Sports lettering differs from other types of lettering fonts because it becomes instantly recognizable as a symbol of your school's branding, culture, and athletic prowess. Therefore, when you create your SportsGraphics banners, mats, padding, or window graphics, you should consider the impact of the lettering in your overall layout.
If the lettering is the focal point of your design, then the area around the lettering must allow the words and phrases to stand out. This area is known as negative space. A less-is-more approach is best for most designers when determining what to do with the negative space.
Better yet, it's not what you do with the negative space. Instead, it's what you don't do with the negative space that truly counts.
A Minimalist Approach to Negative Space
Think of it this way:
In most movies, there are only one or two primary characters. Everyone else is part of the supporting cast. Think of what would happen if there were 30 lead characters with equal billing, equal lines, and an equal spotlight. Each character's role would diminish drastically, as well as the plot and effect of the movie. In fact, most viewers would wonder what the theme and message of the film were even about.
This is the same issue with negative space. If the space around your lettering is cluttered with too many designs, images, or colors, it will create a complicated layout. Consequently, your lettering and the subsequent message will be totally lost in the design.
For this reason, you should use a minimalist approach toward negative space. What can you clear out of the negative space that doesn't add value or impact your overall design? What items in your negative space distract viewers from lettering, words, phrases, and overall message?
Effective images are clear and punchy. Without proper use of negative space, observers will have to squint to interpret any branded material.
Color Matching in Negative Space
The issue with color matching is finding colors that complement each other—meaning they highlight each other's rich features. We'll use the most obvious examples on the color wheel: black and white. These two colors are in sharp contrast to one another. Therefore, if I want my white lettering to stand out, I would use a dark color in the background, such as black, to bring out the white lettering.
Seeing as the negative space used in school branding often is one of a district's colors, it helps to balance out a frequently more monochromatic mascot or font and thus ensure that each hue is equally memorable.
So, when it comes to negative space, remember this simple concept: Use a clean background with a color that complements your school lettering. This will give you the eye-popping effect you are looking for.
Keep Things Short & to the Point
When it comes to things like championship banners and bleacher covers, nobody wants to stand there and read a novel of text printed upon them.
The process of letter spacing is known as kerning, and it's how individual letters can be the most readable and visually pleasing. It focuses on readability, brand consistency, and aesthetic appeal to create a professional and polished look based on detail in design.
Depending on how you want your message to stand out, some letter combinations require more adjustment and attention than others to achieve the perfect optical spacing and promote the easiest readability for your viewers.
Save the rightful at-length bragging for the trophy case! Keeping negative space in mind helps reduce the tendency to rely too heavily on text in designs and creates an easy-to-read finish your fans and players alike can appreciate!
Branding Solutions for Your School
At SportsGraphics, we offer a wide range of athletic products that can help you boost your school's brand while providing a safe environment for your athletes. We offer wall padding, gym floor mats, wall graphics, bleacher safety curtains, and custom banners.
To learn more about how our products can create a safer environment for your facility, call us at 1-800-257-6405 or message us on our contact page.