Who doesn’t love hitting a ball around? Especially if it’s for a good cause! We had a blast this month working on outdoor signs for the annual Chukkers for Charity polo event. Riders in fancy duds battled in a polo game (“chukkers” are segments of a polo game) to raise money for the Rochelle Center and Saddle Up! of Nashville. These charities both do great work helping people in Middle Tennessee with disabilities.
Because Nissan will be supporting Chukkers for Charity for the next three years, our signs had to be extremely durable to withstand wind, wetness, being folded, and any other storage-related issues that could normally damage material. To do this we used extra heavy mesh and a dye-sublimation process on the majority of the signage. Signs with dye-sublimation are resilient and less prone to running or fading because of how the dye is applied to the fabric. The dye is heated up to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit and turns into a gas which then becomes a solid when cooled. The dye goes straight from a gas state to a solid state without becoming a liquid. This magical scientific occurrence makes the dye super ingrained into the fabric and you can easily wash it without damaging the image. Pretty neat, huh?
Our giant tower banner for the scoring and observation tower. It's 11 feet tall!
Nissan sponsored this year’s Chukkers for Charity and commissioned 12-Point SignWorks to create their outdoor signs for the event. After guidelines for the Nissan logo and color scheme, they allowed almost complete freedom for our design team to come up with something original for Chukkers, which we really appreciated. After six or seven rounds of revision, we came up with what Rich, one of our designers, says was inspired by the high-end look of couture brands like Ralph Lauren Polo and Gucci. The silhouette of the polo player and step and repeat fill backgrounds in particular seemed to capture the feelings of style and sportsmanship surrounding the event.
One of the ground banners with the step and repeat fill background. Looks luxe to me!
Because Nissan will be supporting Chukkers for Charity for the next three years, our signs had to be extremely durable to withstand wind, wetness, being folded, and any other storage-related issues that could normally damage material. To do this we used extra heavy mesh and a dye-sublimation process on the majority of the signage. Signs with dye-sublimation are resilient and less prone to running or fading because of how the dye is applied to the fabric. The dye is heated up to about 375 degrees Fahrenheit and turns into a gas which then becomes a solid when cooled. The dye goes straight from a gas state to a solid state without becoming a liquid. This magical scientific occurrence makes the dye super ingrained into the fabric and you can easily wash it without damaging the image. Pretty neat, huh?
A sturdy mesh banner on the fence surrounding the polo field.
Our feather banners can survive the elements thanks to dye-sublimation.
We really enjoyed working on this project and Nissan liked the design so much they requested to use it for events around the country. Let us know about your crazy ideas for original outdoor signage and contact the experts at 12-Point SignWorks in the Nashville, TN area.
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