The Best Race Photo Might Be Right Under Your Start and Finish Line Flags
The start and finish lines are two of the most photographed areas at almost any race or sporting event.
Before the race, participants gather at the start line with friends, teammates and family. During the event, photographers often position themselves near the finish line to capture runners and cyclists completing the course. Afterward, participants return to the area for photos with medals, teammates and supporters.
That makes your start and finish line flags more than course markers. They can also become an important part of your event branding.
Adding your event logo and sponsor logos to custom race flags helps turn thousands of participant photos into lasting reminders of your event.
Put Your Event Branding Where the Photos Happen
Think about the photos participants are most likely to keep and share.
A runner crossing the finish line with their arms raised. A cyclist completing a difficult course. A group of friends posing together after finishing their first race. A winner celebrating after crossing the line.
These are some of the strongest photos produced during an event.
If your start and finish areas are surrounded by generic or unbranded equipment, those photos may provide little indication of where they were taken.
Custom printed start and finish line flags change that.
Your event name, logo, colors and sponsor branding become part of the background. Someone looking at the photo months or years later can immediately recognize the event.
Give Your Sponsors Better Visibility
Sponsor logos are often placed on banners, tents, course signs and other event materials. However, some locations receive much more attention than others.
The finish line is one of them.
Placing sponsor logos on custom finish line flags can provide additional exposure because the flags may appear in official event photography as well as participant photos and videos.
Those images may then appear on:
- Instagram, Facebook and other social media
- Event websites
- Race registration pages
- Email newsletters
- Sponsor websites
- Local media coverage
- Promotional material for the following year’s event
Instead of sponsor exposure ending when the event is over, branded photographs can continue to circulate long afterward.
This can also make finish line branding a useful addition to higher-level sponsorship packages.
Make Your Race Easier to Recognize
Consistent branding helps an event look organized and professional.
If your race uses the same colors, logos and design style on race bibs, bike plates, course signs, banners and start and finish line flags, participants see a consistent identity throughout the course.
It also improves event photography.
A photograph with a clearly branded flag in the background tells people what event they are looking at without requiring a caption.
This is particularly useful when participants share their photos online.
Keep the Flag Design Simple
A race flag does not need a complicated design to be effective.
In fact, simple designs are usually easier to recognize in photographs.
Use a large event logo, strong colors and clear text. Avoid filling every available space with small sponsor logos or detailed information that will be difficult to see from a distance.
Remember that your flags may be photographed while moving in the wind and from many different angles.
Ask yourself one simple question:
Can someone recognize the event in the background of a photo?
If the answer is yes, the design is doing its job.
Use High-Contrast Colors
Contrast becomes particularly important when designing flags for outdoor races.
Your flag may be photographed against a bright blue sky, dark trees, buildings, snow or a cloudy Calgary morning.
A logo with strong contrast will usually remain easier to identify.
For example, dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background can help improve visibility. Large logos also tend to work better than small text when the flag appears several metres behind a participant.
Consider Double-Sided Start and Finish Line Flags
Wind rarely cooperates with event organizers.
A flag that looks perfect from one direction may turn around as soon as the wind changes.
Double-sided printing can help keep your branding visible from either side of the course.
This can be especially useful at start and finish areas where photographers, spectators and participants may approach from different directions.
When planning your flags, think about how they will look from both the course and spectator areas rather than designing for only one viewing direction.
Position Flags With Photography in Mind
Where you place your race flags can be just as important as the design.
Before the event begins, look at the finish line from the photographer’s position.
What will appear behind a participant as they cross?
Try to position branded flags so they naturally frame the finish area without blocking timing equipment, spectators or the course itself.
You can also speak with your event photographer before the race. A small adjustment to flag placement may make a significant difference in the final photographs.
The goal is not to cover every available space with advertising. The goal is to make your event branding naturally visible in the photos people are most likely to keep.
Don’t Forget the Start Line
The finish line may produce the most emotional photographs, but the start line offers another valuable branding opportunity.
Participants often arrive early and take photos before the race begins. Teams pose together. Families take pictures. Organizers photograph the crowd. Sponsors and volunteers may also take photos before participants head onto the course.
Custom start line flags help identify the event in all of those images.
Using matching start and finish flags can also create a consistent appearance from the beginning of the event to the end.
Create a Separate Post-Race Photo Area
The finish line can become crowded, particularly during larger events.
Instead of having participants stop immediately after crossing, consider creating a separate photo area nearby.
A custom flag, branded backdrop or checkered race flag can provide a dedicated location where participants can pose with their medals, friends and family without interfering with the active course.
This also gives you more control over the background of participant photos.
Include your event logo and key sponsor logos, and you have another location designed specifically for social media photos.
Design Your Flags as Part of the Entire Event
Start and finish line flags work best when they are part of a larger event branding plan.
Consider coordinating them with your:
- Race bibs
- Bike number plates
- Course signs
- Directional signage
- Sponsor banners
- Feather flags
- Registration signage
- Branded backdrops
Using consistent colors, fonts and logos throughout the event helps create a professional appearance and makes your race easier to recognize.
Custom Start and Finish Line Flags for Races and Events
Your start and finish lines represent two of the most important moments of the event.
They are where participants begin their challenge and where they celebrate completing it.
They are also where many of your best photographs will be taken.
Custom printed start and finish line flags put your event name, logo and sponsor branding directly into those moments. With a simple design and careful placement, your flags can help identify your event in participant photos, professional race photography and social media posts long after race day is over.
Grafix Media prints custom flags for events, such as races, cycling events, running events, triathlons and other sporting events. Choose from standard 2 × 3 ft, 3 × 5 ft and 4 × 6 ft flags, or contact us about a custom size.
We print in Calgary with Canada-wide shipping available.