The Bocuse Transformation

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We get some seriously cool requests here at Shadow Graphics.  This one is no exception.  The challenge: Make this full size 911 Porsche look like its ready to race.  But the catch, it has to look exactly like this model car with customized logos and colors.   Can we do it?  We say "Bring it!"

This Porshe 911 came to us in bare bones.  A Basic white paint job. It was our task to transform this car into a racer with specialty 3M and Avery Vinyls. Everything would be customized pin striping with some hand vectored graphics from front to back. Here we have already laid down two lines for a starting template.

There were two challenges we would have to face to do this design.  

1.  Porsche has very strict standards.  This means that we had to get our pin striping as close to Porsche's standards as possible.  Certain logos and pinstripes that Porsche uses have a certain numbers of elements that had to be properly spaced and counted.  

2.  The design had to be properly mirrored on the opposite side of the car.  We promise you, its a lot harder than it looks...

Our other challenge would be the customizing of our client's logo so it would fit on the side of the car.  Keeping in mind we need to consider the surface area of the car, door handles, hinges, and the door itself.  This would be a challenge.  But, our designer calls that kind of a challenge "fun".

There are so many curves on the back of this car, that means that pin striping on the back of this would be much more difficult. Keeping all our lines as straight as possible and yet still be able to take our pin striping completely through the back of the car. It becomes quite a chore when the curves of the vehicle can throw off your perception of a straight line.  

Once we got approval on the first layer of pin striping, one of our 3M Certified installers begun forming the vinyl to the car.

A very quick request from our client was the desire to have this GT3 Cup vinyl removed and replaced in white over top the 12 inch red racing stripe we would be installing later.  Something that would seem simple actually required our designer to hand vector because this is a font that cant be found easily.

Making sure the vinyl lays down properly across this kind of car is much harder than it sounds.  Bubbles and folds happen easily as the vinyl is laid down and needs to be tucked properly into every corner.  The vinyl also has to be hand cut with a very steady hand directly on the car without damaging the paint on the vehicle itself.  This requires a lot of experience and practice.  Something that all of our 3M Certified installers have.

Though this vinyl looks stretched across the car. It really isn't.  This is when being a Certified 3M Installer is literally an art form. Our installer takes his time gently smoothing out folds, bubbles, and creases. One rip in this material means he has to start from scratch and new material has to be cut and re applied.  These specialty colors don't come cheap, so patience and excellence is key.

Next is the 12 inch red pin stripe. Both these colors were ordered specially for our client.  Centered to the hood you can see the vinyl tucked into every tiny fold of the Porsche's design.  All the way down past even where the bottom fender would be installed.  Shadow Graphics strives for perfection.  Even the vinyl not seen by the human eye needs to be done properly.

Not even close to being completed, the car has already begun to take on the look of a formula race car.  It is amazing what vinyl can do to the final design of your car...

One of our 3M Certified Installers begins the delicate task of mirroring the design from the opposite side of the car.

30% done, the vinyls laid down already will help us make proper measurements for our designers to create the graphics that will be applied next.

These graphics were created by our designers to be as close as possible to Porsche's specifications.  They were then printed, and over laminated for protection. Soon they will be installed on the 911.

We always want to make sure our clients are as satisfied as possible.  We double check everything.  So taping our graphics in place allows us to take pictures and send them to our client for approvals.

60% complete.

More taped down mockups are placed on the hood and matched up to the model car that is sitting in the middle of the red pin stripe.

This part of the car is one of the most technical parts to vinyl because of all the edges and vents.

Here is the finished front of the 911.

85% Complete! Headlights and spoilers will be installed off site.

100% complete.  Within 30 minutes a truck was called and the car was secretly taken to another shop for a tuning to prep for a race on Monday.  The car made its debut to the racing world Monday at the Sebring Raceway for Team JBI. Its driver, the one and only Jerome Bocuse, son of the french chef Paul Bocuse.  He was a great client and we had a great time working on his new 911 Porsche!

DO NOT USE THESE PICTURES FOR YOUR OWN USE. THEY ARE OWNED BY SHADOW GRAPHICS .INC AND WE WILL PROSECUTE!  

End of year Discounts!

Let us help inspire you!  Click the link above to check out our discounts on wraps, banners, and signs!

Only good through December 21, 2012, so make sure you check it out soon!  

Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Sometimes it is refreshing to step away from the businesses and be able to help out individuals.  We do far more than just vehicle wraps and fleet graphics for larger businesses.  We are always ready to help out the guy having "bird troubles".  

Might be a good idea to explain what we mean...

We got a call from a gentleman that said he was having bird issues.  These birds, were flying into his windows because they were seeing the trees reflecting in them and he was wondering if we could install some perforated window vinyl for him.

 We use perforated window vinyl all the time when we want to put a graphic on a window and still allow people to see out.  You will see lots of perforated window vinyl used on public transportation  vehicles such as busses and vans,  and considering that this gentleman had over 30 birds a year hitting his windows, this was a good solution for him as well.

Our certified 3M installers went out to his home and installed the perforated vinyl for him, and as you can see, it greatly diminished the reflectiveness of the windows! He can still see out and the house is a bit cooler because the sun doesn't show as strongly through the windows.  Talk about killing several birds with one stone! At the same time, we saved the birds from killing themselves and saved our client from having to buy new windows because of the possibility of a shattered window!

We heard back from the client later and he let us know that he hasn't had any issues with birds being overly friendly with his windows anymore. Pretty cool!

Check out our website at www.ShadowGraphics.net! Drop us an email at info@shadowgraphics.net if you have any questions at all, or feel free to give us a call at 407.481.8282!

Top Ten Reasons Why Vehicle Wraps are the Most Cost Effective Means of Advertising

Next to Word of Mouth, vehicle wraps are the most effective means of advertising and we can prove it. Here are the top ten reasons:

1. Yellow Pages - "the cost of display ads varies from city to city. In Manhattan, a small one-inch space listing would cost you about $2,500; and you could pay as much as $92,000 for a full-page display ad. But that same one-inch space listing in Manhattan, Kansas, would cost just $252, and a full-page display ad would be about $11,200." They also have very strong arguments why a small ad just won't cut it if you want to compete at all.

2. Billboards - "a recent 50 showing (percentage of the population that would see your boards at least once a day) in Salt Lake City included 84 boards and cost $22,512 for one month (the 1- Month Rate). Buying that many boards brought the cost per board to under $275. Don’t expect a rate this low for smaller markets or a one or two board buy. In most cities the average billboard costs $400 to $600 a month." It is advised that an effective campaign consists of at least 50 boards starting at $400 ea. a MONTH.

3. Magazine Ads - cost is for a full page 4 color ad per MONTH and reaches 600,000-1,450,000 people:
PC Magazine - $78,415
Electronic Gaming Monthly - $28,430
Time (*Bus. Wkly) - $110,990
Rolling Stone - $157,880

*per week rate

4. Radio - the formulas on that page could give anyone brain cramps and with good reason. The more confused they make you, the more susceptible you are. "In Atlanta or Topeka or Seattle,...it will start out charging $80.00 for a :60 (spot). Maybe a little more on Thursday and Friday." This reaches "10,000" on a morning drive 1 time. How many spots would it take to make an effective campaign? How many of that "10,000" is actually listening and not talking on a cell, telling the kids to settle down, or ordering something at a drive-through? Also, they charge differently for different demographics, time of day, day of week. Oh, and you better have someone ready to field the calls immediately when your ad airs. Get the picture?

5. Door to Door - No need to over discuss this one . Even if you aren't providing a company car, gas is over $4.00 a gallon. Add to that a sales person's wage, mileage, and expense account. That's not including any sales materials or promotional items. And if they hustle, maybe they can keep 4 or 5 appointments a day.

6. Telemarketing - We all love telemarketers, right? We greet them with sunny dispositions, and are anxious to hand over our hard earned money for whatever they interrupted our meal for, right? How effective will telemarketing be for you?

7. Direct Mail - 1,000 postcards: printed $229, postage $410, quality mailing list $50-250 (some are 1-time use), and don't forget original postcard design. Expect a 1-2% yield.

8. TV ad - Prices depend on what time of day, what programming is airing then, and how long your spot is. Whatever your one-time airing costs, multiply it several times. With bathroom and snack breaks, channel surfing, and muting the sound your message will have to run several times to be heard.

9. Web Page - $500 - $110,000 annually. The expense doesn't stop with initial web design. There are periodic content updates, search engine placement, URL reservation, internet provider services, etc.

10. Vehicle Wraps - a mid-size van taken from concept to install will cost an average of $3000, will last for 5 years, and be seen by approximately 16,000,000 people a year in a metro area. Broken down, that is more than 26,000 people per penny!

You tell me. How do you want to spend your money?

Vehicle Wraps: The Top 5 Reasons a "Better Deal" may not be a better deal

"Company 'X' has quoted me a price on a vehicle wrap that's cheaper than yours. Why are your vehicle wraps more expensive?" You are doing what every responsible consumer should do - you are price shopping. Problem is, you should be asking "why their vehicle wrap price is so cheap?" There are a number of possible reasons, and you should be armed with the information to make a responsible decision. Always make sure you are comparing 'apples to apples.'

1. Inferior Materials? - There is a myriad of vinyls that can be put on your vehicle. Some may not adhere correctly because they are for another application and not for vehicle wraps. Some do not necessarily need an overlaminate but may scratch easy. Some are rated for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7 years. Did their quote include perforated window film? Did it include all four sides and the roof? Have you seen their print quality?

2. Untrained Labor? - Have you seen examples of their vehicle wrap installs? How are their installers trained and certified? Have you seen their facility? A professional vehicle wrap crew will put out a consistent quality product.

3. Cutting Corners? - Did they quote you a 7 year product but deliver a 2 year product? Check their references. Did they give you a print sample? Where will it be installed? (An outdoor install could lead to stretched material and debris under the vinyl.)

4. Backend Charges? - Did their quote include graphics removal? Was there any design time? Is there an additional charge for financing? Do you have special needs like an after hours install?

5. Warranty? - How long have they been in business? New businesses typically slash prices to get business, but most startups fail. So in the end your warrantee is only as good as the company.

Using a company that's been around a while means alot. Check references. Expect samples. Make sure your price comparisons actually compare similar items.

To check if your vehicle wrap installer is 3M Certified, go to UASG.org

For more information, contact the professionals at Shadow Graphics.