Transforming the Hybrid Lounge at Crewe Alexandra

As Crewe Alexandra Football Club's official printer partner, it has always been Hybrid's goal to maximise the use of print throughout the stadium. One of the most exciting opportunities came with the transformation of the club’s large function suite, now renamed The Hybrid Lounge. As the club’s official printer partner, the project provided the ideal platform to demonstrate how print can enhance environments. From signage and décor to storytelling through visual displays, Mimaki’s wide range of printing technologies allowed them to explore creative ways of supporting the club while also showcasing the capabilities of Mimaki solutions in a real world setting.

From the outset, the scale and purpose of the room required careful planning. On matchdays, the Hybrid Lounge welcomes supporters enjoying corporate entertainment ahead of kick-off, but throughout the rest of the year, it hosts a vast variety of community events, including blood donor sessions, charity fight nights, comedy evenings, weddings, christenings... The list goes on. Because of this, it was important to create a space that felt connected to the club while also remaining welcoming and versatile for the wider community.

Starting with the Entrance - Phase One



 Before work even began inside the lounge itself, attention turned to the hallway that leads visitors into the space. As the main entrance, it presented the perfect opportunity to create a strong first impression. The centrepiece of the hallway is a large backlit lightbox graphic featuring a steam train at Crewe Station. The railway theme felt like a natural choice, reflecting the club’s long standing nickname, The Railwaymen, as well as the town’s historic connection to the railway industry. Crewe grew into one of Britain’s most important railway hubs during the nineteenth century, and that heritage remains a central part of the town’s identity today. Positioning this graphic at the entrance allows visitors to immediately connect with that history, setting the tone before they even step inside the lounge itself.

Designing the Hybrid Lounge Identity

Alongside the physical transformation of the space, another important part of the project was creating a visual identity for the Hybrid Lounge. From the Hybrid Services office, they have a clear view of the Mornflake Stadium, and its distinctive structure became the inspiration behind the lounge’s logo. The bold, recognisable lines of the stadium roof formed the basis of the design, helping to tie the branding directly to the club’s home ground.

The colour palette was also carefully chosen. By combining red and blue inspired by the Crewe Alexandra home and away kits from the 2024 - 2025 season, the design connects the lounge visually with the team itself. The finished logo now appears on printed signage above the entrance doors, helping establish a recognisable identity for the space.

Printing the Feature Lightbox

To produce the hallway centrepiece, the lightbox graphic was printed using the Mimaki UJV55-320 large format UV printer. Known for its high quality output and vibrant colour reproduction, the printer is particularly well suited to backlit display graphics. Using Mimaki’s UV LED technology allowed them to achieve sharp detail and rich colour, ensuring the graphic stands out while creating a welcoming visual feature as visitors enter the Hybrid Lounge.

Brightening the Room - Phase Two



For those who have never visited the Hybrid Lounge before, it is a substantial space measuring approximately 40 metres by 12.5 metres. As the room sits beneath the stadium, natural light is limited due to the lack of windows. One of the key challenges therefore became finding ways to brighten the space while adding visual interest.

Using Lightboxes to Transform the Space

Almost immediately, one of Hybrid’s favourite print applications came to mind, lightboxes. They are bold, eye catching and introduce a soft, ambient light that enhances a room without overwhelming it. Four large lightboxes were installed around the lounge, each acting as a visual feature while also helping enhance the atmosphere of the room. Selecting the imagery for the lightboxes required careful thought. Backlit graphics have a unique ability to bring artwork to life, with illumination enhancing colour and detail in ways standard wall graphics cannot. Each image therefore, needed to be strong enough to stand on its own while contributing to the overall story of the club. Once again, the graphics were produced using the Mimaki UJV55-320, allowing them to create vibrant backlit visuals ready for installation.

Telling the Club’s Story Through Imagery

Each lightbox captures a different element of Crewe Alexandra’s story. One highlights the unforgettable moment when the club lifted the npower League Two Play-Off trophy in 2012, with players celebrating in front of jubilant supporters. It remains one of the club’s proudest achievements, and a moment many fans still speak about today.

Another lightbox shows a dramatic aerial view of the stadium at night, with the floodlights illuminating the surrounding area and showcasing the stadium’s presence within the town of Crewe.

The third graphic focuses on the supporters themselves. From the beginning of the project, the fans were at the centre of the thinking. Their passion and loyalty help create the atmosphere that makes matchdays at Crewe Alexandra so special. The image captures a group of young supporters celebrating together, representing the next generation of Railwaymen fans.

The final lightbox brings the inspiration behind the Hybrid Lounge logo to life. The image shows the stadium’s distinctive roof structure from street level, the same view many supporters see as they approach the ground on matchdays. It captures that familiar sense of anticipation and excitement as fans make their way toward the stadium.

Once the lightboxes were installed, the difference was immediate. The room felt brighter, more engaging and far more connected to the club’s identity.

Feature Wall Focus - Phase Three

Following the impact created by the first two phases, attention turned to the final stage of the project, the feature wall at the back of the lounge. Spanning the full width of the room, this wall offered the opportunity to create a real focal point.



Follow the process behind the transformation of Crewe Alexandra F.C.’s Hybrid Lounge, from a blank wall to a bold, interactive display celebrating the club’s history. Watch how we brought the space to life using Mimaki UV printing, premium materials and precision installation.

Designing a Wall That Works for Every Event

Our initial idea was to produce a large printed wallpaper installation. However, because the lounge regularly uses a large projection screen for events, this approach would have meant either cutting sections out of the design or allowing the projector to obscure the artwork.

Instead, they began exploring ways to make the wall more interactive and engaging. The idea developed into something closer to a museum style display, where visitors could walk along the wall, read the graphics and discover stories from the club’s history. At the same time, it was needed to strike the right balance. While the designs needed to celebrate Crewe Alexandra, the lounge also hosts many non-football events. The finished installation therefore, had to feel premium and visually interesting without overwhelming the space.

To achieve this, ASLAN CA30 13124k Print Metallic Brushed Aluminium was chosen,  supplied by Dorotape. The subtle metallic finish adds texture and depth to the graphics, creating a bespoke, high end appearance. The material was applied to slim foamboard panels and printed using the Mimaki JFX200-1213EX mid size flatbed printer. The installation was then divided into three sections across the wall.

Bringing Crewe Alexandra’s History to Life

The first section features the stadium roof logo alongside a striking shot of the moon, referencing the famous “Blue Moon” chant sung by Crewe Alexandra supporters. According to club folklore, fans first began singing the song during a match in April 1988, and it has remained a popular chant ever since.

The central section highlights 1877, the year Crewe Alexandra Football Club was formed. Within each number are images capturing some of the club’s most iconic moments, celebrating the memories that have shaped the team’s history.

The final section brings the original museum style concept to life. A series of historic photographs and accompanying stories showcase key moments from the club’s past, allowing visitors to pause, read and connect with the heritage of Crewe Alexandra.

A Space That Tells the Club’s Story

The transformation of the Hybrid Lounge demonstrates how print can do far more than simply decorate a space. Through thoughtful design, carefully selected materials and the capabilities of Mimaki printing technology, it has been possible to create an environment that reflects the identity of the club and the town it represents.

For supporters arriving on matchday, the space now tells a story before a ball is even kicked. And for Hybrid Services, the project provides a real world example of how print can transform environments while bringing history, culture and community together.

www.hybridservices.co.uk



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