Wrap Portfolio

[stoneandtle]

I'm trying to put together a portfolio of wrap examples and decided to wrap parts of my truck for, one, the portfolio, and two, advertising.

Do these look ok from a design perspective? These are the first couple designs and wraps I've done.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

 

[formanek]

Very broken and segmented design. Kind of like stickers placed haphazardly. Without seeing the word "wrap" I would have no idea what this is on your truck for.

 

[stoneandtle]

They basically are "stickers" in a sense...wasn't meant to tie both the side and the tailgate together. I wanted to show the wide range of colors possible, and hopefully that brought your eye to look further at what was there, but maybe that was the wrong approach.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

i'm a bit confused...
your expereince is in installing the Thin Skin Armor and you're wanting to learn design wraps?

i'm sorry to say, you're likely to do more harm than good with your current look. too many design faux pas to list, unless you are willing to start over.

you clearly have installation skills and posting a design concept before printing and installing would be a great way to learn some design basics... is that an option?

 

[SignManiac]

Your font molestation is the worst aspect of your design. Fonts should be carefully chosen as a very important design element. Your compositional skills need a lot of work, and I would try to use your graphics to illustrate in a way that relates to the specific nature of the business that the wrap is being designed for.

 

[fmg]

yukkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!What the wrap market is becoming.

 

[SignManiac]

Hey at least he's brave enough to ask for help. It shows a willingness to improve.

 

[fmg]

Looks like a lot of help is needed!

 

[stoneandtle]

Interesting comments...the comments I've received here are much different...everyone seems to like it, but maybe they're biased because they know me.

Let me have your opinion of this one...I just put this together last night. FYI, this is just a comp, it's not installed on the vehicle as I'm sure you noticed the white areas identifying the door handles, etc.

 

[Rick]

the comments I've received here are much different...everyone seems to like it, but maybe they're biased because they know me.

Have you ever watched the beginning of American Idol... all these singers, really good and really bad, have someone saying they are good. The ones that really suck... you have to wonder what these people are thinking? One thing for sure, they need honest friends or friends who know what sounds or looks good.

I'm not saying you suck, but the first set of pics are bad. I admire you showing your work, but there are general design principles that would make your layout 1000% better. Stretching and squeezing type is considered a newbie no-no. The type choice is not attention grabbing, and you outline the copy... why? The clip-art looks slapped on, with no flow.... even if you were trying for 2 different looks, the flow is bad if they were independent graphics. Lose the "VEHICLE WRAPS" typeface....

On your last layout, it's not all that bad, but your kerning and tracking needs work, and outlining the type may make it more legible, but it also brings attention to poor copy placement or graphic usage/color contrast.... kinda like the previous wrap.

 

[stoneandtle]

I don't embarrass easily, so no offense taken from any comments, in fact it's nice to know that people will give input whether good or bad and offer suggestions to make them look better. I like all the input that's been given so far. Thanks for that!

So if I'm reading your comment correctly, if I find myself "needing" to put an outline around a type that's probably an indication that there's something wrong with the design and I should look to modify the content to not require the outline?

 

[Rick]

So if I'm reading your comment correctly, if I find myself "needing" to put an outline around a type that's probably an indication that there's something wrong with the design and I should look to modify the content to not require the outline?

Good catch.. it's possible... there has to be a reason to outline, and outlining is not the cure all for making type legible, in fact, from a distance, it can hurt legibility... there are other tricks designers use way too much, like shadows, boxes, and gradients... all can be great for a layout, but probably not good to make up for a layouts weaknesses...

I use gobs of outlines on some types of design work, but thats enhance the design itself, add opportunity to incorporate the type to a shape, add more color...

 

[signswi]

Enroll in some design courses if you're serious (expect to be decent in ~4-5 years if you work hard and have an eye) and if you're not find someone you can trust to outsource design to. It's not a bad thing to use specialists for specialist tasks. Your second post shows marked improvement but as Rick points out your typography drags the whole thing down. I'm also somewhat suspicious about the source of the graphic elements.

 

[jwright350]

Here is my tips for newbs who want to design but aren't real creative:

Stay away from free clip art, fonts already installed on your computer and design everything with good vehicle outline templates.

Don't disproportionally scale fonts...if it needs to be skinny and tall, find the condensed version of the font!

Don't put artwork too close to the edge... when I make a wrap..I like to have several inches of wiggle room...this makes the install much easier.

When doing a wrap, avoid plain backgrounds. Check out the stuff at auroragraphics.com... You can save yourself plenty of time by just purchasing a cool background and modifying. This stuff is expensive enough that its not everywhere and therefore lame.

Do make all text and logos HIGH CONTRAST off the background if the vehicle is used for marketing a brand. If you can't read the brand name from 60' and 60mph then you might need to re think your design.

In the end, your client is always going to have you do things you don't like. Learn to warn them in advance so that when they hate it later you aren't feeling responsible.

Also, even the best designers have their bad days...so don't feel bad thinking everyone else out there is perfect... because they (we) certainly are not perfect. This industry is not a competition...its a business. If you are happy and the customer is happy... thats all that matters.

 

[sardocs]

Why is the map backwards?

 

[Mosh]

Skulls always bring in top customers!!!!

Love the font on the other design, I wish I had that...wait I deleted it from my system.

 

[signgal]

mighty fine advice, Rick and Jwright!

 

[Mikeifg]

I would stick to the Installations.

 

[stoneandtle]

Why is the map backwards?

I bought royalty free artwork and to get the globe on the other side I simply did a vertical flip...voila...inverted world.

 

[stoneandtle]

Here is my tips for newbs who want to design but aren't real creative:

Stay away from free clip art, fonts already installed on your computer and design everything with good vehicle outline templates.

Don't disproportionally scale fonts...if it needs to be skinny and tall, find the condensed version of the font!

Don't put artwork too close to the edge... when I make a wrap..I like to have several inches of wiggle room...this makes the install much easier.

When doing a wrap, avoid plain backgrounds. Check out the stuff at auroragraphics.com... You can save yourself plenty of time by just purchasing a cool background and modifying. This stuff is expensive enough that its not everywhere and therefore lame.

Do make all text and logos HIGH CONTRAST off the background if the vehicle is used for marketing a brand. If you can't read the brand name from 60' and 60mph then you might need to re think your design.

In the end, your client is always going to have you do things you don't like. Learn to warn them in advance so that when they hate it later you aren't feeling responsible.

Also, even the best designers have their bad days...so don't feel bad thinking everyone else out there is perfect... because they (we) certainly are not perfect. This industry is not a competition...its a business. If you are happy and the customer is happy... thats all that matters.

Thanks for the input, I'll consider this next time.