Windscreen banners can make a big impact at outdoor fields and athletic facilities. That was exactly what Urbana University of Urbana, OH was looking for when they reached out to Team Fitz Graphics. The Blue Knights of Urbana were interested in pumping up the look of their baseball and softball fields. The two components that were most important to Larry Cox, Athletic Director, were quality design and a well-built product.
DESIGN
When planning the design for this project, the Team Fitz design team decided to go for a simple look focusing on oversized lettering and color to make a bold statement. When laying out a custom baseball windscreen design, it is important to remember that any text needs to be legible from a great distance (exceeding 300 feet in many baseball stadiums). For this reason, it is generally good to take a less-is-more approach because fine detail can be lost at that kind of distance.
The main text displayed on the windscreens exceeded 52 inches tall, so readability was no worry whatsoever. Text legibility did come into play however, when Urbana decided they wanted to incorporate their social media handles into the design as well. The designers at Team Fitz suggested a font height of 19” for the social text to make sure it was readable from more than 600 feet.
Another customer request was to leave a solid black section in the middle for the “Batter’s Eye.” The purpose of this is simply to provide a clean backdrop to allow the batter a clear view of the ball as it is pitched.
After incorporating the text, logo and University colors into the design, it was determined that additional blue was needed for more color contrast. A half-tone pattern was added on each side to fade from black to blue adding more visual interest.
MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION
The second major consideration for the Urbana Athletics department was the quality of the materials and construction. Windscreens can be an investment, so they wanted to make sure they were getting a quality product that holds up.
It all starts with the mesh. Team Fitz offers two mesh materials to choose from. The standard windscreen mesh is lightweight and very durable. It’s the workhorse material for windscreen and offers excellent print clarity even at close distances. It offers a 30% wind-blow through rating which works very well for most applications. For especially windy applications, a 70% blow-through mesh is also available. The only drawback to the 70% mesh is that it has a slightly lower print clarity due to the larger holes that allow wind to pass through. Urbana University chose to go with the standard mesh material for this particular project.
Once printed on the 30% mesh, all the edges were double sewn with heavy-duty stitching. Reinforced webbing was also sewn into all edges adding essential strength. Finally, grommets were added every couple feet all the way around to make sure the windscreen could be securely attached to the fencing.
“The visual impact of the windscreens produced by Team Fitz has made a dramatic difference in our recruiting and retention efforts. The graphics team did a great job making sure they were exactly how we wanted them and the turnaround time was great.” said Larry Cox, Urbana University Athletic Director.
Team Fitz offers the most durable custom windscreens for any sport. Dress up your baseball and softball fences, soccer fences, tennis court and football field fencing. Contact Team Fitz Graphics to discuss your windscreen project and get a quote today.