Design a Car Wrap On Line

Go on line and design your car wrap!

Advertising through time has become more innovative. Technology has made ads more available to many people with the use of TV ads, radio, and the internet. All these methods produce positive results but they often cost more and can be quite heavy to small businesses. Vehicle wraps however is a unique way of promoting your products by using vehicles as mobile billboards. It is quite easy, custom-car-wraps.com lets you design a car wrap on line, make a choice out of a bunch of wrap shops in your area, have it printed and laminated on any type of car. This method is becoming more popular these days because it is less expensive than any other forms of advertising.

The design of your mobile billboard should be attractive in order to be noticed by people. Through the design your car wrap on line with custom-car-wraps.com you have to determine what type of vehicle you would want to use so you can create a design that would fit the shape of the car, truck or trailer. The design can either be fully covered or partial depending on your preference. Choose from a list of wrap shops in your area and ask for bids based on what you have designed. Once you have the best bid, ask the wrap shop to assign it over to an artist so it can be enhanced graphically and per the contours of your exact vehicle. During your design of the car wrap on-line, make sure to use bold and brilliant colors so you will stand out among many vehicles moving around. Use simple fonts as much as possible so your logo can easily be understood even with a slight glance. Remember that the vehicle will be moving most of the time so make sure it is clear, attractive and luminous so it can also be seen at night.

 

Most Relevant Vehicle Wrap Answers!

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Consider these statistics compiled by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America:

    • More than 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers.
    • One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 – 70,000 impressions daily.
    • Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than any other form of advertising.
    • 30% of mobile outdoor viewers indicate they would base a buying decision on the ad they see.

What is a vehicle wrap?

Car wraps can take many shapes, colors and sizes. A full wrap covers the entire surface of the car or vehicle. A partial wrap covers only a specific portion of the vehicle and uses the vehicle’s paint scheme as the backdrop for the full design. Vehicle wraps are done with vinyl materials (think of it as a large decal) that conform to the shape of your vehicle. They can be done in solid colors as “paint replacement” or can have digitally printed designs on the vinyl to really make your vehicle stand out.

How effective are vehicle wraps as advertising

A quick comparison in typical advertising mediums suggests the following:

    • Radio attracts 900,000 listeners in six weeks with 10 to 12 30-second spots.
    • Value Pak mailings offers a reach of 600,000 with 100,000 addresses per drop and your client is just one of many advertisers included in the packet.
    • Direct mail reaches 20,000 names with one post card mailer.
    • Seven city buses get 600,000 impressions in two months.
    • Billboards receive 700,000 impressions in one month.
    • An ad in the yellow pages can cost up to $15,000 per year—with your competitors listed right there next to your ad.
    • The same is true for pay-per-click advertising—at an even higher cost per month.
    • Car or vehicle wraps have the potential to garner thousands of impressions each day, they last up to three years and cost, on average, between $2,500 and $4,500 for a standard vehicle.

Does it affect the paint on my car?

Car wraps material vinyls are formulated with removable adhesive that does not harm your car’s paint. In fact, many people find that by wrapping their vehicle, it can possibly assist in keeping a higher resale value for the vehicle due to the protective benefits of the wrap.

How long does a vehicle wrap last?

Car Wraps installed with vinyls from major manufacturers such as 3M, Oracal, Avery, etc. are guaranteed not to fade, crack, or peel for up to 3-5 years in most locations. Your Custom Car Wrap selected specialist will be happy to explain the warranty program prior to purchasing your wrap.

Does it matter what color my car is?

No, a car wrap is not translucent; you cannot see through it.

It looks like there are graphics on the windows, will I still be able to see through the windows?

Yes the window graphics are printed on a perforated vinyl that allows you to see through the rear and side rear windows.

Can you wrap the front side windows?

No, state laws prohibit the use of wraps on driver and passenger side windows, as well as the windshield.

Can you wrap the roof?

On most automobiles the roof is included. Generally roofs are not wrapped (vans, trucks or SUVs), unless it is requested by the customer.

Can you wrap a fiberglass or chrome bumper?

A painted plastic bumper can be wrapped without any problems. In the case of fiber-glass or chrome bumpers, application of vinyl on these areas are not recommended or guaranteed to adhere for the duration of the life of the wrap.

Can you wrap my hubcaps or rims?

No, wheels are in general not wrapped, although newer wrap materials such as 3M Dinoc in such patterns as carbon fiber or matte silver are sometimes used to wrap specialty rims.

Can you wrap trailers, trucks, vans & SUVs or even boats?

Absolutely! If it rolls or floats, you can wrap it!

What if I plan to change my company logo or phone number in the future

Not a problem. Most wrap providers can print and install graphic overlays, so that information may be removed or replaced if you need to change or update your car wrap.

Some tips when putting a commercial wrap on your vehicle

The Tips!

Create a vehicle design with Custom Car Wraps. Use the simple four step process, download your logo(s), graphic ad content,  text, etc. directly from your own computer and have a variety of local wrap shops bid on the printing and installing of the wrap.

Plan a commute that better targets your market. Advertising your free-trade coffee shop will probably be most effective during the early morning in white-collar parts of town. Your daycare? On the way to residential areas during the end-of-day commute so that it’s fresh in parents’ minds.

Find your target audience and plan to hit them hard. Are potential customers really going to see your car? It doesn’t help if you plan to wrap your car in bright, eye-popping graphics only to put the beast in the garage! Are you in a high-traffic area where your customers drive. Or, do you commute on the freeway? Are you parking the vehicle in a strategic spot where people stop and look around while at a stop light? Just remember, it’s like a mobile mini-billboard, and to maximize your exposure, you need to understand where potential customers are driving, walking, sitting, and looking.

Set aside a marketing budget. Maybe you spend $4,000 on having a custom full wrap installed for your vehicle and you throw another $1,500 into a scrolling LED billboard to catch the rest of your customers at dusk. Or, maybe you spend $1,500 on a partial wrap or vinyl lettering and $300 on glow-in-the-dark signs. You just might be able to reach the same amount of customers for less investment!

Set your car apart. The more your vehicle stands out, the better your chances of drawing attention to the business it’s advertising. Choose bright, eye-catching colors and designs. Tacky and even ugly can be good too, because as people notice how your vehicle is lacking any kind of aesthetics, they’ll probably read the writing on it.

Research printing and installations quotes for wrapping your car. Custom Car Wraps will give you a choice of local printers and wrap shops to send the design to. If you’re really on a budget, $500 will buy you a perforated real window sign. For some real impact, prepare to spend $3,500 or more when compared to cheaper vinyl-cut lettering or magnetic decals; if your commute has impact, it’ll be worth the investment because, let’s face it, it’s easier to overlook a magnetic decal. Anything that’s unique with a little appeal will do an effective job of marketing for you.

Command attention in the dark.Think of all the night life out there. Many people fail to realize they have another 12 hours they’re missing by not addressing the night time market. It’s a time when relaxed executives are more apt to make changes to their business lives, and you can squeeze into that prime time with your marketing! Ever seen the taxi cabs in New York with the fancy LCD panels mounted to them? Or how about the scrolling LED signs speeding down the length of a Greyhound bus? Both are effective forms of advertising in the dark because they attract your attention. If you can’t afford the technological route, look into buying custom glow-in-the-dark stickers, decals, and signs. It’s a much cheaper alternative to the LED scrolling signs or the LCD panels.

Give your audience a follow up plan! Yes, a complete vehicle wrap with custom graphics and scrolling LEDs will certainly attract attention, but what good is it if your viewer doesn’t know how to get your service or buy your product? Give out a website or phone number! Clip fliers or business cards to the doors so passers-by can bring some of the advertisement home with them! As long as the viewers know how to act on the advertisement you displayed to them, your marketing investment is effectively spent.

The level of investment tends to govern the quality of the job, but more importantly, the integrity of your image. A true vehicle wrap has tremendous appeal and makes you look more credible than a magnet would, but it comes at a higher price!

Check with local sign shops. Custom Car Wraps will provide you with a list of local wrap shops and a  good one might be pricey, but remember what it will do for your business  Try to use wrap shop that has their own solvent printer and experienced installers. Ask for a portfolio of work!

Some things to look out for

Check with local enforcement before pursuing illuminated messaging in the dark. Some states disallow blinking or animated lights. Others will only permit certain colors, like red, white, or amber, to be used inside of a moving vehicle and have codes against front-window visibility. Not all states are the same! You can always put illuminated signs in your car when parked or while at shows or expositions to grab attention. Be sure your sign shop or vehicle graphic installer only uses a solvent-based print with a good protective overlaminate, or the job will deteriorate earlier. Ask about guarantees for quality workmanship. Caradvertisements can attract potential thieves because of the higher probability that you have something of value in your car.

Your Company and Your Vehicle Wrap!

Design your wrap like a huge ad!

Come up with a creative idea, and keep it simple yet eye catching. The whole point of a vehicle wrap is to catch the viewer’s attention while they are in motion. Regardless of the overall messaging, be sure that your company brand or logo is easily visible against the background imagery. After all, the entire point of a car or truck wrap is to advertise your brand or product. Make sure people know what it is! Don’t place logos between panels or half on a window and a quarter panel, because the different materials will often print irregularly, and your logo will end up looking incorrect.

What we can learn from the big guys

Around the year 2000 I was working for a large internet agency and we got involved with FEDEX, they were creating the first on-line tracking system for international logistics of shipping packages based on bar code readers, revolutionary for those days since it was all EDI or in other words a nightmare. Along with it they changed their brand from Fedaral Express to simply Fedex, it was already a household name to “Fedex it” if you wanted to make sure it got there. New logo and and brand image and it went on anything that moves packages around the world.


What we can learn from this is don’t be afraid to change and get your message across on your vehicle, be it you have just your van or truck or an entire fleet of vehicles to advertise on.  There are no secrets and while you design a wrap for your vehicle or your fleet, keep in mind what you do and how you want to be perceived by your potential customers. If you deliver bread around, say so, illustrate it with a picture of bread and plug in your logo, web site name and phone number. For most of us, the kiss method works the best, people look at your wrap and understand what you do in a second, that’s all you get when you drive by. Use background images for more detailed look of what you do, plumber put a big picture of a drain or a faucet in your background and splash your name in front of it.

Take advantage of that moving billboard!

Most of us will have a van, truck or trailer with a flat surface to advertise on. This can make the design and application of the wrap fairly easy, you can create that awesome background and get your message across quite large with plenty of room to work with. But, if you do not need a van or truck for your business, think about the (fairly) unique vehicles out there on the road that stand out by themselves already and can create a unique messaging opportunity. Mini Coopers, VW Bugs, Smart cars and Hummers are very popular for their shapes: the more unusual the better. Hybrids are wonderful for conveying that your brand is concerned with the environment.

Here is an example of a well executed message from our friends at Loring Studios, a great background and large message, environment anybody?


If you are a local business keep your website and your telephone number visible and big. Beware of having any essential information, including logos and text, wrap around corners and edges. Instead, keep messaging in easily readable areas and be sure to put logos and taglines on all sides of the vehicle.