Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the perfect opportunity to tell stories. Not only does the facility have two distinct teams with vastly different organizational cultures, but the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community storied past and exciting future served as the groundwork for the interpretive graphics.

Spread over the 140 acres the facility’s pathways became linear storytelling walks about stewardship, the 16 practice fields became areas of education about teams and the SRP-MIC, and inside the Rockies’ clubhouse the team used the opportunity to express the Community’s culture to the players. On the concourse of the stadium we explored the connection between the sports past and what part it played in the local culture.

During development of the facility, Rockies president Keli S. McGregor passed away. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. McGregor and was blown away by his vision, leadership, and kindness. A pathway near the entry was dedicated to Keli… along with signage that displayed some of his most inspirational quotes.

We worked closely with both teams brand managers and marketing to develop a strategies that told their organizations story with words and images. The visuals were then executed n the style of each organization. For the Rockies a more loose interpretation about Colorado’s wilderness. For the Diamondbacks: stricter brand guidelines lead our design to be clean and crisp.

For the Community we gave them the opportunity to build the stories they wanted to tell – through a series of conversation led work sessions we helped guide the decision makers and on-staff writers. With our direction they built quick bits of interesting information that would appeal to the Twitter generation and make a lasting impact.

These graphics build “little moments” that help define brands and educate visitors. When accessed this information helps fans understand the local area and builds connections to cultural understanding.