Slightly OT: Cardinals Stadium Graphics Package

[TruColor]

Not sure if this should be posted in here, or in the "Sports in General" forum. Mods - feel free to move if needed.

The AZ Cardinals are releasing their "graphics package" for the interior of the new stadium. Crazy stuff. Here's the article:

For months, fans have been able to see the distinctive exterior of the new Cardinals Stadium gradually take shape in the West Valley. Today, the Arizona Cardinals Football Club unveiled the first extensive look at the building?s interior design.

Much like the bold architecture and innovative site plan outside the stadium, the environmental graphic design inside the facility is just as unique and will certainly define and enhance the fan experience.

?Three and half years ago, when we took over the design control of the building, we decided to spend our own money to improve the design and make this the best stadium in the National Football League,? said Cardinals Vice President and General Counsel Michael Bidwill. ?We wanted to do this from a design architecture standpoint, from an interior standpoint and from a fan perspective.?

The Cardinals hired two firms to assist in the interior design of the project: Pentagram, an internationally acclaimed architecture and graphics design firm, and Entro Communications, one of the largest firms in North America dedicated to signage design, graphics, and brand implementation. Both eagerly jumped on board to help create the ultimate fan experience.

?We went with them because they have not done stadiums before,? Bidwill stated. ?We didn?t want to get the 2006 version of what they did in 2005 at someone else?s stadium. We wanted new and fresh ideas in order to connect the stadium and the Cardinals and make it a unique place. They came up with some neat graphics and really listened to our direction.?

One of the main elements in the environmental graphic design is the Cardinals distinctive birdhead logo. The four colors from it are divided into percentages - red (60%), black (20%), yellow (13%), and white (7%) ? which are proportionally integrated throughout the interior of the building. Fans will also see elements of the birdhead such as the beak, feathers and eye of the bird implemented in various ways. Perhaps most prominently, a 60-foot logo will dominate entry at the north end of the stadium.

?The bird head fits perfectly in that slot,? Bidwill said. ?I think it will be a really exciting thing for fans and it will be a place where a lot of people will want to take photographs there, with that as a backdrop. People will be able to see it as they drive by on the freeway and it is something that will guarantee people will know whose stadium it is and we?re pretty excited about that element of it as well.?

The team?s previously announced partnership with Arizona Highways magazine is reflected prominently in the ?strata? that is present within the ramp and escalator areas. To reflect the building?s Arizonan influence, each level of the strata comprises images representing five elements of the state?s distinctive topography ? river, desert, canyon, mountain and sky. As visitors escalate through the various levels of the stadium, they will experience imagery representing each of these elements.

?We wanted to partner with a premiere brand like Arizona Highways to make sure we had excellent quality to add to our interior design. The five elements match up incredibly well with the colors in our team,? added Bidwill. ?We feel like there is symmetry here and it also connects the building with the state of Arizona in a unique way. With the photography from Arizona Highways the graphics are going to be incredibly high quality and that is going to help set out a new standard of design excellence.?

Other elements that will make the Cardinals home a ?must-visit? venue that captures the spirit, energy, and passion of the team and the NFL experience include Big Red Thermometers at the south side of the stadium and LED ribbon boards on the fascia of the club level.

?The thermometers will be activated for a lot of different reasons,? Bidwill confirmed. ?They?ll be activated for crowd noise, when we?re close to the red zone, they?ll be used for different fan interactive games and for sponsorship. There is going to be a lot of fun things that we?ll be able to do with them as well as the ribbon boards that will be on the fascia of the club level. It will add to the energy and excitement of an NFL game.?

Cardinals Stadium will also feature a rich library of photography outlining the history of the organization. On the concourse level, the eight super columns that hold up the Brunnel trusses that support the retractable roof will also include elements of the franchise?s history, records and other items that connect the Cardinals with the state of Arizona.

All of the design efforts were created for the fans as well as to make the Cardinals Stadium a destination that is vibrant, compelling, and fun, but most important, authentic to Cardinals football.

?We wanted to make it an exciting place, one for our passion and energy to be a part of the building,? concluded Bidwill. ?We wanted to celebrate the fans and the history of the team.?

In 2002 when the Cardinals took over design and construction control of the stadium project, the team set out to establish a new standard of design excellence and increased its investment in the project significantly. Since then, the venue has received worldwide acclaim for its distinctive architecture and cutting-edge design and was recently named by Business Week as one of the ten most impressive sports facilities in the world.

Cardinals Stadium will not only feature a retractable roof but will also be the first in the United States to feature a fully retractable grass playing surface. In addition to hosting Cardinals games, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008. It will also be the annual site of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and will host the first-ever BCS National Championship Game in January of 2007. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 63,000 with the ability to expand to 73,000 for mega-events.

Here are some pictures (some are Photoshopped pics of existing pics):

EDIT: I neglected to include some of the story the first time around.

[TruColor]

More pics:

[TruColor]

More pics:

[TruColor]

And on a related note - the Cardinals just announced a sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch for the rights to the south endzone area:

Budweiser, Bud Light Sign On As Exclusive Sponsor Of Arizona Cardinals, New Stadium Through 2010

ST. LOUIS (Mar. 20, 2006) ? Arizona Cardinals fans will step into a whole new world when the team?s new stadium opens for the start of the 2006 NFL season. However, one element will remain the same thanks to a five-year agreement announced today by Anheuser-Busch and the Arizona Cardinals. Budweiser and Bud Light will serve as the exclusive alcohol sponsor of the team, and the brands will have a major presence in the new Cardinals Stadium through 2010.

The popular ?Budweiser Red Zone? will occupy a prominent position in the south end zone of the new stadium, marked by an 18-foot by 240-foot sign and flanked by two branded areas in the concourse. Budweiser will host the Red Zone inside the stadium during all Cardinals games. Lucky consumers 21 and over can win game tickets in a special section and win select team merchandise through a sweepstakes held in conjunction with participating radio and retail partners in select local locations.

Budweiser will also have a presence on the new stadium?s video replay boards, scoreboard and concourses, and local wholesaler Hensley Distributing will distribute 150,000 English and 50,000 Spanish team pocket schedules. Away from the stadium, Budweiser and Bud Light customers will recognize the company?s support through advertising on all Cardinals preseason game broadcasts on TV, plus all preseason and regular season English and Spanish radio broadcasts, along with title sponsorship of ?The Budweiser Big Red Rage? radio show on ESPN Radio 860.

?We?re honored to continue supporting the Arizona Cardinals and their great fans as they enter an exciting new era in the new Cardinals Stadium,? said Tony Ponturo, vide president of Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. ?Anheuser-Busch has been a partner of the Cardinals since 1988 and we?re proud to continue our significant commitment to the success of the Cardinals for many years to come.?

?Anheuser-Busch is a premium brand and reflects quality in every one of its products,? said Michael Bidwill, the team?s Vice President-General Counsel. ?They have also been one of our team?s strongest partners. We?re excited to continue that relationship in the new Cardinals Stadium and have them with us as we begin a successful and exciting time for our franchise. The ?Budweiser Red Zone? is just one of the many unique aspects of the new Cardinals Stadium and one that I think fans will enjoy tremendously.?

The new Cardinals Stadium will be open in time for the 2006 season. The world-class venue will not only feature a retractable roof but will also be the first in North America to feature a fully retractable grass playing surface. The unique rollout natural-grass playing field is contained in a single tray weighing 17 million pounds. The tray measures 234 feet wide by 403 feet deep by 3 feet high. It is estimated to be able to move indoors from the natural sunlight in 45 minutes, approximately a rate of 15 feet per minute.

In addition to hosting Cardinals games, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLII in February of 2008. Cardinals Stadium will also be the annual site for the Fiesta Bowl as well as the BCS National Championship Game in January 2007. The stadium will have a seating capacity of approximately 63,000 fans with the ability to expand to 73,000.

Budweiser and Bud Light are an official beer of 28 NFL teams and have made a significant commitment to the sport?s national broadcasts. Budweiser and Bud Light enjoyed a minimum of two units per game for every game televised on ABC, CBS, FOX and ESPN during the 2005-2006 season, plus alcohol beverage category exclusivity on the Super Bowl broadcast for the 18th consecutive season.

Anheuser-Busch also produced 78 different team-specific packaging combinations on 12 million cases of Budweiser and Bud Light aluminum cans for NFL teams in 2005, including cases carrying the Arizona Cardinals logo.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser Busch is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company brews the world?s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser Busch also holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico?s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is America?s top recycler of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

Here's artist rendition:

[yh]

Wow - I think it's safe to say that this stadium is going to be the first truly "21st Century" sports venue. They've certainly embraced a cutting edge (pardon the pun) design scheme. It will serve as a nice distraction from the team on the field

[TruColor]

Here's a fairly recent pic of the exterior - although it's already a month or so old:

Cardinals Stadium

[HurricaneDavid]

Wow, that's one STRANGE looking exterior. The interior looks great, though. Interesting to see that they have a partnership with Arizona Highways... I love that magazine.

[bhambruiser]

looks pretty sweet

[Gary]

anyone who has been inside for tours(press only ) will say the new Cardinal Stadium will be the most state of the art stadium and I would say the best stadium for years to come. Absolutely beautiful exterior and interior.

[DrBear]

I don't think a package like this would work in a more traditional setting (Lambeau Field) but it does here. After having been in some of the new stadiums and seeing mostly concrete and seat colors to represent the team, it's nice to see some decoration for decoration's sake.

[jm1266]

Wow... looks like a spaceship.

[TruColor]

Also - in case you hadn't heard - Cardinals Stadium was featured on a recent episode of Extreme Engineering on the Discovery Channel, (Extreme Engineering) and was also named as one the Top Ten Most Impressive Sports Structures in the world, according to Business Week:

Top Ten Most Impressive Sports Structures

It's the only U.S. facility, and only one of two in North America.

[HurricaneDavid]

Looks like a muffin top. "Top-o-the-muffin... TO YOU!"

[TruColor]

Looks like a muffin top. "Top-o-the-muffin... TO YOU!"

The shape is supposed to represent the combination of a barrel cactus, and a coiled snake.

[Gary]

Looks like a muffin top. "Top-o-the-muffin... TO YOU!"

damn you PANTONE , beat me right to it

[TruColor]

Looks like a muffin top.  "Top-o-the-muffin... TO YOU!"

damn you PANTONE , beat me right to it

I am so jealous that you live in Glendale...

[Gothamite]

I think the stadium exterior is fugly, but the interior signage looks great.

[Moser316]

I think the stadium exterior is fugly, but the interior signage looks great.

Let's not mince words here: the Cardinals new stadium is most definitely an object building. Now, a lot of urban planners and architects don't hold the words "object building" in high regard. Which is a shame, because here's an instance where it works. I don't think a more traditional design would have worked here, because there aren't any built forms to reference. Plus, if you compare our stadia to what's being designed in the rest of the world, I'd say we're at least 8-10 years behind. It's about time we caught up and integrated some more modern forms without totally abandoning traditional-styled stadium design.

The whole package (stadium design and graphic design) works so well, I hope this becomes the new standard-bearer of what our stadia should be in this country.

[IceCap]

I don't think a package like this would work in a more traditional setting (Lambeau Field) but it does here.

That's kind of ironic considering the fact that the Cardinals are the oldest opperating football team today (started in 1898 if I'm not mistakin).

[MJD802]

Stadia, huh? Thats one of those words when used correctly gramatically, it really looks weird.

Also, that could be one the coolest buildings I've ever seen.