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46 • October 2014 • S I G N & D I G I T A L G R A P H I C S e World of So Signage Tension fabric shines for Invictus Games Sco Franko is a designer, consultant, published author and president of Franko Design, US Signcraers, e Sign Store and Building Impressions with over twenty years of industry experience. Find him online at www.FrankoDesign.com. Send email to sco@frankodesign.com. It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul. W illiam Ernest Henley wrote those words in 1875 as the final lines to a poem that had no name until it was published in The Oxford Book of English Verse some 25 years later. From then on, this piece of literary work would become famously known as "Invictus," which is the Latin word for unconquered. Not only does it perfectly reflect the essence of the poem but also the experience of the poet who went through the anguish and pain that accompanies amputation of limb. He lost his leg and came close to losing his other foot. In 2013, Prince Harry came to the United States to watch and witness the Warrior Games for wounded, ill and injured military personnel and veterans. It was then that he got the idea to have an international version that would, in his words, shine a spotlight on the unconquerable character of servicemen and women and their families and highlight the "Invictus" spirit. They would be called the Invictus Games. The motto would be " I AM" inspired by the poem written long ago that speaks to the challenge of personal achievement and to competition against others as well as oneself. The first event took place in London. The sec- ond in Orlando, Florida. In 2017, the games will take place in Toronto, Canada. McRae Imaging will be there with their dynamically printed displays meant to bring visual life to the games and build impressions for the athletes, their families, attendees, sponsors and everybody involved. How did McRae Imaging become the go-to print solution for this major event? Part of the answer comes from Chad Jackson, president and project manager with Green Rings, a visual production and project management company based in Ontario. "When employed by the Pan Am Games," says Chad, "I chose McRae's Milan tension-fabric dis- play system for pre-Games events and many of our media backdrops. When my company, Green Rings Production Services Inc., was contracted by the Invictus Games Toronto 2017, I naturally wanted to work with McRae for continued success. Together we will ensure that the design-team's vision for the Toronto 2017 brand is captured. Having also been employed to produce the look of the games for Invictus Games Orlando 2016, I again chose Milan displays for media backdrops, and a prominent sport backdrop for several events. I have recommended the same system from McRae for several of my colleagues for their projects." McRae will use its state of the art technology with printing and fabric with frames to provide more than B Y S C O T T F R A N K O Building Impressions DIGITAL PRINTING AND FINISHING DIGITAL GRAPHICS McRae Imaging created many displays for media backdrops, and a prominent sport backdrop for several events.