Vehicle Wrap Design · Guide

Why you should wrap your vehicle, what it does for you and what it costs

In short: vehicle wrap design is more than nice colours on a car. In this guide I’ll show you how it works and what it really costs.

Written by Luka Svonja, vehicle wrap designer from FrankfurtReading time: 4 minutesGoal: Make you feel more confident about wraps

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It’s an ordinary Monday morning in Frankfurt. Your white company van has been sitting unchanged outside your office for weeks, almost invisible among all the other cars. You’re drinking your coffee and looking out as Marco (Sanitär24, another business on your street) drives past, fully wrapped, bold colours, good design: “Wow, that stands out.”

A thought shoots through your head: “Why doesn’t my car look like that?”, “Can I have something like that too?” You imagine your van rolling through the streets and people seeing it: your logo, your colours and your design! Suddenly there’s a kick telling you: do it. But you’re unsure and don’t know what to do.

I’ll tell you everything about vehicle wraps, so you get the best result and end up happy with your wrap and your design.

“I want to wrap my car.” What you should know

First you think a little about how the design could look on the car. How cool could that be? The next question is: how much does the fun cost?

You start googling: vehicle wrap, vehicle wrap cost…, vehicle wrap near me. After a few websites you learn there are several options: partial wrap, full wrap and lettering. Huh?

Should I wrap my car completely or only partially?

Now that you know there are three options, it’s hard to decide. So here’s the one thing you should know: what you want to achieve. If you want your vehicle to stand out completely and look brand new, a full wrap is the right choice. If you’d rather stay subtle and just highlight your logo, contact details and a few design elements, a partial wrap is completely enough. If you don’t want to spend much and only need your logo and contact details, lettering is for you.

A good wrap design is like a good outfit: it shows style without shouting.

To help you picture it, here are a few examples:

Full wrap BMW — The turquoise BMW is a full wrap. The draft on paper is a partial wrap. The white estate car is lettering.

Partial wrap draft — The turquoise BMW is a full wrap. The draft on paper is a partial wrap. The white estate car is lettering.

If the design is well made and well thought out, all you have to do is drive and collect good experiences with your customers. Basically what you’ve been doing so far, but this time with your wrap.

What does good vehicle wrap design cost?

You’ll have to pay two people: the wrap designer who creates your design, and the wrap shop that applies the design to your vehicle.

Lettering€200–800It’s simple. Sometimes you need a designer and sometimes you don’t.

Partial wrap€400–700Design only. The wrap shop adds another €600–1,200 on average.

Full wrap€700–1,500Design, depending on complexity. The wrap shop’s work comes to €1,800–3,500, sometimes more for SUVs or vans.

For a partial wrap, the wrap shop usually charges an hourly rate, which varies a lot depending on the vehicle, the area and the type of vinyl. If you go for a full wrap, you’re already ahead of the others.

Think of it this way: the wrap lasts at least 5 years. That’s advertising space that cost you €2,700. Per day, that’s €1.48. For almost €1.50 a day you have a car that does your marketing for you. No handing out flyers, no expensive ads.

Sure, you can find someone who does it cheaper, but then they often use cheap vinyl. Visible edges, bubbles under the surface. You don’t need that. You can find cheaper designers too, but you’ll see the results. Is it worth the stress? Better to do it right once.

Good vinyl brands include Orafol, 3M, Avery Dennison and SunTek.

How do I find a good wrap shop and what do they need from me?

Look at their reviews. Their work. Their gallery. If you like it, you’re good.

Once you’ve found one, the wrap shop needs to know what kind of car you have. Most wrap shops have their own form on their website where you can enter everything. It’s best to send a few photos of your car right away, because they’re professionals and can see straight away which surfaces can be wrapped.

Then comes the most important part: your design. Do you already have one? No? Okay, then you need a designer. Most wrap shops work with designers and can connect you directly. Or everything runs through the wrap shop, which is completely fine too. If your wrap shop is really good, they might even design the wrap themselves. But don’t expect too much.

How do I find a good designer and what do they need from me?

This is even more important. Just search Google for “vehicle wrap designer”. Or use platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancermap or freelancer.de. On Fiverr the quality usually isn’t great, unless you hit the jackpot, which rarely happens. On the other platforms you create a job posting and designers apply to you. What matters is that you communicate clearly and openly. You can enter your budget straight away. But please don’t be stingy.

Otherwise, if it all feels like too much, just do it with me.

I’ve found a designer, now what?

Once you’ve found a designer, they mainly need your idea. Be open and communicate clearly. Give them as much input as possible: references, pictures, examples. But please send pictures in high resolution.

The designer will also need one more thing: a ccvision file. That’s a vector drawing of your vehicle. It costs around €30. You don’t have to buy it, the designer does that (at least I always do).

The designer creates your design in that file. With most designers the rule is: as a customer you get two free rounds of corrections. So two rounds of changes for free. After that, extra costs can apply. But in most cases two rounds are completely enough, especially with good designers who understand you well.

And after a few rounds of feedback you’ll have your finished design, and you take it to the wrap shop. They’ll be happy when they see it. Trust me.

“My vehicle with the wrap is here.” What happens now?

Off you go! Now drive. Post it on Facebook right away. But don’t drive and post.

If your design still looks cool, you’re one of the cool people with a cool design. So bravo! Gen Z likes your design too, not just boomers and millennials. Then post it on Instagram as well.

Your brand automatically becomes more visible and more valuable, people remember what you do, and you’ll come across as even more professional right away. Combined with the good quality of your work and lots of positive experiences, you build a strong local brand step by step. Do I need to say more? I don’t think so.

Don’t forget that your photos should look good: hold the camera straight and capture every side in good light.

First reactions & feedback

People will talk and the first reactions will come. Neighbours turn around, customers look twice, friends text “New wrap or what???” You get that little grin when someone comments on your wrap or asks: “Where did you get that done?” That does something to you.

Every look, every smile and every bit of feedback builds your local presence, without you having to hand out a single flyer. Over time you collect stories you’ll tell your friends.

Marco from Sanitär24 doesn’t like my wrap.

He’s jealous. Believe me, it really doesn’t matter if the neighbour or anyone else doesn’t like your design. Don’t worry about everyone liking it. They still pay attention to you. They look at it and try to find only the bad things. In doing so they give you their time and remember your slogan or other parts of the design. That’s nice, isn’t it?

In the end you win, no matter what. Just make sure you have a good wrap shop and an experienced designer. Your brand awareness will only grow.

Vehicle wrap design examples: full and partial wraps

Now it’s time for the visual stuff. Enough reading. Now good designs. For some designs I had complete freedom (my creativity went to the moon) and for others I had to set limits and meet special requests. Some customers really want it done their way. That’s totally fine as long as the communication is good.

All of these designs were produced.