Designing a smart car

[PhantomNeon]

I have made a few wraps before, and I always avoid the side-front, fenders-hood-back that connections are really difficult.
I'm going to wrap a smart car, and the customer want a clouds background, but we need that it looks like a continuous picture, I don't want to cut the sides.
Maybe someone knows a trick to design and print the panels in a wrap when a continuous pictures is necessary. I use flexi for rip, and vector job, and photoshop for bitmaps, ( I'm not pro efficient in photoshop) . . . any advice ???? thanks in advance !!!!!
I use pro-vehicle templates
Mimaki CJV30-160

 

[formanek]

Learn photoshop. Basically what you are asking is for this forum to teach you how to use it. One thing of advice however is the more complex (busy) the design is the easier it is to have it look seamless from panel to panel.

 

[Joe Diaz]

One thing of advice however is the more complex (busy) the design is the easier it is to have it look seamless from panel to panel.

I would have to disagree with this advice. Part of the problem with many of the wraps out there are their busy layouts which result in a very difficult to read message. Is that why wrappers are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at wrap layouts these days? to hide the seams? That seems like setting your house on fire to get rid of a mouse problem.

If we are talking commercial wraps, the whole reason the customer is wanting a wrap done, is to advertise their business. What point is there to pay for an advertisement if it isn't clear and therefor doesn't advertise effectively? A clear and easy to understand advertisement with visible seams is much better than a seamless clusterf.... well you get the idea.

My advice is to learn proper design practices first and foremost. Learning the software is secondary.

Think about how you are going to install the wrap, and design accordingly If you know it is going to be difficult to align certain design elements on a wrap, avoid putting important information in those areas.

 

[laserman70]

Create the clouds in PS. Make it the size of the car and do a copy merged and do it in panels. Use your vehicle lines (doors, fender etc.) as your points for panels. There will be no seams. Your best friend is a measuring tape.
Creating clouds against a blue sky is simple in PS. There are cloud brushes out there that make it a cinch.

 

[jon vital]

On a Smart Car the side is one big panel that wrpas around the front and back.

It's going to be tricky to make it continuous, particularly with the amount of stretching around the front/back. But if you are just doing clouds you can probably design it so that you don't have to have any clouds crossing between the panel gaps.

 

[formanek]

I would have to disagree with this advice. Part of the problem with many of the wraps out there are their busy layouts which result in a very difficult to read message. Is that why wrappers are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at wrap layouts these days? to hide the seams? That seems like setting your house on fire to get rid of a mouse problem.

If we are talking commercial wraps, the whole reason the customer is wanting a wrap done, is to advertise their business. What point is there to pay for an advertisement if it isn't clear and therefor doesn't advertise effectively? A clear and easy to understand advertisement with visible seams is much better than a seamless clusterf.... well you get the idea.

My advice is to learn proper design practices first and foremost. Learning the software is secondary.

Think about how you are going to install the wrap, and design accordingly If you know it is going to be difficult to align certain design elements on a wrap, avoid putting important information in those areas.

joe what I am trying to say is that if you have multiple objects going over seams (many clouds, lines, etc...) it is much easier to make it LOOk like it lines up correctly than it is with a single line following. I said nothing of readability, etc... They asked about clouds. Nothing about advertising, lettering....:Oops:

 

[Joe Diaz]

joe what I am trying to say is that if you have multiple objects going over seams (many clouds, lines, etc...) it is much easier to make it LOOk like it lines up correctly than it is with a single line following. I said nothing of readability, etc... They asked about clouds. Nothing about advertising, lettering....:Oops:

Perhaps I misunderstood you then. When you said "the more complex (busy) the design is the easier it is to have it look seamless from panel to panel" I assume by "design" you meant the overall design and that by making the design more complex you can disguise the seems. And whereas that may be true, by making the design more complex, you are solving one minor problem by creating a much larger problem like a busy design. I apologize if I misunderstood you.

I also assumed the OP was talking about a commercial wrap, taking into consideration that we often talk about commercial projects on this forum, so that is why I brought up advertising and lettering. But you know what they say about assuming In my defense I did say "IF we are talking commercial wraps"

 

[formanek]

Perhaps I misunderstood you then. When you said "the more complex (busy) the design is the easier it is to have it look seamless from panel to panel" I assume by "design" you meant the overall design and that by making the design more complex you can disguise the seems. And whereas that may be true, by making the design more complex, you are solving one minor problem by creating a much larger problem like a busy design. I apologize if I misunderstood you.

I also assumed the OP was talking about a commercial wrap, taking into consideration that we often talk about commercial projects on this forum, so that is why I brought up advertising and lettering. But you know what they say about assuming In my defense I did say "IF we are talking commercial wraps"

Ditto

 

[k6media]

Amen. Joe.. you couldn't have said it better.

I agree with your philosophy 100%.

I would have to disagree with this advice. Part of the problem with many of the wraps out there are their busy layouts which result in a very difficult to read message. Is that why wrappers are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at wrap layouts these days? to hide the seams? That seems like setting your house on fire to get rid of a mouse problem.

If we are talking commercial wraps, the whole reason the customer is wanting a wrap done, is to advertise their business. What point is there to pay for an advertisement if it isn't clear and therefor doesn't advertise effectively? A clear and easy to understand advertisement with visible seams is much better than a seamless clusterf.... well you get the idea.

My advice is to learn proper design practices first and foremost. Learning the software is secondary.

Think about how you are going to install the wrap, and design accordingly If you know it is going to be difficult to align certain design elements on a wrap, avoid putting important information in those areas.