As far back as the Model T, people have had a love affair with their vehicles. It might be the car model they wanted in high school and finally purchased 25 years later.
So what is a vehicle wrap? The most basic definition is that it’s a printed vinyl graphic that covers the majority of the entire car, truck, bus.
For consumers, the wrap design generally is all about color, forms/shapes, accents, and effects. For businesses, meanwhile, the wrap is more likely a combination of branding, messaging, and catching the eye of prospective customers.
Yes, there are a few alternatives to wraps when it comes to adding graphics to a vehicle, including: Paint: The original way to completely change a vehicle’s color or add some ornate graphics to it – who can forget seeing their first Pink Floyd prism van? However, painting a vehicle first requires removal of the original paint, followed by multiple coats – so it takes considerably more time than a wrap.
Pinstriping: Adding fine, detailed flourishes to a vehicle was originally done by handpainting or airbrushing. Vinyl pinstriping is another alternative, although customization can be limited if only template-driven pinstriping is offered.
Decals: Decals are another way to add custom graphics to a vehicle without covering the entire vehicle. If, for instance, you simply want to add your company’s logo and phone number to a vehicle’s side panel, for instance; or, for DOT numbers for a fleet of trucks.
A vehicle wrap, however, provides the ultimate customizable design for complete coverage of any vehicle, a wrap can be produced and installed in a relatively short period of time. As we noted earlier, vehicle wraps typically fall into one of two broad usage categories – personal use or business/commercial use.
Personal-use wraps are almost always entirely about improving the vehicle’s aesthetic. How can my car look better or different? How can I add a unique look to my truck? Business or commercial wraps are about aesthetics as well, but they’re also about reinforcing the company brand or messaging, promoting the business or a particular product/service, or perhaps ensuring that a company simply stands out amongst its competitors. The company’s logo is almost always included in the wrap, as is basic contact information.