“It was an honor to be involved in such a high profile project. Our team was excited to be given the opportunity to help tell the story of the legendary and iconic leader, Muhammad Ali”.
(LOUISVILLE, KY) January 29, 2019—Local signs and visual graphics providers, FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown, received Wide-Format & Signage magazine’s Project of the Year Award at the 2019 FASTSIGNS International Convention for the comprehensive signs and graphics the team created for The Muhammad Ali Center lobby renovation.
After 16 years, The Muhammad Ali Center wanted to revitalize their facility with renovations to their main entrance and lobby to better recognize donors, showcase influential friends and welcome new and returning visitors. FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown helped them determine the best route for merging existing elements for reuse with the newly designed pieces and colors. As their donor campaigns had grown, the center needed a better representation of those who had helped Ali’s legacy continue. Displays featuring donors and the original founders were reworked and repurposed to merge them into a new display. All of the donor recognition pieces were then put together in a centrally located area for visual cohesion. The Wall of Respect, which showcases the many influential and famous friends who have visited the center, was remade with new materials to fit the expanded recognition area.
Metal fabricated letters were placed on the new canopy above the Ali Center Store, and a 10-foot portrait of the iconic boxer was used to create a mural that highlights the center’s mission statement. New directories and room designation signs were also installed to create a cohesive wayfinding experience. Two columns in the main lobby were wrapped with an image that serves as the target for an Augmented Reality app that provides an interactive experience for visitors. Plaques highlighting the details of Ali’s major fights were placed underneath clocks that represent the time zones each fight occurred in.
“The lobby renovation transformed the museum entrance by creating an inviting atmosphere and welcoming introduction into the life and legacy of Muhammad Ali,” said Susan Cilone, franchisee at FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown. “The project with its new open floor plan was a perfect melding of the important and iconic elements that needed to remain by repurposing pieces, blending the old with the new, and brightening the space with new branding colors.”
The Muhammad Ali center now welcomes people with a transformed and visually enhanced lobby. The installation was completed in time for the center’s grand reopening taking place during Kentucky Derby festivities in Louisville, which helped provide great exposure just weeks before the annual “I Am Ali” festival.
“It was an honor to be involved in such a high profile project. Our team was excited to be given the opportunity to help tell the story of the legendary and iconic leader, Muhammad Ali,” said Sam Cilone, franchisee at FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown. “It will remain our favorite project for many years to come, because we believe in the mission of the Muhammad Ali Center.”
Their work with the Muhammad Ali Center will be featured in Wide-Format & Signage magazine’s April 2019 issue.
About FASTSIGNS
FASTSIGNS® of Louisville, KY - Downtown is a locally and independently owned and operated sign, graphics and visual communications companies that provides comprehensive visual marketing solutions to customers of all sizes—across all industries—to help them attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including décor, events, wearables, digital signage and marketing materials. To learn more, visit fastsigns.com/203 or call (502) 706-4686.