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Broadway National outfits Citi Field with signage and graphics.
Christopher Glanzman is a graphic designer for Broadway National Signs (Ronkonkoma, NY).
In early 2008, the joint-venture alliance of Hunt/Bovis Lend Lease, the construction manager for the Queens Ballpark Co. LLC, awarded Broadway National Signs the task of supplying the New York Mets with interior and exterior signage for Citi Field, the new ballpark the team opened for the 2009 season. The team decided the new ballpark’s design should pay tribute to the old Ebbets Field, the home of the then-Brooklyn Dodgers until 1957, and to Jackie Robinson himself, whose courage and performance as Major League Baseball’s first African-American player gave him iconic status in baseball history.
Our mission was clear: combine the luxuries and comforts of a modern-day ballpark with the aesthetics and nostalgia of a bygone era warmly remembered. Creating the vision of an iconic ballpark required exacting detail from our talented staff. With Hunt-Bovis already undertaking the building’s construction, and Two Twelve Assoc. devising the signs’ design and layout, we prepared our 40,000-sq.-ft. shop for the inevitable demands such a high-profile project would entail.
Building Citi’s identity
Once Citigroup secured the naming rights and unveiled the Citi Field logo, the project kicked into high gear. While Two Twelve finalized the interior-sign scheme, we started building the exterior program.
Patrick Dooley, Broadway National’s vice president and general manager, stated, These large signs were going to be the face of the ballpark and, in turn, its identity. Getting this right was of the utmost importance.”
After many prototypes, sample submissions and color-combination selections that satisfied all interested parties, another stipulation arose. Eric Saretsky, vice president of Queens Ballpark, asked us to meet the team’s demand for a “green” ballpark and use LEDs. Based on an average letter height of 12 ft. 3 in. tall, using LEDs would create an average annual savings of 110,000kW. In NYC, that equates to a savings of more than $20,000.