So, what do you need to know about my vehicle? Good question. There’s a lot to know about a vehicle before designing graphics for it. The size, shape, and color of a vehicle will affect the design. The more information you can share about your vehicle, the better any graphics provider can serve you.

What Do You Need to Know About My Vehicle?

Insufficient Information Can Be Costly

For example, to say I have a 2021 Ford 150 is insufficient information. The F150 is available in seven different trim packages, Car & Driver — Ford F-150 Trim Levels, from the XL to the Platinum. They come in regular cab, extended cab, 2 door, 4 door, and with special accessories. One design will not fit all. “Start with Accurate Measurements. Although templates are available for most vehicles, they don’t always share all the information needed. Sometimes only measuring the vehicle will produce accurate information. When working with a template, a key consideration is matching the template to the vehicle. For example, all Ford F150’s aren’t alike, there are long beds, and short beds, and crew cabs, and more.” — 5 Keys to Vehicle Graphic Design

Don’t Guess about Your Vehicle

“Vehicle Graphic designers need the facts about your vehicle. If it’s a pickup truck, they need to know the style. Is it a short bed or crew cab? Has it been modified? Has add-on equipment been installed? Given the exact information, it becomes possible to design a graphic that fits your vehicle like a glove. Without the correct information—not so much. How to avoid this. Give the design team the exact information including modifications. Share the VIN, and take straight on photos of every side of the vehicle, weird angles don’t help. If possible bring the vehicle to the graphics shop.” — 5 Things Vehicle Graphic Designers Want You to Know to Make Your Life Easier

What Do You Need to Know About My Vehicle?

It’s Not one Size Fits All 

SUV’s may vary by extended and high roof models, cars can be 2 or 4 door, and pickup trucks can be short or long bed. Once the make, model, style, year, and color are established, there are questions to be answered that may affect the design. For example, is it a full wrap or plotter cut decals, or is window film a consideration? The bottom line is to design the wrap to fit the vehicle and that can’t be accomplished with incomplete or faulty information.

“Make the wrap fit the vehicle not the vehicle fit the wrap. What type of vehicle is it? What’s its function and purpose? For example, a small economy car can be fun with a “cute” design, but cute on a 53’ trailer may present a challenge. Conversely, attempting to wrap an economy car to present a strong image will be difficult. Before beginning a vehicle wrap design take a good hard look at the vehicle and ask yourself what image fits the car or truck and its job?” — 3 Extraordinary Steps to Vehicle Graphic Design

Here are a few of the basics:

  • Make, model, and year
  • Color
  • Style (2 or 4 door, extended cab etc.)
  • Serial number
  • Options and Add-ons

“The easy answer to what does a vehicle graphic designer need to know about your vehicle before she or he begins the vehicle graphics design process is – everything! But that’s not true, they don’t need to know the size of the motor, the color of the interior, or your favorite radio station but they pretty much need to know everything about the exterior of the vehicle from top to bottom. The More Information the Better! This includes the make, model, color, options, and add-on equipment of the car or truck. One of the best ways to help a graphic designer serve you and meet your needs, as well as your expectations, is to furnish the designer with accurate and complete specifications in a timely manner.” — FAQ: What Does a Vehicle Graphic Designer Need to Know About My Vehicle?

The Best Answer to What Do You Need to Know About My Vehicle?

The best answer to what do you need to know about my vehicle is to work directly with a vehicle graphics consultant who’ll ask the right questions about your vehicle. It’s easy to create an ineffective vehicle graphic due to incomplete or inaccurate information about the vehicle. If you’d like to learn the answer to what do you need to know about my vehicle, we’d be to share. For more information Contact Us