10 Ways To Get Results From Your Graphic Designer

Are you having trouble gaining momentum with your graphic designer? Are you not getting the results you are expecting? Do you feel like no one can grasp your vision? Whether it's a vehicle wrap, banner design, or even a simple sticker; you want to have something worthy of showing off. Here are some tips that can help you get the look you've always dreamed of with your graphic designer!

The average day of a graphic designer here at Fast-Trac Designs entails helping a customer bring a vision to life. Sometimes it gets difficult to design with a customer when they don't have much guidance or know what they want... so we made a list! Here are 10 rules to follow to avoid any difficulties and achieve an end result fast! (Hence the name)

#1: Find a Logo
This could be a make or break for your time limit. Providing a logo to your graphic designer is of the upmost importance, that being because it tells how your design will look. A graffiti looking logo will lead a designer to believe you are going for a street look unless specified otherwise. If you don't have a logo it's okay! Just know it might take a few tries for a designer to get it right because they are starting from scratch. Having a logo from the get-go is a tremendous help to the graphic designer.

#2: Look for Inspiration
It's always important to keep in mind that a graphic designer knows nothing but the information you give them. To build something from the ground up is a long process for one person! One way you can help your graphic designer is looking for pictures online that are similar to the look you are trying to achieve. "I want something that follows this style" is the phrase most commonly used. This way, a graphic designer can have a visual representation of what you are expecting and it gives them creative guidance.

#3: Grab a Font
There are a GAZILLION BILLION TRILLION fonts that exist in the world. When you have a font handy that you want to use, it lessens the work of a graphic designer tremendously. Therefore you will get to where you want to be quicker! A font also contributes to how the rest of the design will flow together. It is very important. When a graphic designer has no font, they have to go look for one and possibly have numerous trials and errors. You can eliminate the headaches by looking for a font yourself! DaFont.com is one of our favorite sites to find fonts, but you can search anywhere online for one that suits you best.

#4: Pick Your Favorite Colors
Colors play an important factor in completing your design. The color you pick will determine the contrast and compliment colors that will come from the mind of a designer. They also depict different moods to incorporate into the design. Just as the last two rules go, a quick search on the internet will help you determine what colors you would like to incorporate. A little goes a long way especially when in communication with your graphic designer.

#5: What Is Your Company
You may not think of it as a big deal, but as we have stated before: the more information you give your graphic designer, the better. Give as much relevant information as possible regarding what you represent or what your company is exactly. Is your company a daycare center? If so, then your graphic designer will most likely create something child-like and cartoony. Letting them know who you are and what you're about helps with their creative process.

#6: Whats the "Vibe"?
Issa vibe! The definition of vibe states "A person's emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated and felt by others." Examples of some vibes are tropical, corporate, girly, or vintage. A vibe is how a graphic designer will describe the look of something they are working on. With a vibe provided, they will make sure to make the design fit the desired vibe. It will keep the designer on track and fit the theme you are going for. Another valuable asset!

#7: Busy Or Simple
Determining if you want a busy or simple design is a key factor to the graphic designer. A busy design has lots of text, elements, information, and colors. Let's call the busy part of the spectrum an 'ice cream truck'. Usually on these trucks there is a lot of pictures and prices, making it look very busy. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the spectrum there is the simple look. This visual usually looks minimalistic and has hardly anything on it. Simple shapes, flat text, and limited variety of color are all examples of a 'simple' design, such as a taxi cab! Figuring out where you want to land on this spectrum will help the designer visualize what to do with what they are given.

#8: Your Target Audience 
Do you know who you want your target audience to be? If so, you guessed it! Tell the graphic designer! A younger teen audience would require a hip fresh design while an older audience might be more inclined to a corporate professional look. Whoever your audience, it is important the designer knows about it. If you don't have a target audience, it's fine. However if so you should still let the designer know. That way they can cater to a look that fits everyone. Yes it's possible!

#9: What not to do
Graphic designers don't want to waste your time nor have their time wasted. Avoiding confusion at all costs is a goal to create with them. If you aren't too sure what you want then you most certainly should have an idea of what you don't want. Ruling out any elements can help the graphic designer get a grip on a vision of their project. Whether you want to stay away from the color purple or avoid a certain ugly font, let the designer know.

#10: PATIENCE
Full disclosure: graphic designers are not magic! In some circumstances a project can take hours on hours on end, and making different proofs and drafts is not a walk in the park. These tasks can be tedious and stressful at times, so this is just a reminder to please be patient and have a positive attitude. Getting upset at the graphic designer is not going to make them work quicker! In fact, designers work best along side someone who is willing to work together and communicate effectively. If you plan on collaborating with a graphic designer, go in with a positive attitude and a passion.

Common Misconceptions About Vehicle Wraps

The vehicle wrap industry is in a constant growth with new materials, technologies and installation methods. Due to such a large growth and talk of wrapping vehicles there have been some myths and misinformation floating around so we would like to clarify some of these common misconceptions about vehicle wraps. 

Myth 1: Leased vehicles cannot be wrapped.

We often apply vehicle wraps to leased cars. The wrap serves as a protectant of the paint on the vehicle and can be removed when your leasing period is over.

Myth 2: Only white vehicles can be wrapped.

What a myth! We can absolutely wrap cars of any color, make and model. 

Myth 3: Wraps are a waste of money.

Compared to other types of paid advertising, vehicle wraps are the most cost effective. 

You already own your vehicle and with a onetime payment you own your wrap so there are not any monthly costs. The vehicle is driven daily getting more exposure than any online advertising host, plus the wrap often pays for itself with one or two jobs gained from a potential client seeing your wrap and using the services offered.

Myth 4: I (the customer) can install and/or design the wrap myself. 

This is not so much a myth, more of a suggestion. Sure, a lot of people can design the wrap and install it themselves but as the professionals here at Fast-Trac we advise against this if you do not have experience. 

Vehicle wraps are laid out on custom templates, designed and prepped for print in certain ways to ensure accuracy when installed. Clients that layout their own wrap risk their project taking longer if our design team must edit the files to fit properly on the vehicle. When wraps are purchased at Fast-Trac Designs we take your information and produce your layout then after approval and printing is complete we install in house. So, no need for our clients to attempt designing, installing and risking having a wrap with flaws.

Myth 5: Vehicle wraps are permanent.  

False. We can remove vehicle wraps and the only thing that may cause difficulties is 

if the wrap has been on for over five years and not maintained (cleaned, waxed etc.) 

Nonetheless we can still remove the wrap and even apply a new one.

We hope this information helped you understand vehicle wraps a little more. If you have more questions or have heard some other myths about vehicle wraps feel free to ask in the comments below. 

Protect Your Investment!

A goal of every company is to grow, right? Fast-Trac Designs is very excited to introduce another division of our company called Wrap Detail LLC. We provide hundreds of clients whom are also business owners with vehicle wraps and we will also now provide care and protection for the wraps. 

  Wrap Detail LLC currently has three products available that were specially created by Fast-Trac Designs to  keep your vehicle wrap clean as well as protect it from the elements we drive through daily. 

  The first is Finishing Touch spray that is to be used after washing while the surface of the vehicle is still wet. a few sprays will eliminate water spots & remove any remaining residue. 

Finishing Touch can also be used on any surface including windows, chrome, paint and certainly on vehicle wraps. 

  Next is the Fast Wax. Fast Wax spray will shield your vehicle wrap from minor scratches, keep your 

wrap looking new and only needs to be used every 3 months. This wax also features rain dance technology that repels water drops to keep your wrap spot free. The final product is another wax called Water Craft Wax. This is great for boat wraps and keeps your boat looking new! 

  Only supplied and sold by Fast-Trac Designs these items can be purchased for $20.00 each or $35.00 for both the Finishing touch and Fast Wax. We will also refill your bottles at our shop for $15.00 each.

If you would like more information on Wrap Detail LLC contact us at 623.780.1168 and don't forget to

Wash, Rinse and Protect your investment with Wrap Detail!

What Color Is It?

  Our company vehicles are

on the road a lot and of course they are wrapped with custom designed graphics not only to be a 24/7 advertising machine but to also show what abilities the Fast-Trac team has when it comes to design and installation. Many people have seen and commented on the Fast-Trac Hummer however this blog is about the Fast-Trac truck. The truck took some time to have the wrap applied since there were so many ideas of what to do then as we approached a year of a nearly blank vehicle it was decided that we would go with a full color change. 

  The owner chose the 3M 1080 series film in the Gloss Flip Deep Space. This material known as "color flip" changes color depending upon what angle you are at and what light is around. Then we printed the company name and phone number in reflective which appears to be illuminated when light hits it. 
  So you may be wondering what color is it? We will leave that up to you to decide, go ahead and check out the photos below then feel free to leave a comment. 

What Do You Know About Dog Training?

  A well trained dog can amaze a crowd and impress your friends but the main focus on dog training and obedience school is to have a well behaved pup as well as a protector. A few months ago we met a new client that specializes in several types of dog training. Located here in Phoenix,       Desert Sky K9 All Breed Dog Training has all of the knowledge needed to teach your furry friends right from wrong and of course how to do tricks. With over 20 years of experience in family pet training and working K9 training, Mark and Gail are sure to provide an effective and useful learning experience. 

  We hope hundreds of potential customers for Desert K9 see there full custom vehicle wrap that was designed, printed and installed here at Fast-Trac Designs. Since they do specialize in training the Malinois breed our design team was sure to incorporate that photo into the wrap design and a gorgeous photo of an Arizona sky. Another service we provided to Desert Sky K9 is custom printed T-Shirts featuring their logo with diamond plate texture. We were very excited to see them on a news special showing off their new apparel and well trained pup. 

Here at Fast-Trac Designs we enjoy seeing our clients succeed. We had a great time working with Desert Sky K9 and look forward to their next project. 

Do You Have Proper Artwork?

If you are looking into having vehicle wraps, large format graphics or T-shirts done you will be asked this question. Do you have proper artwork? Maybe you are uncertain but the Fast-Trac Designs team is here to help you understand proper art formats, unusable art formats and what options you have to acquire the necessary art in order to complete your project.

First we would like to tell you about raster art and vector art. Raster art is what most internet images and photographs are formatted in. Made with pixels, (small squares that make up the image.) raster art cannot be manipulated without distorting the picture. Therefore, if we enlarge a raster image it will become pixilated (blurry.) Some raster files can be used depending on resolution of the photo however the image may still become pixilated. Raster file types are commonly .jpg .png .tiff & .gif

Now for vector art. This is what we need in order to properly produce vehicle wraps, screen printed apparel and other large format prints. When art is created in vector format it is made with lines and points that allow the ability to enlarge the art and it will never lose resolution. This art format is created in design programs such as Adobe Illustrator. Vector file types include .ai, .pdf & .eps

I know, now you are asking "Can my raster art be converted into vector art?" The answer is YES! We do have a very knowledgeable design department that can recreate your art to be the proper usable vector format.

Whew! That is a lot of information, but don't worry because the team at Fast-Trac Designs is here to guide you and your artwork is just the beginning. We work with our clients throughout the entire design process on every project. We hope that this helped you understand if you have proper artwork.

Have you seen this truck?!

This 1965 Chevy modified fiberglass race truck has caught attention nationwide. The new build was brought to us at Fast-Trac Designs to receive a custom designed vehicle wrap that would portray speed and show off the Redneck Racing logo.  The graphic artist for this project had quite the vision and even hand drew the grill and headlights which were wrapped to appear reflective and take on a realistic look of headlights. Along the sides and on the front of the truck are flames with very attentive details such as the logo and lightning which are also shadowed throughout the remaining length of the vehicle.

The full coverage wrap went through design, print and installation processes here at Fast-Trac Designs. We only use top of the line material available by 3M for all of our wraps, this project was printed on 3M IJ180-CV3 Contoltac with 8518 laminate. We used the HP Latex 360 printer which is rated to be among the best printers in the industry.

The estimated time to finish the wrap installation was 16 hours, however this vehicle is not complete. It is a new build and is still being modified before its first race in Arizona. The goal is to obtain about 3,000 horsepower and be the fastest race truck in the world. This will take a special licensed driver once completed and if you have the chance to see a race pay close attention because you will not want to miss this truck.

Making Dentistry A Little More Comfortable

The dentist can be scary for anyone however children going for the first time will take a lot more comforting through such a process. Recently at Fast-Trac Designs we had the chance to help a pediatric dental office find another way to show that they are a caring and child friendly facility. We incorporated the safari animal theme of West Valley Pediatric Dentistry onto two company vehicles. 

Our design team adjusted the art to fit the body styles of each vehicle so that the animals featured in the art would stand out along with the offices contact information. The vehicle wraps extend the theme of the office featuring fun and happy animals with a toothbrush and floss and when in the office children can watch their favorite movies comfortably while the doctor cares for their teeth. We highly recommend  West Valley Pediatric Dentistry and urge you to visit their website and view the photos below of their vehicle fleet. 

Visit  West Valley Pediatric Dentistry here! www.wvpd.com

See Fast-Trac for your vehicle wraps and apparel here

  

Uncharted Tiny Homes

     One of our loyal customers has begun a business in the industry of building homes...tiny homes. These are about 200 square feet to 350 square feet and they are portable. These tiny homes are built on trailers and still include amenities we are used to such a restroom and a place for a queen size bed. They also have decent kitchens with capabilities of having a dishwasher, and a range. 

Our client created Uncharted Tiny Homes as a way for the yearly outdoors man to comfortably and cost effectively go on long camping trips or live off the grid for a while. However, these tiny homes are becoming so popular there are hundreds of people willing to live in a tiny home as opposed to a standard size house or apartment.

      Here at Fast-Trac Designs we helped Uncharted Tiny Homes create a brand. Beginning with logo design, our artist kept in mind the name "uncharted" and going with a compass design truly portrays that the owner of a tiny home can go anywhere. This logo was then added to business cards which feature a worn wood background that will also match his store front graphics as well as apparel. The branding of a business is highly important in order to create a recognition with the general public, gain interest in the product and gain customers. Uncharted Tiny Homes has launched off as a success and the team at Fast-Trac Designs is excited to be a part of these tiny homes with big possibilities. 

 

For more information on logo design, graphics and apparel visit Fast-Trac Designs HERE.
For more information on Uncharted Tiny Homes visit HERE.

Epic Game Bus

Are you in need of a party idea? Check out Epic Game Bus, just wrapped by Fast-Trac and ready for the road. You can gather up your buddies and cruise the town while playing you favorite video games. There are 5 big screen TVs inside the bus and when parked more friends can play outside on 2 more TVs! This bus is one of a kind and tons of fun for any party. The vehicle wrap done by Fast-Trac Designs includes all 3M wrap material including a translucent film that allows the window to glow color changing lights at night. Check out the Epic Game bus below! See their website for more info and for all vehicle wraps contact Fast-Trac Designs.

Hellcat's Custom 3M Decals

A customer of Fast-Trac Designs was able to purchase what many would call a "dream car" and he had a vision of what would make it even more appealing. He brought the Hellcat Challenger to our shop and we provided a rally stripe layout with additional custom text decals strategically placed to hi-light the vehicles attributes. The color the client had in mind for these decals was a vibrant red and with the help of 3M 1080 series film the customer chose Hot Red Red which turned out to be very fitting for this project. When the Hellcat was complete and our customer saw the finished "dream car" his reaction was priceless, unfortunately we did not get it on video but when a customer hoots and hollers and is smiling from ear to ear you know they are very pleased with the finished project.

  

Fast-Trac Wrap Videos

We recently started creating videos of wraps that we complete to give a fun and up close view on the finished product. To view these videos you may visit us on social media or on our YouTube.
Here is one below, check it out!

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