July 17, 2020

When the budget wouldn’t run to a wrap but the message needed to get out, The Vinyl Guys delivered…

V.E.T.S, Veteran Employment and Training Solutions, is based in Bilston in the West Midlands and specialises in placing ex armed forces personnel into client organisations who’re seeking to employ the best individuals possible. With over thirty years experience behind it, the specialist is known as the most diligent consultancy in the industry.

Not far away, in Stourbridge in the West Midlands, you’ll find The Vinyl Guys where Alex Liggett and his team comprise a multi-talented signs and graphics production company that’s built a great reputation in the locale, and further afield, for delivering creative solutions underpinned by a high level of technical merit. A referral from an existing client, saw V.E.T.S knocking on The Vinyl Guys’ door.

V.E.T.S wanted some stand-out graphics for one of its vehicles. Something that promoted its own cause and that recognised the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War. The budget available wouldn’t support a full vehicle wrap so Alex and the team at The Vinyl Guys looked at alternatives that would be lighter on the pocket but that would still deliver the impact the client sought.

The process began with design. The entire job was created in house by The Vinyl Guys’ team. An evocative silhouette of ‘Tommy Akins’ was drafted in to support a motif comprising poppies and a stylised Union Flag. Placed within the field of colour, and contrasting with it, is V.E.T.S’ logo. The whole is unmistakably resonant with the anniversary it marks and the eye is led to the client’s logo.

Mindful of the client’s budget, The Vinyl Guys decided to cover a substantial part of the vehicle’s available estate with its print but, in so doing, avoid any contentious areas that would mandate wrapping materials and technique. Metamark MDi with its matching MetaGuard laminate was used for the job and its application is flawless on both sides of the vehicle.

The design continuation on the Mini’s bonnet is formed of separate elements, again printed on Metamark MDi and again beautifully applied. The whole ensemble sits in balance with the unadorned areas of the vehicle and it looks nothing less than sensational.

There has been considerable interest in the vehicle prompting numerous exchanges in the social media feeds of all involved. The Vinyl Guy’s client is delighted and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a very accomplished piece of design work and it’s executed brilliantly too.

So it’s not a wrap. It just looks like one. It’s a bit of a masterclass in what’s possible when a lot of thought and care goes into a production. The Vinyl Guys have made a small budget go a very long way.