Can we talk "Race Car" graphics?

schoolofracinggraphics.com

 

I was checking them out a few weeks ago. I haven't bought from them so I can't recommend, but their stuff looks interesting.

 

Run! We literally tell them we don't do race car graphics at all. It never ends well and they always want it cheaper since they are always wrecked.

 

So are you saying there is no need for lamination ??

 

I race mods and late models at our local asphalt track so I usually do about 10 racecars a year for guys that we race with that know the type of work I do and are willing to pay my prices. If I wasn't involved with racing I probably wouldn't want to do racecar graphics either. There really isn't a whole lot to be made from them with the time that generally goes into them. The guys that are doing a ton of them have a niche and generally just focus on that industry and are usually ran from a home based business with low overhead or they just don't value their time. Most use a cheap calendared film with air egress and a cheap gloss overlaminate. I usually use 3M IJ35C with 8508 overlaminate but that's probably overkill for most.

 

school of racing graphics is your best resource. Go to their facebook and you can watch videos of how to use their stuff to create designs that look like you know what you're doing (though they will end up looking like all the other race car wraps).

We tend to stay away from race car wraps because most are purchased by the car driver/owner, who has no money. They think every sign shop is tripping over themselves to give them a free wrap for all the "exposure" they will be getting. And somehow there are people out there who cater to that mentality and supply wraps at about a tenth of the cost of what they should be.

But if you have your own customers willing to pay you to design wraps for cars they are sponsoring, and willing to pay your prices, that might be worth doing.

 

No need to run if you have the right customer and it sounds like you do.
We just had our yearly off-road race here with one of our commercial customers a sponsor.
We ended up doing their displays at the track and 3 or 4 of the cars they sponsored.
Nothing major on the cars so it worked out that as we set up the track we did some of the cars at the same time when they showed up for practice laps.
Don't always make good money on odd-ball stuff but having the customer know they can count on one shop to take care of everything keeps them coming back with the jobs that do make money.

 

I started my business doing race cars and soon found out they are a pain to install. Some cars are new...others are dented, etc...ugh. I will do some graphics but I refuse to install them. The worst part is they always wait until the last minute to come in and expect you to have decals for the entire car in a week and the artwork they give you is usually not very good. I sponsored a couple cars in the past with the hopes of getting more work. It only got me a one company with a few trucks. I don't sponsor and I mostly decline putting my decal on their car...otherwise everyone and their brother thinks you did that cars graphics for free and the phone will ring off the hook for "sponsorships". And yes, there is an art to it and the graphics and fonts are different than you would use for signage and business vehicles. I've had pretty good luck this year thus far, two of my customers ordered large apparel orders as well. Thanks for the link above, I'm going to check that out!!

 

My experience has been that lamination is essential on race cars, as the spray chemicals used on race car parts, etc. will immediately wipe the ink right off the vinyl.

 

Feb./March/April are big for us in race car stuff. It's seriously "low-hanging fruit", and I get at least one instance every spring where we do some Sponsor logos for a team, the sponsor is impressed with the outcome, then we end up getting a call from them to do decals, truck lettering, etc. No question, you have the random "Pains",but you simply "price accordingly", and those problems take care of themselves.....

 

Since you are an architectural guy I would have kindly declined and referred to someone else.

I have done a lot of race cars over the early years and one day I said enough was enough. The ridiculous , last minute deadlines, the constant begging for price cuts and although they think it will "increase" your business, it wont.