When the Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky opened this year, it became the largest soccer-specific stadium in the region with a capacity of more than 15,000. It also boasts a standout, all-encompassing sign package thanks to Rueff Sign Company, Inc., also located in Louisville.
林恩家庭体育场今年在肯塔基州路易斯维尔正式开业，成为该地区最大的足球专用场馆，可容纳超过15000名观众。体育场和当地Rueff标识公司合作，创建了一套出色的、无所不包的标识标牌。
The sign company has done it all over its century-plus in business including neon, painted, electric signs, and high-rise installations. Today the full-service sign company has installed signs on nearly every skyscraper in Louisville, and it continues to produce custom creations of all types—despite hurdles like the current pandemic.
Reuff标识公司从开业至今已有一个多世纪，在漫长的时间里，一直从事着标识业务，包括霓虹灯、喷漆、电子标牌和高层建筑。如今，这家提供全方位服务的标识公司在其公司所在地路易斯维尔的几乎每座摩天大楼上都做到了生意。尽管目前新冠疫情仍然给生产生活带来障碍，但该公司却继续在一线制作各种类型的定制作品。
“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us in a wide variety of ways,” says Carl Rueff, sales representative/project manager at Rueff Sign Co. Inc. “First we have all learned a lot about viruses and how to stay safe with this one in particular. Second it allowed us to flex our resiliency muscles when [our] governor mandated a shutdown of all non-essential businesses. We could only work on signs that were deemed essential or on construction sites.
“We had to temporarily furlough 75 percent of our labor force for seven weeks until businesses were allowed to start opening back up. Since then, we have continued to stay busy and healthy by following the state’s health guidelines.”
Reuff标识公司的销售代表兼项目经理卡尔·鲁夫说道：“新冠疫情以多种方式影响到我们的公司。首先也是最重要的一点，就是我们必须了解很多有关病毒以及如何进行安全防护的知识；其次，当肯塔基州州长要求关闭所有非必要业务时，我们只能弹性地进行工作。这意味着我们只能在被认为必不可少的标识项目或建筑工地上进行工作。”
他接着说：“因此我们不得不将75%的员工安排持续7周的暂时性休假，直到企业开始被允许重新开放为止。到那时，我们才能在继续按照本州的防疫指南保持正常的工作。”
In fact, Rueff Sign Company was working on the signage package for the Lynn Family Stadium project right through the shutdowns. It was brought in on the project after its request for proposal was accepted. “One of the main components of the RFP was a statement of qualifications, which I found out later was a shining factor in why we were chosen,” says Rueff. “In addition, we also were able to provide a more cost-competitive proposal since we would fabricate all of the signs in house.”
实际上，Rueff标识公司在疫情封锁期间一直筹备并开发着林恩家庭体育场的标牌项目，因此在接到正式的提案请求后，立刻能将前期工作引入其中。卡尔·鲁夫说：“正式提案的主要组成部分之一是对标识企业自身资格的展示以及陈述，我立刻意识到这是我们公司入选原因中的一个亮点。此外，由于我们在实际工作中会在室内制作所有标牌，因此我们还能够提供更具成本竞争力的方案。”
The statement of qualifications stood out since it demonstrated they’re capable of working under time crunches on big jobs. It also compared signage they had built and installed on other large-scale projects to proposed signs for the soccer stadium.
Rueff公司的实力展示非常突出，很好地表明他们有能力在紧迫的时间下完成大项目的工作能力。Rueff公司还专门将在其他大型项目上建造和安装的标牌与足球场的标牌就行了对比，以找出合适的、可以借鉴的经验和方法。
Due to a delayed stadium opening, the project went into overtime, with Rueff Sign Company getting approval in March 2019 and finishing the job in May 2020. “We waited until the soccer stadium was filled out and you could go and measure things, field verify everything, etc.,” says Rueff. “We really started getting heavy into production in January, February, and March.”
由于体育场的开放时间延迟，项目也进入加班状态。Rueff公司于2019年3月中标，在2020年5月完成工作。卡尔·鲁夫说：“我们必须等到足球场的主要建筑大体完成后，才可以进行测量、实地验证以及其他一些事情。我们真正开始大量投入生产工作的时间是今年的第一季度。”
While the majority of the signs were built and installed before the COVID-19 shutdown, the sign company still had a decent amount of signs that needed to be made and installed before the clock ran down. “In order to complete these signs on time, Owner Bob Rueff, Foreman Alan Rueff, and myself (the project manager) had to switch gears and start fabricating and painting the signs,” says Rueff. “In other words, the remaining few employees had to buckle down and put on a few more hats.”
尽管大多数标识是在新冠疫情之前制造和安装的，但仍有很多工作和产品要赶在完工节点之前进行。卡尔·鲁夫回忆说：“为了及时完成这些标识，公司老板鲍勃·鲁夫，工头艾伦·鲁夫和我自己也得上阵进行标识的制作和喷涂。换句话说，其他员工也必须全力以赴并且身兼数职。”
Rueff says working with partners on this project—Messer Construction, Hollenbach-Oakley, and Lou City Soccer—that were willing to find solutions made getting the job done easier.
卡尔·鲁夫非常喜欢在该项目上的合作伙伴——梅瑟建筑公司、霍伦巴赫-奥克利和卢城足球公司，他们都非常愿意共同寻找更好的解决方案，以使得工作更加轻松。
As for the signage itself, the company was tasked with creating and installing every sign in the stadium except for the Daktronics LED message boards. “This includes all of the directional signs, ADA signs, branding signs for the soccer club, concession signs, naming rights signs for the stadium itself, etc.,” says Rueff.
至于标牌本身，卡尔·鲁夫表示除了Daktronics LED留言板之外，公司还负责在体育场内创建和安装每个标牌，“包括所有导视标识、无障碍标识、足球俱乐部的品牌标识、挂牌标牌以及有着体育场名称的标牌。”鲁夫说。
Channel Letters
多彩发光字
Rueff Sign Company provided three sets of illuminated channel letters reading “Lynn Family Stadium”—two sets on the east and west sides of the outside of the stadium and one set on the scoreboard. The letters spelling “LYNN” measure four feet, two inches tall, and the letters making up “Family Stadium” measure three feet, eight inches tall. The swooped logo element beside “LYNN” measures 10 feet, 3 inches high. The entire length of each sign is sixty-nine feet long.
Rueff标识公司一共提供了三套装好照明灯具的发光字，都为“林恩家庭体育场”的字样。体育场东西两侧分别设置一套，计分板上设置一套。其中拼成“LYNN”（林恩）的字母高约1.27米（4英尺2英寸）；拼成“Family Stadium”（家庭体育场）的字母高约1.12米（3英尺8英寸）；“LYNN”旁边的弧形LOGO元素高3.12米（10英尺3英寸）；整个标识的长度约为21米（69英尺）。
All three channel letter sets were constructed from 5.3-inch black channel coil for the cans, which were hand bent. For the faces, .177-inch white polycarbonate with two-inch black Jewell trimcap was used.
三套发光字的字母均由13.5厘米（5.3英寸）的黑色槽型线圈包边，这项工作由手工完成。发光字表面使用了0.45厘米（.177英寸）左右的白色聚碳酸酯纤维和5厘米（2英寸）黑色Jewell装饰面。
Allanson’s RGB3 color-changing LED illumination system was used in the logo swoop as well as the letters in LYNN. Both elements can light up and change color separately from the rest of the sign. Principal LED Street Fighter Middleweight true white LEDs were used in the other letters.
LOGO以及“LYNN”部分中都加入了Allanson的RGB3 LED变色照明系统。这样就可以将这两个元素和标识的其余部份分开点亮并更改颜色，而后者则主要使用LED Street Fighter的中量级真白色。
Although fabrication was the same across the three channel letter sets, the scoreboard letters required some additional work. For one, part of the logo swoop rises above the scoreboard frame, making the backside visible, so Rueff Sign Company made sure both sides were illuminated. “It’s actually a double-faced channel letter with square-tube framework for rigidity,” says Rueff.
这三套发光字的制作方法大致相同，只是在计分板上的那一套需要一些额外的工作。首先，LOGO的一部分升至计分板框架的上方，并确保两侧都能被点亮。这一调整主要使得其背面也有能见度。卡尔·鲁夫解释道：“该套标识的这个部分实际上是带有方形管框架的双面发光字，有着足够的刚性。”
In addition, the gray background behind the channel letters and the Modelo logo at the bottom of the scoreboard wasn’t originally planned. But when Rueff Sign Company realized there was going to be no background to fasten these elements to, they got to work building a backer made out of two-inch-thick aluminum pans and two-inch thick-aluminum square tubes. The backer was painted with gray Matthews Paint.
此外，发光字背面的灰色背景以及计分板底部的Modelo LOGO并非最初设计就有的，而是Rueff公司在后期意识到这些发光字上没有合适的背景来起到强力的对比后，才开始着手建造一个由5厘米（2英寸）厚的铝板和同样厚度的铝制方管制成的衬板，板上涂有灰色的马修斯油漆。
The shop mounted and installed the backer in sections to a 4-by-33-foot custom steel frame with three-inch square tubes that they also built. Two of these frames were also installed to the vertical I-beams of the outside of the stadium for the other two channel letter sets.
公司将衬板分装到4*10米（33英尺），带有7.6厘米（3英寸）方管的定制钢框架中。相同的设计同样应用在体育场外的垂直工字梁上，用于外侧的两套发光字。
To install the channel letters, Rueff Sign Company used their 115-foot Sky Hook Crane and a Genie S-85 straight boom lift.
为了安装发光字，Ruegg标识公司使用了他们35米高的Sky Hook起重机和Genie S-85直臂式举升机。
Scoreboard Additions
计分板？不再单调
Rueff Sign Company also fabricated two sets of flex-face sign systems with triad panels for either side of the LED display. Each triad flex-face sign was constructed in one cabinet from aluminum and measured 24 feet, 4 inches-by-13 feet, 3 inches. Each of the three sections features a printed flex face internally illuminated by Principal LED Street Fighter Middleweight true white LEDs. The tri-pans were installed using Rueff Sign Company’s 115-foot Sky Hook.
Rueff标识公司还为LED显示屏的的侧边增加了两组带有三合板的软性平面标牌。每组标牌均由铝制框架制成，尺寸约为7.4米（24英尺4英寸）*4米（13英尺3英寸）。每组大标牌分为三小块，每块都是独立印刷的软性标牌，内部由Principal LED Street Fighter中量级真白色照明。全部由Rueff公司的Sky Hook安装。
The Cerveza Modelo elements at the bottom of the scoreboard were fabricated in much the same way as the channel letter sets, except Rueff Sign Company used its SDS Automation Super ChannelBender. “It was helpful on the little lions because those lions were really intricate,” says Rueff.
计分板底部的Cerveza Modelo LOGO的制作方法与发光字大致相同，只是其中使用的为SDS Automation Super ChannelBender照明，卡尔·鲁夫解释说：“这样的改变是因为‘Modelo’两侧的小狮子非常复杂，换用这种照明后效果会大大增强。”
Letter Forms
字母结构很重要
One of the more unique elements of the sign package is the eight-foot tall letter forms the sign company created spelling out “Our City.” The “I” in city is missing to enable someone to stand in place and serve as the letter for a photo-op.
几套标牌中，最具有独特元素的就是一块由高达2.4米的字母拼成的“OUR CITY”，其中缺少的字母“I”，让人们很难不兴起站上去拍照的念头。
The faces are routed from 1/8-inch-thick aluminum. The shop then custom formed the 30-inch-deep returns from .090 hand-bent aluminum using hand rollers. “We welded the returns to the faces with 1/8-inch-thick gussets and inside retainers to keep them straight. We inserted the four-inch aluminum square tube into the baffles. All of the components were welded extensively, and finally we screwed on the routed 1/8-inch-thick backs to aluminum angle retainers,” says Rueff, noting the letters were painted white with Matthews Paint.
该标识的表面由0.3厘米（1/8英寸）厚的铝材雕刻而成。随后公司的车间使用手工辊压制作了弯曲的2.3厘米（0.9英寸）厚76厘米深的滚筒造型。卡尔·鲁夫详细地说道：“我们用0.3厘米厚的角撑板和内部固定器将弯折处焊接在表面，以保持外观上的笔直。另外将10厘米（4英寸）的铝方管插入挡板。所有组件都经过整体的焊接，最后才将同为2.3厘米厚的背面安装到铝制角撑上，并用马修斯油漆整个喷涂成白色。”
To secure the sign, Rueff Sign Company used 3/4-inch-thick 6061 aluminum plates bolted onto 1/2-inch all-thread rods, which were then anchored into reinforced concrete with Hilti epoxy.
为了确保标识的安全，Rueff公司使用了1.9厘米（3/4英寸）厚的6061铝板作为底座，用螺栓固定到1.3厘米（1/2英寸）全螺纹杆上，最后用Hilti环氧树脂将其固定在钢筋混凝土中。
Concession Signage
木制挂牌
Rueff Sign Company also made a variety of concessions signs, including a sign for Makers Mark hand carved from 7/8-inch American White Oak in a nod to whiskey barrel manufacturing. The woodwork was done by Luke Stenson, who joined six-by-one-inch planks of wood together with wood glue. He used hand tools to create the illusion of hand-hewn lumber. A penetrating stain was applied to the material, providing a rich color to the wood grain, then several coats of spar varnish were applied for protection.
Rueff标识公司还制作了各种挂牌标牌，包括为Maker’s Mark手工雕刻的标牌，这块产品使用22毫米（7/8英寸）厚的美国白橡木雕刻而成，用意是向威士忌酒桶制造业致敬。在木板上的工作由卢克·斯滕森完成，他将6*2.5厘米（1英寸）的木板与木胶合在一起，用手工工具创造了手工锯的错觉。具有渗透性的油渍被涂在表面，为木纹增添更为丰富的颜色效果，最后涂上几层晶石清漆起到保护作用。
The company bolted stud-mounted 1/4-inch-thick aluminum letters painted with Matthews Paint to the face. To install it, they used a 2-by-2-inch painted steel angle to catch the 6-by-10-inch steel square tube.
Rueff公司将涂有马修斯涂料的0.6毫米（1/4英寸）厚的螺柱安装在铝制螺栓上，为了这个安装工作，他们使用了2*5厘米（2英寸）的彩绘角钢来抓住6*25.4厘米（10英寸）的钢方管。
Fifth Third Club
三分之五俱乐部
The club’s signage included a two-inch-deep aluminum pan logo sign stud-mounted to the building. It features printed vinyl graphics with the 5/3 logo, which were completed on a 64-inch Roland SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 printer/cutter. A UV-protectant laminate was applied to the graphics using a KALA 1650 65-inch Laminator. It’s lit by Principal LED Street Fighter Middleweight LEDs.
俱乐部的标牌包括安装在建筑物上5厘米（2英寸）深的铝制LOGO。LOGO上贴有“5/3”样式的乙烯基贴图，由罗兰SOLJET Pro 4XR-640打印/切纸一体机制作，KALA1650层压机印至标牌表面。内部使用LED Street Fighter中量级LED点亮。
A nearly ten-foot length of channel letters runs down the side of the building spelling out “Fifth Third Club.” The aluminum letters were bent on the shop’s SDS Automation Super ChannelBender and measure one foot at their tallest. They were stud-mounted to the building.
接近3.05米长的发光字沿着建筑物的侧面滑向地面，拼出“第五俱乐部”的字样。铝制字母弯曲在离商店最高处30.5厘米的SDS Automation Super ChannelBender上，并被牢牢固定住。
Additional Elements
细节同样重要
Rueff Sign Company also supplied a number of wall graphics to help brand the stadium, which were printed on AlumiGraphics material.
Rueff标识公司还提供了许多墙面贴图来帮助体育场在人们心中打下烙印，这些图形被印刷在AlumiGraphics材料上。
A large portion of the project also included directional and ADA-compliant identity signage. These signs were aluminum, and the faces were painted with Matthews Paint PMS 269 purple to match the stadium branding. They included either white painted text or white reflective vinyl graphics cut from ORAFOL.
该项目的很大一部分还包括导视标识和无障碍标识，这些产品通通采用铝材制作，表面涂上马修斯PMS269紫色油漆，以匹配体育场的品牌主题色。剩下类型的标识则大多数都由ORAFOL切割而成的白色油漆文字或白色反光乙烯基贴图文字。
The sign company is proud to be a part of a project where the signs have become landmarks themselves thanks to features like the interactive color-changing LED lights that can reflect holidays and current events (the sign was recently green for COVID-19). “We’re happy to be a part of such a big project that transformed the skyline and energy of our city,” says Rueff.
Rueff标识公司很自豪参与进林恩家庭体育场项目的一部分，因为该项目本身具有相当的地标性和影响力，而这一部分也得归功于交互式变色的LED灯可以很好反映假期和时事（例如针对新冠疫情的标牌就是绿色）。卡尔·鲁夫说：“体育场项目不仅改变了我们这座城市的天际线，更为整座城市带来了更有活力的能量，我们很高兴能成为参与进其中的一员！”
