Custom Designed Recognition Displays at Union Adventist University

Latitude Design + Signage has worked with Union Adventist University (formerly Union College) in Lincoln, Nebraska, for several decades. The school’s new 40,000-square-foot field house connects to an existing athletic facility and includes weight and cardio rooms and an indoor running track. Major fundraising helped make the expansion possible, and Union wanted a big and bold way to thank contributors. So they enlisted Latitude’s Design-Build team to create custom signs for the new space.

Creating Motion and Energy in Static Displays

Union’s fundraising campaign for the field house, called Fit for the Future, asked alumni, partner organizations, and friends to donate what they could to the cause. As they started raising the money they needed to finish the wellness center, Latitude got to work designing a recognition display that would eventually be installed on a wall circling the upper level’s indoor track.

The space reserved for the donor wall was huge – 12' tall and nearly 80' wide – so all design elements needed to be suitably oversized. Starting with monoliths, or large black rectangular pieces, helped break up the wall into smaller chunks. The monoliths were made of a perforated material that made them appear lighter and added a collegiate look inspired by sports jerseys.

Union’s student athletes would be represented in life-sized metallic silhouettes of golfers, gymnasts, basketball players, and other athletes on each monolith. Designers placed shapes in red and silver strategically around the silhouettes to create motion and energy.

To cover the blank white wall behind the recognition wall and add visual interest, a digitally printed vinyl graphic background was created using trapezoid triangle shapes and shades of gray – all of which was pulled from Union’s brand guide. While the background might seem insignificant, it helps the giant donor wall feel cohesive and unified.

Donor Wall as a Marketing Tool

Union loved where the sports-focused concept was headed. Once the design, called the Wall of Champions, was approved, Union posted it online to drive more donations. They encouraged patrons to “secure their place on the Wall of Champions” by purchasing customized donor plaques. Donors could choose the size of the plaque they wanted along with the icon displayed. The larger the donation, the larger the plaque would be.

The marketing tactic worked, and many more donations came in from people wanting their name included in the custom recognition display. Sharing donor wall designs often helps drive more donations. People get inspired when they see a one-of-a-kind display, and they want to (a) support the vision and (b) be included in some way.

Plaques on Union’s Wall of Champions are placed randomly throughout the finished display with plenty of room to add more as donations continue coming in. Union plans to have the whole wall filled with plaques by the end of the fundraising campaign. As the finishing touch on the Wall of Champions, a frosted acrylic sign gives context to the donor wall, explaining the Fit for the Future campaign and thanking all patrons for their support.

Giving Recognition Where It’s Due

Union worked with many partners to make the field house possible, and they pay tribute to those organizations and programs with additional custom interior signage:

CREATION WALL: Union asked for a sign with visual interest and helpful information about AdventHealth’s CREATION Life wellness program, which guides students in their physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. The program’s existing branding and image catalog was used in the 14’ wide design of eight vertical pieces that hang by the indoor track.
A gap between the curve of the track and the interior wall led to a tricky install, but the team found a way to perfectly hang the CREATION display against a backdrop that matches the one in the Wall of Champions.

Nursing program donor sign: The field house was added on to Union’s existing nursing building. Union wanted to recognize the building’s heritage and thank donors for supporting the nursing program. While this sign has a different design from the Wall of Champions and the CREATION Wall, the shapes remain consistent with the other displays. The three smaller plaques at the bottom of the display are also similar to the donor plaques on the Wall of Champions, and more can be added as needed.

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