ticket purchases.
• Variety: Banners come in a vast array of shapes, sizes, colors, laminates, stands and designs, making them highly customizable to the vision you have for your arena. A hockey team’s banners should communicate something about the organization and the team. If you’re getting in a fresh batch of recruits with more established players leaving, you might go with a more modern, sleek design for a banner. If you’re an established team, you might go with a more traditional design to showcase your stability and discipline.
• Consistently branded aesthetics: You want your brand to stay consistent not only in your message but also in the colors that you use on your banners. With color-matching technology like the kind SpeedPro uses, customers can be sure that their banners will mirror the same shade and tone of their team’s colors down to the finest detail.
• Durability: Since organizations often keep banners outside, SpeedPro recommends banners that are produced to be strong and long-lasting. The base vinyl of our recommended banners for hockey arenas are fabricated for toughness. Additionally, these banners can come with a laminate finish that protects against weather, fading and water. Whether they’re placed indoors or outdoors, these banners are meant to last.

READY TO ADD CUSTOM GRAPHICS TO YOUR HOCKEY ARENA?

Custom signs and graphics are crucial to making your arena a local landmark and a popular destination for your fans. As we’re the only nationwide network of visual communication studios that specialize in large-format graphics, SpeedPro Premier knows how to help. We’ll deliver only the highest quality material and visually appealing graphics for your organization.

We’re proud of our franchise’s friendly customer service, unique designs and top-notch products. Contact us today. Our expert team will be more than happy to help your business find the perfect product for your message.