June 18, 2013 – NEW YORK, NY – Major League Baseball's annual draft took on a new look this year, and NRI stepped up to the plate to create a winning atmosphere for the introduction of the next big-league hopefuls.
NRI's Rethink Color took the lead to design and create new signs, graphics, set pieces and announcement boards for the MLB Network studio in Secaucus, NJ, where the draft was held on June 6. In addition, Rethink Color was responsible for installation of the podium stage and set materials, including some last-minute adjustments, and packed up the extensive display when the draft concluded.
"The Rethink Color team, led by Rodger Sheehan, worked closely with Major League Baseball and the MLB Network to ensure we produced material that matched the existing set pieces in Studio 42 and delivered the quality materials that made the draft look great in person and on television," said Frank Plum, Regional Vice President for Rethink Color. "We had several eleventh-hour adjustments, but everyone was happy with the finished product."
Rethink Color, based in Princeton, NJ, produced a completely new draft board, replacing the old wooden board that displayed player names hanging from hooks with a modern board constructed with cut aluminum composite material with a magnetic facing that allowed names of drafted players to be hung magnetically. Since no one knew which 70 players would be drafted, Rethink Color created 350 different player name placards for the event. As a player was announced in the draft, his magnetic name placard was placed on the board.
In addition to the graphic elements and signs, Rethink Color designed and produced free-standing brick wall fixtures to hold the draft board displays as well as a matching archway for the commissioner to enter through. These served as the main backdrops for the MLB draft set. Rethink Color also built a matching custom lectern that featured an illuminated, multi-layered dimensional sign of the draft logo. A similar illuminated sign was attached to the front of the desk where MLB Network broadcasters sat.
"This was by no means a simple, straightforward project," said Sheehan, Senior Visual Account Executive at Rethink Color. "It took extensive meetings and site visits with MLB, vendors and personnel from our different offices. Yet our client awarded us this project exactly because we have the experience, the talent and the resources to get even the most complicated jobs done right. In the end, MLB and the MLB Network were happy with both the look of the set and our team’s execution of the project's vision."