Top 5 DIY Car Wrapping Design Mistakes and Considerations
In the internet age of do-it-yourself, never has there been a greater time to do some great design work, even in the world of car wrapping. That being said, never has there been a greater time to royally screw things up if not careful, experienced or fully educated.
To help you with a wrap design that would be fit for kings, here are the top 5 DIY car wrapping design mistakes and considerations.
1. The world is not flat...neither are cars. One of the most important car wrapping mistakes and considerations is accounting for the compound curve and corrugations found on most automobiles. These curves are typically marked on car wrapping templates, however they do not indicate the diameter of the curve or the depth of the corrugation.
Solution: Measure twice, design and print once! Real world measurements are essential to ensuring a good fit and printing enough material.
2. You've got to read between the lines. Cars, vans, trucks, they all have multiple body lines. Most of these lines are never parrallel to the road surface. A common mistake is to have the text or design elements follow body lines instead of what is actually level. Also, lines such as window moldings should be avoided as rubber and some plastic surfaces are not wrappable.
Solution: When designing, level the copy and design elements to a horizontal line. Avoid copy or other important information around window frames.
3. Using web images in a wrap world. The web is fantastic place to find images for use in car wrapping designs. Your website is probably full of great pictures. The problem and mistake made is that most of these images are very low resolution and quality. Standard web graphics are 72 dpi and are usually just inches in width and height. Blow those same images up to the size of a side of a vehicle and you have one pixelated mess on your hands!
Solution: Images should be taken on digital cameras with a resolution of at least 12 megapixels. Also, stock image websites usually have extra large images available.
4. So much to say, so little time. While car wrapping has been proven to have outstanding recall rates, there are many designs guilty of too much information. The company logo on these car wrapping designs are typically overshadowed by too many listed business services and overuse of cute taglines.
Solution: Keep it simple. A car wrap is very much a billboard on wheels. Like a billboard, there are only seconds for it to be effective. Limit copy to what is absolutely necessary.
5. Holy moly, why can't I read it? After having too much to say, not being able to read car wrap copy is an absolute cardinal sin. There are two main causes for this design breakdown. The first is the lack of highly contrasting colors of the wrap copy against the design background. The second issue is the placement of small copy on window perforation material.
Solution: Make the copy as large as possible and use a sharply contrasting color scheme. If necessary, help the contrast by outlining the lettering. Avoid copy placement on window perforated material. The thousands of tiny holes in the material will cause a noticable difference in contrast compared to the solid printed panels.
These DIY car wrapping mistakes can be avoided by following the above pointers. If all else fails, partner with a qualified car wrapping company to review the design prior to printing your billboard on wheels!
About the author: Sunrise Signs - Custom Wraps and Graphics is a
national provider of high quality, creative vehicle wraps, signs and fleet graphics. Located in Gloucester City NJ, and part of Greater Philadelphia,
Sunrise can design, print, and install your graphics from points coast to coast wherever the sun may rise.
Contact us today at
888-704-5941 for all of your fleet vehicle graphics and signage needs.