Knowing the vehicle

Knowing the shape and size of the vehicle and all its nuances is a critical part of the design process; therefore, taking measurements before you do any design work is a must. You really have to have a good handle on templates, templates are so key because positioning is critical. If you have to do a lot of reprints, then that could break your business. Experts also recommend an auto library that contains vector images of cars, trucks and buses and a digital camera with which to take pictures. The goal is to know every inch of the vehicle. If you don’t take time to do this up front, then you could end up with text over a door handle. Even though you are wrapping a 2003 Dodge Caravan, for example, measurements are still important because there are slight differences that could cause major problems during installation. You can get this library at the end of this article.

Designing for wraps

Designing for wraps is completely different than other types of design work, It’s like any new media, you have to learn the media and you have to learn what is going to capture the attention of the people. It’s more than just putting graphics on a car. Avoid using too much text or colours. Many people are using rainbows on cars and that causes the intended viewer to miss the message. In fact, making a bold statement is one of the biggest challenges in designing for wraps. You have to keep it simple. You need a strong message. You only have a few seconds to get the message across as the car passes by, It’s a branding media; it’s not a message media. You just show the brand for recognition more than to run a brochure.

Keeping it simple

One of the biggest mistakes with wrap designs is going overboard with flashy graphics or trying to put a one-dimensional design on a three-dimensional vehicle. Normally where your hood and your front bumper transition to the side of the car is challenging. You are basically laying down a flat design on the hood and a flat design on the side of the vehicles and if you have a wacky design, then they don’t transition well on either side of the hood and on either side of the trunk on the back. One key to success boils down to common sense: work closely with the client throughout the design process. In fact, you could even outsource the design work, the printing and the installation and basically act as a sales rep. If the customer wants to deal with you and the price is fine, then go for it.

Preparing the vehicle for installation

Once the design work is complete, the next step is preparing the vehicle for installation. Proper cleaning and preparation of the substrate prior to application is critical to the success of the wrap, because if the vehicle is not thoroughly cleaned immediately prior to application, then the result could be adhesion loss. You want to make sure to get all the dirt out of any contours and grooves, any dirt can effect how any of the film adheres to the substrate. Most vinyl manufacturers recommend cleaning the vehicle with a commercial detergent and water. If grease, oil, wax or any other grime is present, then the substrate must be scrubbed with a solvent and wiped with a soft, lint-free cloth before it dries. Isophoryl alcohol is strong enough to clean away any left over impurities that could hinder the adhesive, but not so strong that it will damage the paint. Still, experts recommend testing the cleaning solvent on an inconspicuous area of the application surface first to check for potential damage.

Allowing the vehicle to dry

Experts say a common mistake during the preparation process is not allowing the vehicle to dry fully. It can take up to 24 hours for a vehicle to dry completely, especially in humid or cold atmospheres. Emphasize on the importance of surface preparation, one common mistake that is easy to understand but often overlooked is having the vehicle at the proper temperature for installation. Sign shops in the north are at somewhat of a disadvantage because vinyl films are typically more susceptible to failure in cold environments. Even if the vehicle seems like it’s dry, if it’s cold and there’s moisture in the air, then it sticks to the surface of the vehicle and creates barriers to the performance of the film.

Considering paint and glass

If you are applying film to a newly painted surface, Avery recommends following all drying and curing instructions provided by the paint manufacturer prior to surface preparation and film application. Avery also recommends the use of high quality exterior grade paints and OEM systems. You also need to prepare the glass if you are going to apply perforated vinyl to these areas. Like the vehicle itself, the glass should be perfectly clean. Avery recommends removing any stickers, paint or over-spray using a single razor blade scraper. Then spray the glass with cleaning solution, squeegee it dry using a soft rubber window squeegee and wipe the edges using lint-free paper towels.

Once the vehicle is thoroughly cleaned and dried, then you can proceed with installing the wrap.

If you’re like many small business owners, you might be wondering just what a corporate identity package is. And if you already know what it is, you might be wondering why your small business would need one. After all, you’re just a small business, not one of those big corporations. What’s in it for you?
Just as the name implies, a corporate identity package identifies your company to potential clients, suppliers and the general public. It includes your business name, small business logo, your logotype (just a fancy way of saying how things are placed, which font you use, spacing, and other things like that) your motto or company slogan, and associated printed material– your business card, and letterhead, envelope and forms.

When you started your small business, you might have dreamed of becoming more than just another small business. Maybe you even dreamed about becoming a big business some time in the future. And even if you’re a completely practical entrepreneur and didn’t have those dreams, you need to attract customers in order to keep your small business open. A corporate identity package can help you do that.

Write a couple of big corporations, ask a question and request a business card. They’ll send your answer on their letterhead, in their company envelopes, and include a company business card. If you take a moment or two to look at big corporations’ identity packages, you’ll soon notice a few important things in common.

Their corporate identity package looks professional. What makes a big corporation look professional? I think one key is simplicity. Generally, a large corporation has a simple symbol or even just graphically represents their name as their logo. Take the Coca-cola logo for example. Or Toyota. Or Cameco Corporation. They’re all very simple.

When you look at their corporate identity package, you see quality. They use only high quality printing services and paper. Sure, that’s going to cost a little more, but it’ll be worth it in the end because its an integral representation of your small business’ image. You could print your corporate identity package yourself using your home printer, lightweight paper and business card templates, but how is that going to look? Will that produce the professional image you’re after?

Their logotype is consistent. Big businesses use exactly the same color for their logo and their background every time. They use consistent fonts. Their slogan for example, would consistently be in Times New Roman, never a different font or even a similar font, but exactly the same font, and always in the same proportion to the logo. Spacing is consistent. Spacing between letters and between lines is also always exactly the same proportion. Their secret is designing in vector form so their logo can be enlarged or reduced without changing proportion.

Their corporate identity package matches exactly. Their letterhead, envelopes, business cards all match. And if you ordered something from them, the invoice and the statement you’d get at the end of the month would match too. Perfectly.

Here’s another reason to take a little time to look at big corporations’ identity packages: you can use what they do to create an identity for your own small business. What they do works, and they do big business, so if you want to do big business too, why reinvent the wheel? Copy what they’ve done. No, I don’t mean you should copy another company’s logo. Just copy the way they’ve done things. Take their ideas and use them.

You probably don’t have the luxury of spending the amount of dollars a big corporation does on their identity. In fact, they sometimes spend millions on their corporate identity. So how do you get a professional look at a small business price?

You can do it yourself or you can hire a design professional to do it for you, sometimes at minimal cost, or even free. Here’s one idea. You can sometimes find good student graphic designers who’ll design your logo for you in exchange for allowing them to put it in their portfolio. In any case, if they do charge you a fee, it will be a whole lot less than what a professional graphic designer would charge. Besides it’ll feel good to be helping a “poor student”.

So, why should you have a small business identity package? What’s in it for you? If you do it right; if you have a corporate identity package that looks professional, is of high quality, has a consistent logotype, and matches perfectly, you’re going to look just like the big guys even if you’re the smallest business in town.

And if you look like the big guys, you just might have a chance to play with the big guys. And what if, just what if, your corporate identity package helped you, even just a little, to realize the dream you had of someday owning a big business when you started your small business?

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