Custom Wall Art for a Tennis Club

After its courts, the walls of a tennis club are the surfaces people look at most: every member walks through the same lobby and the same corridor on each visit. What goes on those walls is often left to the last day of a refit and settled with a ready-made decorative image. Custom wall art for a tennis club proposes the opposite: a set of works in one size and one visual language, whose content comes from the club's own courts, colours and history. This guide takes the decisions in order: which wall, how many pieces, which theme, which surface, and the brief to prepare before asking for a quotation.

What custom wall art for a tennis club means

In a ready-made series the composition is fixed and the club only chooses. In a series made for the club, the material of the composition comes from the club: the layout of the grounds, the surface and colour of the courts, the club colours, details such as the founding year. "Series" here does not mean reproduction; it means works designed together. Each piece is made one at a time, and production does not begin until the drawing has been approved.

The difference is that a member recognises their own club on the wall. A picture of any court is decoration; the view from above of the court a member plays on every week is a sign of belonging.

Five walls in a club and the job of each

Entrance and lobby

This is where identity is set. If there is one large wall, the strongest answer is a row of three or five hung side by side. In a lobby the works are seen standing, from a few metres away; the whole reads before the detail.

Corridor

A corridor is viewed on the move; the works are seen close up and in sequence. That makes it the best place to divide a story into parts: the courts in number order, the surfaces side by side, or the club's years in chronology. Keep the gaps equal; what breaks the rhythm most is a different size.

Clubhouse lounge and café

Here the works are seen seated and for a long time, so the centre height comes down a little compared with a wall viewed standing: 130–140 cm from the floor. On walls near the kitchen, grease and steam in the air settle on the surface, and a wipeable surface lightens the upkeep. The lounge wall is often next to the screen, and members look at the wall while they watch a match; the week's matches are in tennis this week.

Committee and meeting room

This is the room best suited to the club's archive: founding documents, old photographs, anniversary pieces. Works on paper need a glazed frame and protective materials. For layout at room scale, the proportions in office wall art apply here too.

Around the changing rooms and beside the courts

Places with humidity and direct sun are unsuitable for paper and canvas. The changing-room corridor, walls opening onto the showers and the side of an outdoor court are left out of the series, or a separate moisture-resistant solution is considered for them.

How many pieces make a series

The wall sets the number. The general rule is that the row should fill 60–75 per cent of the width of the wall. With works of 50 × 70 cm hung upright and 8 cm between them, the total width comes out as follows: three pieces 166 cm, four pieces 224 cm, five pieces 282 cm, six pieces 340 cm, seven pieces 398 cm.

An example: on a corridor wall of 6 metres the target is 3.6–4.5 metres; seven pieces fall within that range, and six give a slightly more open row. On a lobby wall of 3 metres the target is 1.8–2.25 metres; four pieces sit at the top of that range. Where there are interruptions such as doors, noticeboards and fire cabinets, the wall is calculated section by section, from the clear widths between them.

The number for the whole club is rarely fixed in one go. The lobby and the main corridor come first; as long as the same size and the same language are kept, the lounge and the meeting room can be added later.

Theme: the club's own material

The courts

The strongest material is the grounds themselves: the layout of the courts from above, the colour of the surface, the geometry of the lines. How clay, hard court and grass translate into a palette is described in tennis wall art: colour, texture and composition.

Club colours

The club colours do not have to cover the whole surface. Used as an accent, in a line, an edge band or a single piece, they make the series belong to the club and keep it calm.

Dates and lettering

The founding year, the dates the courts opened or the name of the grounds can enter the works as lettering. Keep the wording short; the information comes from the club's own records and the spelling is approved by the club.

Archive photographs

The club's old photographs add depth to a series. The club should hold the right to use the photograph, and for recognisable faces the consent of the people concerned should be obtained.

Logo, crest and permissions

The club logo is used only with the written approval of the person authorised by the club, and from the original file the club supplies. Putting the logo on every piece turns the series into promotional material; one or two pieces, at a small scale, are enough. Marks that do not belong to the club, meaning tournament names and emblems, sponsor logos and images of players, do not enter the series without the permission of the rights holder.

Choosing the surface by the space

Canvas, with its matt surface, does not reflect under strong ceiling lighting; it is a calm choice for lobby and corridor. Acrylic is glossy and deep and can be wiped with a damp cloth; it eases upkeep in places where surfaces get dirty, such as the lounge and café, but it reflects when it faces a spotlight. A glazed frame is for works on paper and archive documents. How the two materials meet light is treated in detail in acrylic print vs canvas.

In shared areas the upkeep falls to club staff. Handing over a one-page note on which surface is wiped with what prevents damage from the wrong cleaning; the detail is in how to clean and care for wall art.

Hanging: the rules of a shared space

In a shared space the works are touched more than at home. Locking hangers that stop the frame shifting or being lifted off are preferred. In a corridor the centre height is 145–150 cm from the floor; above a bench or seating, leave 15–25 cm between the furniture and the lower edge of the work. The swing of a door, fire cabinets, emergency exit signs and wayfinding signs are left clear; the works neither cover them nor compete with them.

Step by step: the brief before a quotation

Step one is the list of walls: the width and height of each, and a photograph taken straight on.

Step two is a note on light: where the windows are, whether there is ceiling lighting or spotlights, at what time of day the wall gets sun.

Step three is the club's material: the number of courts and their surfaces, the layout of the grounds, the club colours, the original logo file, the founding year.

Step four is to name one person responsible. Who approves the drawing should be clear from the start; if approval rests with a committee, choose the person who will speak for it.

Step five is a first decision on the number of pieces and the surface; the width calculation above is the starting point.

Step six is draft and approval. A draft is prepared first, and production begins once the drawing has been approved.

Step seven is the hanging plan: which piece on which wall, in what order and at what height.

Quantity, surface and delivery terms are settled at the quotation stage.

Common mistakes with custom wall art for a tennis club

Covering the wall with a ready-made stock image is the first; the same image hangs in other clubs too.

Choosing a different style for each wall is the second. Lobby, corridor and lounge no longer read as parts of one club.

Hanging one small work in a large lobby is the third. The work is lost on the wall.

Placing the logo on every piece is the fourth.

Using a photograph, a tournament emblem or a sponsor logo without permission is the fifth.

Including a damp or sunlit wall in the series is the sixth.

Leaving approval to a large committee is the seventh. The decision drags, and the drawing changes at every meeting.

Not deciding who looks after the works is the eighth.

Extending the series later

A new court, an anniversary or a club tournament are natural occasions to add a piece. As long as size and surface stay fixed, the new piece takes its place beside the old ones. It is enough to leave room for one piece at the end of the row in the first hanging plan and to keep a record of each piece; the record works as described in how to start an art collection.

Alongside the wall pieces, objects to give to members and tournament participants are a separate matter; they are covered on the Gifts page and in choosing gifts for clubs and tournaments. Examples of compositions that see the court from above can be found in the Framed Art Series.

Frequently asked questions

How many pieces should a series for a tennis club have?

The wall sets the number: the row should fill 60–75 per cent of the wall's width. At 50 × 70 cm, three pieces take up about 1.7 metres and six about 3.4 metres.

Can the club logo be used on the pieces?

Yes, with the approval of the person authorised by the club and from the original logo file. Using it on one or two pieces at a small scale, and not on every piece, gives the series a longer life.

Which surface suits the lounge and café?

Where the surface will be wiped often, acrylic eases upkeep. Under strong spotlights, matt canvas reads more comfortably because it does not reflect.

Can the series be extended later?

Yes. As long as size and surface stay the same, new pieces are added beside the old ones; leaving room for this in the first hanging plan makes it easier.

For signage and printing outside the tennis theme, see the sister brand Aurecort Reklam.

Aurecort