Design

Best Signshop Vehicles of 2014

These providers “set out their shingle” quite well

Published

10 years ago

September 23, 2014

Steve Aust Signs of the Times October 2014 Issue

FIRST PLACE
Fabricator
WBC Graphics
Apopka, FL
(407) 484-4729
www.wbcgraphics.com
Designer
Luis Tirado
Installers
Fabian Castellanos
Luis Tirado

An eclectic mix of subtly contrasting colors, edgy text and such surprising elements as a honeycomb background and park-bench slats made an impression on the judges. Tirado designed the program using Adobe Creative Suite 6, and the shop produced the wrap with 3M Controltac IJ180Cv3-10 air-release media on a DGI SaturnJet II 1806 solvent-ink printer. To protect the shop’s self-promotional graphic, WBC applied 3M’s Scotchcal™ 8915 ultra-matte-finish (matte finishes are definitely trending now) overlaminate with its Elite P-60 1600 ZJX laminator, which it purchased from Tubelite. The crew’s installation tools include 3M Gold nylon and Geek Wraps Teflon squeegees, 3M V-CAT, Roller L and Roller S applicators, torches and Master ProHeat STC heat guns, Get Wraps magnets, Knifeless Tech Systems knifeless tape and wrap gloves.

SECOND PLACE
Fabricator
Awthentik
Lake Elsinore, CA
(951) 245-5054
www.awthentik.com
Designers
Nick Ryan
Kelli Tolbert
Installer
Cyle Chislock
Edgy, black-and-white (and silver, in this case) graphics have long been a vehicle-wrap trend. However, judges appreciated that Awthentik’s monochromatic graphics didn’t feature skulls. Awthentik’s Josh Tolbert said, “Kelli wanted it to be extremely loud and obnoxious, so this is what our team created. It shines incredibly in the sun!”
Ryan and Tolbert developed the graphics and printed the wrap on their Roland SolJet Pro 4 XR-640 solvent-ink printer – with metallic-silver ink — with Avery Dennison Graphic Solutions MPI 1005 Supercast Easy Apply RS air-release media. With its ProLam PL-244 WF pressure laminator, the shop applied Avery’s DOL 1060 gloss-finish topcoat. The installers applied the wrap with Geek Wraps soft-edge, felt squeegees.

THIRD PLACE
Fabricator
Diaz Sign Art
Pontiac, IL
(815) 844-7024
www.diazsignart.com
Designer
Joe Diaz
Installers
Ben Diaz
Bill Diaz

The Diaz family members are no strangers to the Walldog mural-painting community, and Joe has won several awards in Corel design competitions. So, it only stands to reason the shop would produce a first-rate wrap to promote its business. Modeled after El Cid, the Spanish knight from folklore tales, Joe cleverly adapted its logo to depict a paintbrush-wielding figure. He said, “We wanted to create a more detailed version of the illustration for our truck. We couldn’t decide whether to render it in blue or red, so we just did one side red, and the other blue. It’s gained a lot of attention in town.”

Joe designed it with CorelDRAW X6 software and Roland DGA’s VersaWorks RIP, and the shop printed the job on its Roland VersaCAMM SP-300i printer/plotter with Orafol’s Orajet® 3951RA air-release media, which it protected with Oraguard 290 cast laminate that was applied on a Daige laminator.

HONORABLE MENTION
Fabricator
Reed Signs
Mitchum, VI, Australia
www.reedsigns.com.au
Designer
Stephen Sinek
Seven Sin Design
Phoenix
www.sevensindesign.com
Installer
Matthew Reed

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