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Feat of Clay

Paris in the springtime. These words conjure images of yellow flowers, purple sunsets, and, to tennis fans, red clay. Specifically, the distinctive red-orange clay of Paris’ Roland Garros tennis complex.

Since 1891, the world’s best have competed at Roland Garros to see who will lift La Coupe des Mousquetaires (The Musketeers’ Trophy), among others. This year, perennial champion Rafael Nadal won the men’s singles title and newcomer Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s.

With nearly 500,000 tennis fans pouring into the complex from all over the world, it is essential that the signage, message boards and wayfinding elements are world class. Every signage element at Roland Garros is charged with the task of being distinctive, yet still evocative of tennis’ restrained elegance.

In this sense, signs become ambassadors of an event, just as much as the facilities or people involved.

Enjoy this snapshot of the French Open. Paris in the springtime, with tennis.

Jeff Russ

Jeff Russ is a content studio manager for SmartWork Media and was the senior art director of Signs of the Times from 1996-2021. A graphic designer and illustrator with an interest in sign design and sign history, Jeff documents important, interesting and notable design trends in the sign industry as a contributor to Signs of the Times. He has written dozens of features for Signs, and his column, Design Matters, was published for more than a decade.