Project Date: November 4, 2024
Location: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Birmingham, Alabama
Project: Kids Zone graphics on terminal railing panels
Client: Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (direct client)
Our Role: Installation only
Installed By: Black Diamond Designs
A brighter airport experience starts with the details.
On November 4, 2024, Black Diamond Designs completed an airport graphics installation for the Kids Zone at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. Plain railing infill panels around the children’s play area became a cheerful, aviation-themed space with illustrated characters, blue skies, clouds and FlyBHM branding.
An Aviation Theme That Fits the Airport
A play area needs to be easy to recognize. The design uses friendly animals piloting colorful airplanes, including a lion, monkey, panda, giraffe, tiger, zebra and turtle, against a continuous sky-and-cloud backdrop. The theme ties directly to the setting and sets the Kids Zone apart from the surrounding gate seating.
Rules Panel Built Into the Design
A Kids Zone Rules panel sits inside a cloud-shaped graphic, so visitor information stays consistent with the playful theme instead of looking like a separate sign.
Airport Graphics Installation Across Multiple Railing Sections
Unlike a single wall mural, this airport graphics installation runs across many railing panels and around corners of a metal enclosure. Each panel has to line up with its neighbors so the sky, clouds and characters flow continuously, and edges need clean trimming in a high-traffic public space.
Airport graphics installation also means working inside an active terminal, where schedules, access and passenger flow all shape the job. The material, product series and square footage for this project were not supplied, so we don’t claim them.
Planning an Airport Graphics Installation
An airport graphics installation usually starts with access. Terminal work is scheduled around flights, security rules and passenger traffic, so crews need clear timelines and staging plans. Surfaces such as railings, glass and walls each call for a different approach, and panel layouts should be planned so artwork stays continuous across frames and corners.
Durability matters too. Play areas and gate seating see constant touch, cleaning and foot traffic, so the graphic and its finish should be chosen for the real conditions on site. Clear, friendly design also helps: families should be able to spot the Kids Zone from across the concourse, and rules or wayfinding should be easy to read at a child’s eye level as well as an adult’s.
Related Projects
More Birmingham-area work: the Hoover sports event graphics, the Rocky’s Pizza window graphics in Five Points South and our Birmingham graphics installation page. Black Diamond Designs is credited with the installation; no endorsement by the airport authority is implied.
Black Diamond Designs has been a 3M Preferred Graphics Installer for over 15 years, with over 25 years of experience. Our core markets are Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama and Nashville, with select projects farther afield.
See also our Birmingham airport window graphics project, where we cut and installed 3M 3630 translucent film in the renovated north and south sections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was installed at Birmingham’s airport?
Custom Kids Zone graphics on railing infill panels around a children’s play area, including a coordinating Kids Zone Rules panel.
When was this airport graphics installation?
November 4, 2024, at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
What does the design show?
Cartoon animals flying colorful airplanes through a blue sky with clouds, with repeating FlyBHM branding.
Planning an airport graphics installation or public-space branding project?
Contact Black Diamond Designs or call 205-960-7117 to talk through your surfaces, schedule and goals.
