Car wraps are becoming increasingly popular, yada yada - we all know that.

But what’s really interesting is the shift in the type of wrap car peops are going for.

Color change wraps are yesterday’s news; the cool kids are all embracing printed wraps and liveries. 

I’m not hating on color change wraps, they will always have their place. But printed wraps offer unbounded creativity and it’s no surprise that they are becoming hella more popular.

With that in mind, I offer you a painstakingly curated list (I had to scroll up and down IG several times) of my favourite car wrap designs from the past 18 months, along with some witty comments about each one. 

Treat it as mere eye candy, or use it as serious inspiration for your next project, I don’t care - as long as you actually read what I’ve written and don’t just look at the pictures, because it took forever to write and now I have Carpal tunnel syndrome as a result. 

Let’s get on with it..

Half and Half Wrap Supra

The half and half look splits opinion. Usually, I’m not much of a fan. I’ve just seen too many examples where people have gotten it wrong. A symptom of following a trend, rather than good design practise.

But this one is a major exception. I think it’s my favourite in the batch. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that as a 90s kid I grew up on JDM cars, and the Supra took center stage on my bedroom wall. 

If we forget the car for a moment and focus on the design, everything about this look just works. The contrast in the colours, the pattern on one side, the little touches throughout. This is what a well designed car wrap looks like folks 👏

Credit to Frank Tommy, a drifter based out of Norway. Check him out on IG: https://www.instagram.com/fommy87/

 

 

 

 

Sunflower Livery Altis

This beauty is owned by @bgodoy. From what I can tell, this look was achieved by first laying down a matt black color change wrap, then applying the sunflower decals on top. 

This is why I love printed car decals. They can be used as the main focal point or as an accent.

You candesign a custom decal and print it to pretty much any size you want. There are width restrictions based on the printer’s physical size (usually around 50 inches), but this can be worked around by cutting up the livery into parts.

And of course if you’re not wrapping the whole thing, car decals are a way more affordable way to make your ride pop

 

 

 

 

 

Storm Lightning Wrap

This is how to take the world by storm (sorry not sorry). This electrifying wrap (bite me) was designed by Christina at Curvaceous Wraps and is owned by @storm_goddess_az. 

I love the lightning design. I’m less keen on having an image of Rogue from the DC movies on the hood though (relax, I know it’s Marvel really). But hey, that’s just me. If you’re into putting superheroes on your car, go for it.

Also, have you noticed that the lightning reflects at night? So cool.

 

 

 

 

Color Drip Truck

I’ve seen so many bad attempts at achieving the colour drip look online. But when done right it really looks the dogs testicles (translation for my American friends).

Under Wrapz out of Oklahoma City (under_wrapz on IG) have gotten it right. It’s colorful and in your face, but tastefully so. Hat tip to you folks. 

 

 

 

80s Miami Vibes Ferrari

I get certain feels whenever I get exposed to this sort of 80s Miami style aesthetic, and this is no exception. 

I think the kids call it “Vaporwave”, or something. I just know the pink to blue gradient is a modern classic.

This one was installed by Westcoast Wrap (wc_wrap in IG) based in Seattle, Washington. Not sure who actually designed it or who the owner that commissioned is, but if I ever find out I will shake their hand. 

 

 

 

More Miami vibes, this time with a matching shirt 

I’m not just including this one because the dude has a matching shirt, I promise. 

This one was done by The Wrap Doctor (thewrapdoctor_ on IG)

Also props for the tache, my guy is a trendsetter.

Skull and Roses Decals

Tattoo inspired car graphics is an emerging trend for sure. Roses, skulls, daggers, animals - you know, all the stuff people get tattoos of - can all work really well on vehicles too.

I believe this is the shop car (more like the shop tank) of Big Shot Rides (bigshotrides on IG), and if you want to show what your shop is all about I can’t think of a better way than this.

Japanese Inspired 240

Remember at the start of this post I said the half and half Supra was my favourite? I’ve changed my mind. Again it could be that I can’t resist an old school JDM, but man this Japanese inspired livery is good. 

Designed by Malachowski Projekt for S13Grako, both hailing from Poland.  

And as a bonus, check out the installation video on IG. Done in two layers, first installing the white base featuring a subtle graphic print, followed by the illustrative elements on top. https://www.instagram.com/p/CNK2i4bj4Um/

 

 

The Art Car

This Dodge Charger reminds me of BMW Art Cars of yesteryear. It was designed by Skepple and you can tell this was not his first rodeo.

Owned by Destroyer 707, I believe this is his shop car.

 

 

 

Tribal Done Right

I think we’ve all seen some bad tribal decals on cars and trucks up and down the country. But this is what it looks like when tribal is done right.

This Challenger actually went through a couple of iterations of the tribal look. The first set of photos (in red) is what it looks like now, and the second set is what it looked like before. 

I really like both, with the latter, more colourful one edging it for me.

Installed by Performance Wraps and owned by Louie  

 

 

 

 

 

Contour lines

Last but certainly not least, we have this contoured 300.

I’ve seen a few contour patterns lately but this has to be my favourite. Patterned wraps look sweet on cars, and if you’re after that kind of look, contours are a great way to differentiate from camo or marble in my opinion. 

Not sure who designed or installed this one but it’s owned by Matty Ice.

 

 

 

 

Ok that’s the post. There’s no more. You can go back to watching TikTok.

Did you bother reading anything I wrote whatsoever?

If you just skimmed through the post and only looked at the pictures, shame on you. Go back and read every goddamn word. 

And if you’re not gonna do that, then the least you can do is sign up to the newsletter below where I share more car stuff like this on an irregular basis.