An old dog can learn new tricks
He was worried he would show himself up as a ham-fisted idiot on a vehicle-wrapping course and he would be a complete wimp, such was his fear of the unknown.
Friday, 04 Apr 2014 14:20 GMT
I'm a wrapper: David did the PapaerlinX vehicle wrap course
But in the end David Catanach, the head of the UK’s trade organisation for sign-makers was laying down vinyl if not like an expert then at least like an accomplished rookie.
The British Sign and Graphics Association chief took up a place on PaperlinX’s workshop course for those wanting to develop their skills in this burgeoning business and wrote about his experiences on the BSGA’s website.
Catanach said he discovered some salient facts about the art of vehicle wrapping such as there is a right and a wrong way to apply the covering, and you certainly don’t use a knife on a car”
He wrote: “For the members of the sign fraternity who know me in my capacity as director of the BSGA and my 25 years plus experience in the sign industry, they will understand my trepidation when I was invited to attend a UK Sign Group vehicle wrapping course in their mobile training centre when it was visiting PaperlinX in Glasgow.”
Catanach thought it will be fun to learn a new skill but it did not diminish the fear he had of making a complete idiot of himself. He continued: “It’s not just the ignominy of air bubbles, creases and holes in the material that I usually leave behind whenever I have attempted to ‘lay down’ some vinyl but it was made worse that I would be doing this in front of some classmates and an instructor. Vinyl application is not my forte.”
“Looking back with that wonderful attribute of 20/20 hindsight, I was simply acting the wimp purely because no one before had ever bothered to show me how to properly apply vinyl assuming, I myself believe, because any grown up can do it. It got me wondering how many vinyl material sales reps actually have experience in fitting vinyl and can talk about different materials and their properties with confidence.”
Catanach said he discovered some salient facts about the art of vehicle wrapping such as there is a right and a wrong way to apply the covering, and you certainly don’t use a knife on a car. As with so many skills in sign-making it is all about preparation, planning and attention to detail. A decent car wrap can take two or three days, and the BSGA boss learnt that the best margins are to be made at the high end of specialist vehicle wrapping where standards are very high.
He was also full of praise for the PaperlinX course due to its thoughtful construction and helpful advice—partly because they created a supportive atmosphere in which it didn’t matter if you made a mistake. For David Catanach it also proved you can teach an old dog new tricks.
The BSGA will be issuing a guideline on the basics of vinyl wrap but it will not be a definitive “how to” guide. The best way of doing that is to attend the course currently touring the country.
What are your experiences of vehicle wrapping? Is it difficult to master and have you seen some terrible or brilliant examples of the art? Send your experiences and images please to online_ed@signlink.co.uk
