Connect with us

Project Tracker

Tailgating Never Looked So Good Thanks to This Bus Wrap

A Cincinnati Bengals superfan tapped Performance Wraps to execute a “custom graffiti art” design.

mm

Published

on

This project won a 2023 Best of Wide Format award from our sister publication, Big Picture. See all of the winners here.

Print Shop: PERFORMANCE WRAPS | performancewraps.com
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Tools and Supplies: Grimco 54-in. Briteline WrapCast film, Grimco 54-in. Briteline WrapCast matte overlaminate, Roland DG VersaExpress RF-640 wide-format digital printer.

TAILGATING IS ONE piece of football culture that is often taken very seriously. Fans are always looking for a chance to up their spirits and stand out from the crowd, whether by painting their faces with team colors or wearing the number of a star player. Performance Wraps provided one Cincinnati Bengals fan a way to do just that by wrapping his Chevy Express 15-passenger bus with a Bengals-themed graffiti wrap. 

With the kickoff to the season only 18 days away, Performance Wraps owner Andrew Banks and his team had to find a way to accomplish a “spray paint-like” matte look that would cover 575 square feet of the bus. Typically, Performance Wraps would use the normal 50/50 window perforation, but the optically clear laminate would have an extremely glossy finish – interrupting the look of the full matte wrap. Instead, they printed the windows separately and ran them through a plotter to create a “homemade” version that would maintain the same matte finish. With the final presentation, the custom window perforation allowed the client and his fan entourage to still look out the windows and display their team spirit from nearly every inch of the Bengals bus. 

Initially, the client wanted a style of graffiti found on the sides of train cars. That’s where the matte laminate comes in. Using a Roland DG VersaExpress RF-640 wide-format digital printer, the wrap was printed with Grimco’s 54-inch Briteline WrapCast Film and laminated with Grimco’s 54-inch Briteline WrapCast matte overlaminate. With nearly two and a half weeks to spare, the designing, printing, and installation was completed right in time for the Bengals’ first game against their all-time rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

“This pushes the boundaries of wide-format print by digitally creating what once was a work of art made with cans of spray paint,” Banks says. “We are now able to produce the artwork digitally and then really finish the look with a matte laminate to give it that ‘custom graffiti art look’ at a fraction of the time and cost.”

Advertisement

Signs of the Times has been the world leader in sign information since 1906. Contact Signs of the Times' editors at editor@signsofthetimes.com.

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

Find it here! ISA Sign Expo 2023

Whether you're looking to grow your business or advance your career, ISA International Sign Expo® 2023 is the only place to find everything you need to be successful in the sign, graphics, print and visual communications industry.

Promoted Headlines

Advertisement

Subscribe

Facebook

Most Popular