When done right, car wraps can be an innovative and striking way to decorate your vehicles without breaking the bank on a new paint job. Done badly, they can look tacky or even damage your vehicle.
Here, we will explore some of the most common mistakes that new car wrap customers make, and how you can avoid making them too.
1. Unfortunate Messaging
If the design fails to allow for the movement of windows and doors – such as sliding doors – the message of your slogans may change entirely.
Be careful and consider how your vehicle operates when creating your design, and make sure that you split your words in the right place to avoid the meaning changing. Or just be on the safe side and don’t put your lettering over car doors!
2. Unreadable Text
If your design is too busy, your font illegible or too small, or if there is not enough colour contrast between the text and background graphics, you risk your text being impossible to read at a distance by pedestrians and other road users. If the purpose of your vehicle wrap is for marketing, this could result in losing money and potential customers.
Make sure that you leave some blank space in your graphics which will emphasise your text and keep it easily read for potential clients viewing your car. If customers are not grabbed immediately by your design, or if their attention was initially caught but they can’t find your information, they will quickly lose interest.
And remember – with vehicle wrapping, sometimes less is more!
3. Poor Application
Vehicle wrapping can be a technical and fiddly process. Beginners often find themselves up against air pockets, crinkling, poor quality joins and overlaps, and poor fitting around dings and chips in the bodywork.
There are certain things you can do to avoid these issues, such as putting extra work into prepping your car by cleaning it, smoothing out bumps on the exterior, and ensuring the wrap is cut precisely to size, without stretching it.
However, as an easier solution, all these issues can be easily avoided by using a quality professional car wrapping service. This will likely save you more time and money in the long run than if you attempted a DIY job at home.
4. No Brand Identity
Your brand identity is what makes your business stand out. It is what appeals to your target customers, and which seals the deal for many of your sales.
Your commercial vehicle needs to reflect your brand identity if it is to be an effective marketing tool. The design should conjure up precisely what it is about your company that you are trying to convey.
Do you want to seem professional? Efficient? Artistic?
Work out exactly what you want your customers to think of you and your company, and from there, consider how you can convey that message in graphics.
5. Bodge Jobs
While car wraps can make your vehicle look shiny and new, you should not try to use a car wrap to conceal imperfections in the vehicle.
If your car is rusting and you apply a wrap on top, the wrap will struggle to adhere to the surface. Similarly, if you have scratches or dents in your bodywork, it is unlikely that the wrap will fit your vehicle perfectly.
It is also important not to try to cover parts with vinyl that shouldn’t be covered. For instance, avoid covering in vinyl certain car parts such as the exhaust pipe, or any plastic features, as the wrap will not apply properly.
Be Sure To Seek Advice From Experts
While there are precautions you can take when DIY-ing your car wrap, it is always better to hire professionals who know exactly what it takes to apply your wrap seamlessly.
Our team have years of experience in applying and designing car wraps, and are skilled in avoiding the common problems that beginners may run into, such as air pockets and stretching.
Design is a crucial part of wrapping your car too, and no vehicle – no matter how professionally serviced – will be effective if the design of your car wrap isn’t right. The design is key to ensuring that the wrap fits your car correctly, conveys all the necessary information, and appeals to your audience or target customer.
Need advice about designing and applying your car wrap? Why not call our experts today!