The Extra Bold ‘Laver’ knee-caps the whole thing before we’ve even started. Look at it. It’s like a big ol’ beached whale, too bloated and heavy to haul itself back into the water.
I find the negative spaces around the three ‘A’s and after the ‘V’ to be awkward and jarring, disrupting the rhythm of the letterforms. And like bark peeling off a tree, the ‘Arena’ looks ready to come adrift and just fall apart.
You could possibly improve things by increasing the space between all the letters, but mostly I think they should have just chosen another font. And name. I liked Melbourne Park. I thought it was fine for both the complex and centre court. Nothing against Our Rod - he could hit a ball really well apparently - I just prefer another name over his.
Anyway, we didn’t stop at the Rod Laver Arena on the Tour, but we did pass it as we drove through “Melbourne’s Sporting Precinct” on our way to Richmond. As we passed the MCG off in the distance, someone commented on its lack of visible signage. There was nothing to see at all. In fact, the MCG itself was actually quite hard to see (above). I guess that during the day the structure is so large it’s hard to miss, and when there’s a game at night, well, you can see the glow from the moon, but given the extent to which the Rod Laver Arena and the Vodafone Arena are lit up, even when they’re not in use, it struck us as odd that the MCG didn’t have so much as a single bit of visible branding.
I didn’t think anyone missed an opportunity for self-promotion these days. Maybe the MCG’s reputation and stature is such that it doesn’t need something as low and crass as artificially illuminated signage? Maybe to name “it” would be to diminish “it”? Whatever “it” is? It’s certainly one of Melbourne’s most well-known icons. Whatever the reason, I kind of like it. It seems kind of dignified, or something. It doesn’t scream at you; just gives a quick nod of the head as you pass in the hallway. Almost like it’s one of those inner-city bars, tucked away down an alley with nothing but a small name plate over its door to indicate where it is. Except the MCG covers several city blocks and attracts tens of thousands of people… but apart from that it’s the same. Sort of. You’ll find it if you want to go. Nice.
6 comments:
I’ve never liked the signage for the Rod Laver Arena; and not just because it’s got ‘Rod’ in it. Though that doesn’t help.
Would it be too much to hope that there is more to your dislike of the word 'Rod' than the inability to silence your inner Beavis and Butthead?
The Extra Bold ... chosen another font.
This layman is prepared to concede all of that.
<pause>
Well, most of it.
I would make the point that the signage looks much better in its daytime incarnation
Furthermore, while I can see your point regarding the A's in 'Arena', I think the effect is a positive one, serving to seperate that word from the first two in the name.
And name. I liked Melbourne Park. I thought it was fine for both the complex and centre court.
The centre court was never called 'Melbourne Park'. When built, the complex was called the "National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park", and the centre court was called "Centre Court." Both the complex and the centre court were renamed at the same time.
Personally, I think that "Flinders Park, Melbourne" is a much better name for a Grand Slam Tennis venue than "Melbourne Park", which would probably have won an award for being uniquely boring and unimaginative, were it not replacing "National Tennis Centre".
Sorry, Jeff; I love most of what you did for this state - but not this.
To be continued...
Would it be too much to hope that there is more to your dislike of the word 'Rod' than the inability to silence your inner Beavis and Butthead?
He, he. I hadn't thought of that, but you know, you could be onto something... To me the name 'Rod' just sounds short, stumpy and bulky.
I would make the point that the signage looks much better in its daytime incarnation.
Not to me, alas.
The centre court was never called 'Melbourne Park'.
My mistake. Shouldn't pretend to know something about tennis and tennis-related history. I think you're right about 'Flinders Park, Melbourne'. It does have a nice feel to it. I love the name 'Melbourne' and so tend towards making that the focus. The obvious dark alley being that it quickly becomes overused and devalued.
So what are the other ones? Wimbledon: good one; Flushing Meadows: sounds toilet-related, sending fertilizer to the fields, or something; Roland Garros: Roland's almost as bad as Rod. Yeah, I think Flinders Park comes out on top, or a close second at worst. But maybe I'm biased? Or a racist?
Nothing against Our Rod - he could hit a ball really well apparently
There are understatements, and there are understatements.
- I just prefer another name over his.
I think that in the case where something is named after a person, the aesthetic qualities (or otherwise) of the name should be irrelevant.
(I should at this point add that the name of the arena works for me; when I hear the name, I think of the man who was undisputably the greatest tennis player Australia - and arguably the world - has ever produced. Maybe the name sounds sounds clunky without that context; having the context, I cannot judge.)
In fact, (he said, inserting his tongue firmly in his cheek) surely someone with a crap name who nonetheless achieves great things should be honoured all the more for overcoming the extra parent-imposed hurdle.
Then again, in this case, his parents are blameless - they called him 'Rodney'; it's he that insists on being called 'Rod', no doubt creating endless mirth among the people he encounters in his daily life...
I didn’t think anyone missed an opportunity for self-promotion these days. Maybe the MCG’s reputation and stature is such that it doesn’t need something as low and crass as artificially illuminated signage?
I think that's a big part of it. However, something else to consider is that the 'G' - to the best of my recollection - is the only part of the sporting precinct which abuts residential areas; something which might create a Foxtel Effect should the MCC ever get ideas about Big Neon.
I would make the point that the signage looks much better in its daytime incarnation.
Not to me, alas.
No, I can see that if you don't like the one, you probably won't like the other, and fair enough.
But I do think that it's a point worth noting that the colours on the illuminated signage are inferior to those of the official logo, as represented by the letterhead, official site, and the daytime signage.
I love the name 'Melbourne' and so tend towards making that the focus. The obvious dark alley being that it quickly becomes overused and devalued.
The other obvious dark alley being that Lord Melbourne was a fairly obscure 19th-Century British Prime Minister, for whom the name of the second-largest city in Australia is already more than enough recognition.
So what are the other ones?
Wimbledon: good one;
"Wimbledon" is the name of the suburb (town? borough?) of London where the venue - the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club - is located.
The centre court does not, to my knowledge, have an individual name.
Flushing Meadows: sounds toilet-related, sending fertilizer to the fields, or something;
Flushing Meadows Park is the full name for the park in Queens, New York which contains the USTA National Tennis Center. The centre court is named "Arthur Ashe Stadium" and the secondary court "Louis Armstrong Stadium".
Roland Garros: Roland's almost as bad as Rod.
Stade de Roland Garros is the name of the complex - named for a pioneering aviator and hero of the First World War - located in Porte d’Auteuil in Paris, France. The centre court is named "Court Philippe Chatrier".
None of these names are as amusing as that of the tertiary court at the Australian Open, officially named "The Margaret Court Arena", but abbreviated by at least two ABC commentators to "The Margaret Court".
One more thing, the Flushing Meadows Park was actually built over a garbage dump, so your instincts are right on the money there.
It also featured in the movie Men In Black.
I want more Type postings...
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