UK football club Bradford City has upgraded the interior of its stadium with the installation of nine giant-sized wall murals depicting past players and key moments in the club’s history.

The murals measuring between three to 11 metres in width and three metres in length were printed on Gecko Greyback PVC-free Kavalan polyester fabric supplied by CMYUK. They were designed and printed by Leading Edge Signage and Graphics based in Liversedge, West Yorkshire. The digital print house worked directly with the football club to update the client-facing areas of the Utilita Energy Stadium, including corridors and conference and hospitality suites. 

Bradford City wanted to use a selection of photographic images from its archives – many of which were small, grainy and poor quality – and supersize them for large wall graphics.

While the only black and white original photograph depicting an historical shot of the ground reproduced well when enlarged, Leading Edge graphic designers had to devise a strategy to handle the rest of the coloured photos dating back to the 80s and 90s.

Stylised

“We just couldn’t blow them up and retain any quality so we applied a stylised treatment to the images,” said managing director Matthew Evans. “They were enlarged and any obvious blemishes were covered up, then run through a series of filters that were blended together. This worked really well, capturing the club’s history in a modern way. The style is a blend of geometric backgrounds with a painted style – bringing together the old and the new.”

In all, 180 square metres of Kavalan was used. PVC-free Kavalan is up to 50% lighter than traditional PVC. and comes in  wide rolls, allowing murals to be installed as single piece wallcoverings, making installation quicker and easier.

Like many digital print providers, Leading Edge Signage and Graphics is very conscious of the fact that the signage industry has historically relied on the use of plastics and metals.

“We believe that everyone can do better to help the environment. So, we’re constantly on the lookout for new materials that can offer the same results, but with a more eco-conscious approach,” said Evans. “The quality of the Kavalan banner material is fantastic, our prints remained vibrant and crisp and the available roll-widths made it a breeze to install full wall displays as a single-piece wallpaper.

“As we grow and learn, so do our clients. Through the past year we’ve seen increasing numbers of our big customers ask us to help them finder greener solutions for their existing signage. Whether it is more eco-friendly wall coverings, sustainably engineered fibreboards for window displays, or plastic sheeting with recycled foam cores, we’re constantly finding new solutions.”

www.cmyuk.com