Signs of the Times - October 2012 - (Page 66)

2012 ST Vehicle Graphics Contest: Six Packs a Punch No flagging with the latest Vehicle Graphics Contest edition By Steve Aust ive years ago, ST’s staff (and me in particular) held its collective breath when we unveiled a vehiclegraphics competition. We took a risk by producing a new competition separate from the International Sign Contest. However, the dozens of expert, vehiclegraphic providers who’ve annually entered and taken their shots at victory have never let us down. This sixth annual version has especially pleased us. Perhaps the wrap market’s hyper-competitiveness has pushed providers’ creative envelopes; maybe film, ink and tool improvements have emboldened wrap artists to embrace more complex vehicles. Perhaps proliferating wrap-education opportunities have given more industry professionals the knowledge and confidence to enter, and excel in, the wrap market. Most likely, it’s all of the above. Whatever the reasons, the edgy designs and vibrant color palettes displayed over the following pages celebrate how much the market has evolved. We received 242 entries, and nearly all of them conveyed worthwhile examples of effective design, production and installation. Several Cincinnati-area providers graciously served as judges previously, but I thought a change of scenery might provide different perspective. So, I ventured approximately 70 miles northwest to Green Sign Co. (Greensburg, IN). The full-service signshop has served the Midwest and points beyond for 40 years, and vehicle wraps have increasingly filled its portfolio. The shop floor was unusually quiet (shop owner Shawn Green said many of his staff, who’d worked long hours on a recently completed installation, were given the day off as comp time), so few distractions affected the judges. The panel – Green; Rose Perdue, the shop’s VP and sales rep (and Shawn’s mother); production 66 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / OCTOBER 2012 / www.signweb.com F manager Kevin Sims; and designer and vehicle wrapper Robert Brancamp – took tits job seriously. During the initial scoresheet-tabulation phase, the judges proved to be the strictest graders in contest history. Not a single perfect score – a 30, or 10s in three criteria: theme, complexity and artistic merit – was issued, and a composite score in the low 20s meant high praise. The quartet moved with remarkable efficiency through the second round, where they debated the merits of firstround survivors and issued awards. Experience has taught me that assembling four judges who know each other, rather than four strangers, creates more open dialogue and lively exchanges of opinions. Although they didn’t quite make the splash I’d hoped, the 12 food-truck projects submitted earned the top two places and an honorable mention in the Service Vehicles category. Ideally, I’d like to receive enough entries to create an individual, food-truck category. Entries in the Transit Vehicle and Watercraft Graphics categories remarkably improved, and the projects that placed in the Unique Vehicles category displayed impressive creativity. Best of Show came down to two contestants: Great Big Signs’ (Kyle, TX) truck, which promoted The Melting Cone, comprised an unusual, 3-D, hardcoated-foam sculpture and bright, pastel colors, and bluemedia’s Coors Light light-rail-train wrap, which parlayed Coors’ “Love Train” campaign into a wrap that brought the “Silver Bullet” beer to life on otherwise drab, public transit. The judges thought bluemedia’s work presented slightly more branding impact and curb appeal. Those who attend SGIA can learn more about the champion project. Bluemedia president Jared Smith will make a presentation, with other project stakeholders, on Friday, October 19, at 9:30 a.m. in the Graphics Application Zone. ■ http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - October 2012

Sign of theTimes - October 2012
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review
Technology Review
Sign Museum News
New Products
2012 Vehicle Graphics Contest
Entry-level Electronic Digital Signage
The Proposed ISA Reorganization Plan
Enter ST's 2013 Intl. Sign Contest
SGIA Expo 2012
The Value of Signs
Advertising Index
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - October 2012