Vinyl is a popular crafting material – both for DIY fans and commercial branding experts. And you can use it in two main ways. You can cut shapes, letters, or words and press them directly on the item you’re decorating. Or you could make a wrap to cover the entire item.
Vinyl wrap designs could be holiday-themed stickers on mugs. Or they could be team branding on a car, bike, or boat. You can use vinyl wraps to advertise a celebrity, sponsor, or politician on a tour bus or campaign bus. Or it could be a painting stencil. So let’s explore!
1. Red and Black Race Car
Race cars are an automatic excuse for vinyl wrap designs. In the official circuits like Nascar of F1, the car wraps must include the names and logos of all the sponsors. But for a personal race car, you can stick to colors and designs that display your personality. Red is c popular color because it implies speed and daring. The diagonal lines enhance the car’s visual speed.
2. Pretty Graffiti
Most of us see graffiti as a teen nuisance. But it takes those kids ages to complete a piece. Especially the intricate ones. So if you have an artsy-leaning kid, consider getting them a summer job at the boatyard. They can channel their skills into computerized vinyl wrap designs for boats, cars, or even RVs. It’s faster than spray cans and won’t get them arrested.
3. Mercedes Mystique
Vinyl wrap designs aren’t always loud and attention-grabbing. Sometimes, vinyl wrap offers a more convenient option than spray painting or professional paint jobs. You can press on the vinyl in a day or two so it dries faster. And many car wraps have protective UV coatings so they’ll keep their color longer. This satin black C300 wrap goes well with the red roofing.
4. Wooden Smartphones
You’ve probably seen wood grain vinyl siding on homes and fences. But did you know you can get a faux-wood vinyl wrap design on your phone? You can apply the vinyl directly onto the phone. But only if the phone is metal or plastic and unlikely to crack because the vinyl offers zero protection. So try heat-pressing the vinyl wrap into your hardback case instead.
5. Cars at Work
We’ve mentioned sponsorships and brand partnerships in the world of vinyl wrap design. These commercials can be subtle or overt, but if you’re driving a company car, you may not have a say if the boss wants a bigger logo. Ideally, you want the company name, a mascot or logo, company colors, summarised services, a phone number, a website, and social media.
6. Pizza Surfing Kitty
Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. But it’s a wild image, so before you buy this smartphone skin for your beloved, be sure they have the right sense of humor for it. The vinyl wrap design is intended to be decorative, not protective. It goes directly on your phone, and this one has fitted dimensions for the Samsung Fold 3 Galaxy X, so confirm the phone model.
7. Spidey-Senses …
Regardless of your thoughts on superhero slander, you’ve heard the arguments against Batman, his cool car, and his … abilities. All that aside, this Spiderman-themed vinyl wrap design is exciting and attractive. It doesn’t seem practical though, since the wheels are covered. But there’s probably a button or two that can automatically release the turbo drive.
8. Jagged Seajets
Unless you live in a beach town, you may not understand how much seafarers treasure their gear. They value those pontoon boats and yachts almost as much as the rest of us love our cars. Maybe more. So they do spend a lot on vinyl wrap designs for their boats. This one is clearly an ocean racer. The jagged bits and faux rips are perfectly suited for seagoing speed.
9. Capstan House
Ever wondered how they get those colorful designs on the sides of commercial buildings? Sometimes, it’s a manual mural that could take the artist months to complete. Other times, those logos and fashionable images are vinyl wrap designs. They’re made using self-adhesive vinyl since that’s easier to apply. Imagine having to blow-dry all that vinyl onto a skyscraper!
10. Thermal Mugs
A lot of us need caffeine to function. Whether it’s a cuppa joe or your favorite herbal tea. And while generic travel mugs can do the trick, you may want to personalize yours. If you have a vinyl cutter, you can craft a quick vinyl wrap design for your thermal mug. You can even buy a dozen, color-code them, and use them according to your mood on any given day.
11. Just Like Nascar
This clearly isn’t a racing truck – it has a double cab and the wheels are all wrong. But that hasn’t stopped the owner from feeling like a professional driver. This particular vinyl wrap job is bright and colorful. The base color is black, but those neon pinks, greens, and yellows are loud enough to glow under the streetlights. Don’t forget to thank your sponsors!
12. Gamer Girls
Maybe you keenly followed the PS5 release saga. Or maybe you’re more an X-box type of gamer. Either way, girl gamers (and enby gamers, and other queer gamers) are more likely to modify their machinery. You might want to try this fiery Yin-Yang vinyl wrap design. Or maybe something softer like space mermaids, a rainbow zebra unicorn, or a sloth on a horse.
13. Gleaming Gold
They say not all that glitters is gold. And that’s good because having a golden car could be … problematic. For one thing, you’d never feel safe. Forget keying from your ex or scratches from neighbors with poor parking skills – the public would keep trying to grab pieces off your car! Luckily, a chrome-gold vinyl wrap design can solve all your issues. You’re welcome!
14. Skinny Laptops
With today’s gadgets, thin is in. The slimmer your phone, tablet, or laptop are, the more they cost, and the more stylish they seem to be. These electronics are manufactured en masse so you want a personal touch on yours. It’s why laptop skins – just like smartphone skins – are a must-have accessory. The skin on this computer is a Minions-themed vinyl wrap design.
15. Think Pink
Most cars seem to come in bold, solid colors. So when you see one in hot pink, neon yellow, or mint green, you may wonder if they make those colors at the factory. In truth, these custom colors are far more likely to be a vinyl wrap design. They’re carefully mounted, sometimes on a darker base. And they have a protective coating so they won’t peel off easily.
16. Space Out in Style
In certain sections of these United States, you can smoke up undisturbed. Or rather, Smok Up, in this particular case. Because this vinyl wrap design is tailored for the Smok Novo 2 vape pens. It’s an exact fit and its psychedelic colors will brighten your buzz. And the Mighty Skins brand makes self-adhesive removable wraps for everything from consoles to phones.
17. Mixed and Matched
Tastes vary. Some of us like plain colors, whether they’re bright and sunny or neutral and muted. Others enjoy mixed patterns and motifs. So if your car will have multiple shapes and colors, a vinyl wrap design is more feasible than a spray job. Send the design to vinyl cutting software. Add as much intricate detail as you like for effortless printing and cutting.
18. Gun Glow Up
This is for the lovers of the Second Amendment. Your right to bear arms doesn’t mean you have to let go of your style. But remember, this only applies in places where open carrying is allowed – otherwise nobody will get to see your armored bling! Might Skins has vinyl wrap designs for specific weapons, from AKs and ARs to rifles, shotguns, sigs, and magazines.
19. Starry Delight
Here’s another way you can introduce endless colors to your car. This vinyl wrap design is based on a twilit sky. So it has tons of tiny glimmering dots that represent galaxies and stars. The main portion of the vinyl wrap is a darker palette of blues, lilacs, blacks, and purples. It’s a matte base, but those starry bits glint and sparkle, even when you’re driving in daylight.
20. Upgrade your Boat
Colour isn’t the answer to everything. This vinyl boat wrap is black in both cases. And the boat itself is white, so on the surface, it’s the simplest selection of colors ever. But by replacing that plain black stripe with abstract silver waves and tribal detail, the boat instantly looks fresher, fancier, and more expensive! Plus the vinyl-covered boat is way easier to clean.
21. Squid Game?
Not that Squid Game (which you should watch with subtitles, not closed captions!). This one is more of a squid boat. And the advantage of vinyl wrap designs over hand-painted ones include speed. Vinyl wraps are digitally printed in minutes and can be mounted in under an hour, unlike a boat mural which might take weeks and may still not survive the salty waves.
22. Organic Advertising
Commercial buildings and public housing are sometimes the sites of organic billboards. In the sense that marketing materials are painted directly on the walls instead of using erected billboards. This can be a good CSR project – whenever the wall is due for repainting, you can just post a new ad. The vinyl wrap design on this whitewashed restaurant doubles as a menu.
23. It’s a Wrap at Starbucks
You can buy reusable Starbucks tumblers in bulk. Or you can buy unbranded ones at the dollar store. It’s a popular purchase because customized Starbucks cups are a sort of starter pack for DIY crafting. These plastic tumblers are routinely decorated with vinyl, foil, and other knickknacks so it’s a good stepping stone as you experiment with vinyl wrap designs.
24. Mugs of Magic
Vinyl crafting tools can make a huge difference in your end results. You can invest in things like vinyl cutters (which often come with branded software), picking tools, and heat presses. A mug press can be particularly useful for vinyl wrap designs on cups and glasses. You can press sublimation paper or HTV designs onto your mugs. Be sure the press is the right size.
25. Iridescent Wheels
At crafts stores like Michaels or Jo-Ann, you might see vinyl listed as heat-pressed (HTV), glossy, or matte. A particularly popular variant is the iridescent or holographic line of shiny rainbow vinyl. And now you can find it in cars too! Invest in color-changing vinyl to give your car an outfit that shifts its shade every time a random ray of light hits your car. Nice!
26. Van Life
Whether you’re raging out of lockdown, planning for your gap year, or traveling the world, you may have developed a taste for #VanLife. And what all those lifestyles channels won’t tell you is … you need sponsors. That van upgrade and travel costs won’t pay for themselves! So as you kit your van, here’s a ready-to-use vinyl wrap design complete with branding space…
27. Pretty in Purple
It’s not just speed demons that get the turbo treatment. Scooters may not be as cool as Harleys or Kawasakis, but this Honda is far more stylish than the average bear. This Activa has a purple vinyl wrap design that goes well with its matte black upholstery. And it’s a glossy violet shade that looks equally fetching in bright sunlight or scattered street lamps.
28. Double Decked Delight
You don’t see many double-decker buses in the US. This one’s route is across the pond, and those luminous light shades are intended to promote a special event at a popular nightclub. Still, you can reproduce this vinyl wrap design on any bus. It could work especially well to create awareness for an important cause. It could also be nice on a school bus or kids’ team.
29. When Grey is Gold
Not everybody enjoys glow-in-the-dark palettes. Maybe your taste leans more towards understated neutrals. But even with a grey vinyl wrap, you can achieve a classic result that has you humming along to ♫ Baby Shark ♫. Because the vinyl is machined, you can get into intricate details like that broken shark tooth and all those rivets printed along the seams.
30. Pixelated Perfection
We all hate it when we zoom in too much and the photo ends up splitting into frustratingly blurry pixels. And it’s certainly not something you’d want to do on purpose … or is it? If you’re sufficiently cheeky and have a playful sense of human, this pixelated vinyl wrap design could be just the thing. Even better if the car you drive is equally quirky – a Mini Cooper or Beetle.
31. Bloody Brilliant!
For our final vinyl wrap design, there’s no beating this blood-spattered look. And it’s quite well executed – it would be hard to achieve this dripping effect with stencils or airbrushes. Vinyl wrap is especially useful here because apart from that deeply glossy red and those authentic drops and splashes, a vinyl machine makes it easy to include words and logos.
What are your favorite vinyl wrap designs? Show us some photos in the comments section!