Living on the edge

There are some people for whom life in the slow lane is simply not enough. The adrenaline junkies of this world thrive on excitement and danger, always looking for the next new way to get that extreme-sport buzz. And for those who take their passion to a professional level, they provide hoards of fans and followers with a vicarious taste of the thrill-seeking lifestyle.

So with all these emotions flying about, this is unsurprisingly an area that advertisers are keen to capitalise on. And where there are advertisers, sign-makers will not be far away.

Yet like their extreme sporting counterparts, these are no ordinary sign-makers. Specialising in areas that push the boundaries of speed, strength, and environmental pressures, these companies need to possess a very specific set of skills and capabilities, to satisfy the most demanding of clients.
 
Testing times

One company that knows only too well the demands that come with the extreme-sport sector is the family run-firm, Exeter Signs. Starting life as a traditional sign company, the firm evolved to offer a wider range of services, and has recently become the go-to vehicle wrappers for rallycross team, LD Motorsports.

Co-owner Robert Ledger explains: “We have been lucky enough to get on-board in this industry with LD Motorsports, who are growing as a corporation and dominating the sports they are involved in. Through constant assertive attitudes, hard work, and the ability to always deliver on tight deadlines, we have built a relationship with our customers that has allowed us to begin working with similar teams and companies.”

Indeed, these clients that Exeter Signs has been able to secure come with their own similarly ‘extreme’ customers; brands such as DC and Monster have sponsorship deals with the major cars of the rallycross circuit.

Ledger continues: “With these companies their brand is everything; it’s iconic, and they spend a huge amount of time and money ensuring that it is always represented correctly.”

This requirement for absolute compliance with a companies branding comes with its own challenges, as Ledger demonstrates: “We have wrapped cars to a design and then had it stripped hours later because it does not comply with the current ‘image’, even though it had been signed off as current only days before. This can be testing, but the rewards of watching the race or seeing the video far out way any negativity.”

Indeed, from the sound of things, a firm really does have to appreciate the final result of ‘extreme signage’ if it is to cope with the demands it presents.

“The main difference that we find from ‘traditional’ signage is the time schedules,” explains Legder, who adds: “We constantly keep an eye on racing calenders, and event dates to try to pre-empt when we might get a call to send off sponsor decal sets or re-wrap a whole car.”

Despite trying to be as prepared as possible, Exeter Signs are still often required to work evenings and nights, in order to constantly deliver the deadlines that secure the solid relationships with its clients.

This is a feature of signage involved with extreme sports that seems to run across the board. Principle is a brand implementation company that specialises in supplying high-profile sports event signage, for events including the Formula 1 Santander British Grand Prix and the MotoGP. Located on the Silverstone Circuit, the firm serves the fast-paced sport 356 days a year, but the workload obviously reaches its peak during these big-name events.

Carl Lake, business manager for the graphics division, explains: “Deadlines are one of the main challenges; its very reactive, and even though we’re more than prepared, we often have to work 24/7. We have a reactive service during the Formula 1 Grand Prix event, so if things go down or there are any accidents we respond—those two weeks are very hectic to say the least.”

Another challenge specific to these sporting event applications is the temporality of the signage. Lake continues: “The main challenge with producing signage for short-term sporting events is creating something that is aesthetically pleasing but might only be in place for 48 hours. We also have to de-rig the event, so we need to be able to take it down quickly and successfully. But with the world watching it has to look good.”

This last point about aesthetics is key, as for applications from soft signage used for sky-divers to self-adhesive graphics for snowboards, quality and durability have to be supreme.
 
High-flying design

Another company leading the field in ‘extreme’ signage is Bristol-based Cameron Balloons. Established in 1971, the firm has grown to colossal heights; in 2007 Cameron Balloons accounted for 1073 of the 1553 hot air balloons registered with the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, and now has dealers in almost every country around the world.

The sight of a sky full of balloons, or even a single solitary one floating past, has a sort of romantic, magical quality that simply cannot be achieved with a mechanical aircraft. It is not surprising, therefore, that many companies are keen to get involved in the hot air market, to improve or promote their brand image. Hannah Cameron, director at Cameron Balloons, explains how the aircraft they produce are often first and foremost flying advertisements.

“When we’re putting artwork on a balloon, it is quite often the main point of focus,” she explains, adding: “It is of course an aircraft that can fly as well, but very often the flying billboard aspect is the most important part of it.”

Due to this, and in the same way as Exeter Signs, it is important that the brand imaging of the artwork is spot on; even from up in the sky, Cameron Balloons faces similar challenges to other providers of ‘extreme’ signage.
Cameron continues to describe how the firm has created balloons from extremely recognisable items, such as the FA Cup and Darth Vader’s head.

For such iconic items, very little branding or sponsorship is needed; yet this comes with its own challenges, as Hannah explains: “The Darth Vader was designed to advertise the Star Wars Group, for which simply having the iconic head was enough, as it’s such a well known thing. But as I’m sure you can imagine, when you’re making something like that it has to be spot on, otherwise people will be sure to notice.”

Indeed, you can imagine the surge of outrage that would come from the Star Wars fan community if there was even the slightest mistake. And at an average size of 100,000 cubic feet, it is the little things that stand out.
 
Ahead of the curve

Of course, creating signage of such a large scale, which spends the majority of its time hundreds of feet in the air, comes with its own specific challenges.

“We usually put the artwork on three times,” Cameron explains, “because then, no matter where you’re standing as an observer or member or the audience, you can see it clearly. But equally, because nobody sees our artwork close up, when we print something we very much have to work with that mono-look; this means when you look at it on a table it looks quite pixelated, but as soon as you are 25 metres back it can been seen perfectly.”

She continues: “We work on a huge scale—a 5m high logo is quite small for us. Dealing with the curved surface is always a challenge, bearing in mind it’s curved across the horizontal but also tapers out vertically. But we’ve had a lot of practice—after doing this for 43 years we like to think we can put whatever logo you want on a balloon, without a problem.”

The firm runs all the processes for creating the balloons in-house, using a dual role Durst to print onto fabric up to three metres wide. The flexibility that comes with a three-story work-space also means it can respond to requests from outside its usual remit, as Cameron explains: “We make all sorts of things, from a Jack Russell life jacket, to enormous cold air inflated buildings for the military. If it’s fabric we can do it.”

She continues: “Balloons are definitely our main focus of work. We build to aeronautical standard, so people can trust that when we put something together, it’s going to do what it’s meant to.

“We do everything when it comes to the balloons. We can help with training, or find somebody to run the balloon for you—we can set you up with someone who is really compatible with your business, and who might stay with you for 15 years, as has happened in the past.”

In the spirit of always looking for ways to add value to print, the firm often provides additional printed material around the basket of the balloon, which is particularly useful when the passengers or pilot do interviews with the press, getting the client’s logos in line of sight of the cameras.
 
Going viral

Of course, it is this interest that extreme sports or events attract from the press that makes the signage that accompanies it so desirable. Ledger from Exeter Signs explains how this aspect of the sector has really taken off.
“The ‘extreme’ industry is constantly evolving,” he says, continuing: “With the help of social media sites like YouTube, a simple video of someone riding a BMX or snowboarding can go viral within the space of a few hours.
“Now, if the skateboard has a decal applied or the rider is wearing a cap that has a logo on, it can instantly
be viewed by millions of people. The same applies to the videos and images of the racing cars and motorX riders.”

This is not only good news for the sign-makers involved in the industry, but provides another opportunity for diversified printers. Ledger continues: “The quick fame that comes with these sports also has a knock on effect on the people watching, as they aspire to be like the drivers and athletes they follow. Having the same decals, vehicle graphics, wrap, posters, and t-shirts as their heroes is where the sign and print industry can really be involved on a large scale, following the trends and offering promotional, branded print to the masses.”

Indeed, if you are unsure of how to break into this challenging sector, it may be an idea to contact a firm who has already established a strong foothold in the market. Ledger tells us that Exeter Signs has a lot of contact with other sign companies in the surrounding areas, offering advice or inviting them to watch a wrap take place.

“To sum it up, patience, hard work and the ability to adapt all help in this industry, but the most important thing is to have fun,” Ledger continues, concluding: “We have the ethos that although the cars we work on are worth in excess of £800,000, and we are dealing with athletes who have multi-million pound sponsorship deals, we intend to enjoy every single minute.”
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