How Car Graphic Design Has Evolved

Car graphics has greatly evolved over the years. Extremely elaborate design and razor sharp images have become the norm. The use of car graphics design has evolved as well. Initially, it was used for purely decorative purposes. Now however, they are used to advertise a product or service and promote a brand. Here is how car graphics design has evolved.

Improvements in Technology

The advent of the computer age has greatly revolutionized pretty much everything, especially graphics design. The rise of various image editors ushered in a new era of design excellence. Graphics have become increasingly more attractive, detailed and elaborate. They have also become bigger, bolder and just better overall.In the early 80s graphics, car graphics designs were already being used, though the quality is not quite at par with what we have today. Car decals were used on a much smaller scale. By the 90s, with technology making huge leaps and bounds, image editors and, more importantly, printing, have made huge advancements. Thanks to technological advancements over the years, it is now possible to create very elaborate, very detailed car graphics and print them on a large scale.

Car graphic designers have started using vector images. These images do not lose quality when they are resized or improved upon. The material used to print car graphics has also changed and improved. Before, decals used were smaller and less durable. In the 90s, car graphics were painted on durable vinyl. Today, high-quality vinyl is used which is even better to print car graphics on and even more durable. Full or partial wraps have also been made possible. Design templates for virtually any vehicle type or model are available. And even if a vehicle is customized to deviate from its original make or model, designers can digitally measure and create the proper template to make sure that the wrap will suit it perfectly. Even the installation of car graphics and wraps has improved. Before, you have to use stuff like ATM cards to smooth out any wrinkles on a car wrap. Now, torches are being used to shrink-wrap car wraps. This ensures that there is no bubbling and that the car wrap has a smooth, sleek finish.

Branding

On some level, branding is nothing new. Business owners from decades past would paint what they have to offer on cardboards and put them on the windows of their car. Some painted on their car directly. Car manufacturers built on this idea in the 50s and 60s and started spray lettering to promote their brand. A decade or two later, NASCAR capitalized on this idea and soon after plastering sponsors on their racecars became the norm. It wasn’t until a few decades later that vehicles were used by private companies to advertise their products and services to promote their brands. The enhancement in car graphics has made sure that what a company has to offer and how to contact them is visible from several miles away. Nowadays, it is not unusual to see a fully wrapped truck promoting global or local brands.