Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 30

VEHICLES + VINYL

The tools for a snowmobile/ATV
install are the same as for any vehicle:
heat guns, torches, X-Acto blades,
3M Gold squeegees, etc. Brent stated
his graphics for EVP and others have
generally held up well: "I've seen things
we have done that are years old and
still look great, but lots of times they
have been crashed or bumped and
bruised," which gives Creative Color
a chance to re-run a panel and patch
that sled.

highly contoured body style. "We
have made templates on our own
before - a very time-consuming
process," Brent said. An alternative
is to purchase templates online, as
with some vehicle wraps. However,
Brent warned, "The templates are
very confusing to make [a design]
flow if you don't know the particular
snowmobile or RTV/ATV you're
designing." The hardest part, he
added, is that "Once it's designed,
nesting all the pieces into a tight
production file (to save material)
ends up being a pretty big, clustered
contour file with many details."
Further contributing to the heavy
weather for designers are the myriad
manufacturers and models. "The
frustrating part is they are always
coming out with new models so
[once] you have it locked in, the
design all set, template created... You
30

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

JANUARY 2018

get to start all over," Brent said. To
counter this, Creative Color always
designs large bleeds for the challenging areas, using Adobe Creative Cloud.
Then, they output to both Mimaki
solvent and HP Latex printers depending on the application and workload,
and laminate all vinyl using an AGL
Laminator.
One would think just driving a
snowmobile might quickly damage
or dislodge any graphic applied to
its low-energy plastic body. Some
plastic is also difficult for the vinyl to
adhere well; thus a high-tack vinyl is
required. "We usually try to use a
thicker laminate," Brent said. "But
that isn't always possible if wrapping
a whole sled due to the complex
curves." Creative Color's installation
team is UASG 3M certified, and
Brent is sure that everyone has lent
a hand to one EVP wrap or another.

AN ICY PATH
So, should signshops in the northern
latitudes brave this market? Perhaps
surprisingly, according to Brent, a
host of shops are already out there
specializing in ATV, motocross and
snowmobile graphics. "Problem there
is, the price on the market is dictated,"
Brent said. "They have cookie-cutter
designs; you select your design, pick
your model and it's set." The market
is fairly saturated as well, he claimed.
"You have to be all in, and not dabble
in it to be lucrative."
While not true of his client EVP,
Brent has generally avoided this work
with individuals. Everyone wants
something unique which requires a
lot of custom design to create a new
kit, he lamented, yet the client never
wants to pay for your time. "They
have no problem buying a custom
performance exhaust for $1,500, but
when it comes to the graphics, they
want to save money." He suggested
asking potential clients their budget,
and, "If they're expecting [online]
pricing, it's hard to compete on a
custom application." Otherwise, he
says, just be upfront with the time
and material needed to do the job.
"Also, look for a good template source,
as that can save a considerable amount
of time," he added. "Templates are
expensive, but the time saved versus
creating your own is worth every
penny."



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - January 2018

Signs of the Times - January 2018
Contents
From the Editor
St Update
At Large
Tech Review
Leds + Lighting
Vehicles + Vinyl
Shop Ops
Strike a Pose
Reflected Glory
Channel Your Energy
First Impression
Strictly Commercial: Brushing Up
New Products
Advertising Index
Last Look
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Intro
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - BB1
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - BB2
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Signs of the Times - January 2018
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - CT1
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - CT2
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Cover2
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 1
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Contents
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 3
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 4
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 5
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 6
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 7
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - From the Editor
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 9
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - St Update
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 11
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 12
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 13
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 14
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 15
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 16
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 17
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 18
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 19
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - At Large
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 21
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 22
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 23
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Tech Review
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 25
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Leds + Lighting
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 27
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Vehicles + Vinyl
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 29
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 30
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 31
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Shop Ops
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 33
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 34
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 35
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Reflected Glory
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 37
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 38
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 39
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 40
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 41
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Channel Your Energy
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 43
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 44
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 45
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - First Impression
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 47
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 48
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 49
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Strictly Commercial: Brushing Up
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 51
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 52
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 53
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 54
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 55
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - New Products
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 57
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 58
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 59
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 60
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 61
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 62
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 63
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 64
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 65
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 66
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 67
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 68
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 69
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 70
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 71
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 72
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 73
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 74
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 75
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 76
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 77
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 78
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 79
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 80
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 81
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - 82
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Advertising Index
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Last Look
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Cover3
Signs of the Times - January 2018 - Cover4
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201512
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201406
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_201209
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https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/sott_bg2012
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