Just like fashion, graphic designs for recreational vehicles come and go. For graphics design professionals, design changes provide interesting and exciting opportunities.
Graphix Unlimited is located in the heart of the RV manufacturing territory, in a town called Bremen just over the Elkhart County line. The locally owned company has been in the RV graphics design business since 1991, and the bulk of their business continues to be designing and producing graphics used in the manufacturer of motorhomes and travel trailers.
“It is a lot of fun to be designing graphics for RVs today, because trend across the entire industry is changing,” said Phillip Wilson, art director and sales manager for the company. As a 15-year veteran, Wilson has seen graphics design cycle through two distinct styles.
“I started in this industry, just as RV design was changing,” Wilson said. “The standard RV graphic package used a roll of multi-colored stipe and, usually, a scene. A few companies and project managers wanted to break away from the standard striping.”
To do that, die cuts were used to break up the stripe and tie into the scenes on the RVs. Then, design started changing, moving away from the roll stripe and scenes into the design that is common on the majority of RVs, commonly referred to as the “Elkhart Swoop.” This design gave the illusion that an RV was moving down the road even if it was standing still, according to Wilson.
“It was very exciting to be in a designer during that time as the entire industry was taking a step forward,” Wilson said. “Today feels much like that time. Over the last two years, there has been a big push by the manufacturers to get rid of the “Elkhart swoop” and make designs that are more linear and incorporate European style elements.”
Custom design for outside of Class A motorhome.
A few RV makers have never succumbed to the popular swoop. Airstream is one of those. And modern-day manufacturers are leaning toward European design, which includes a cleaner clutter free exterior with minimal graphic design.
Some manufacturers have returned to the classic roll stripe, but with a modern-day interpretation, Wilson said, achieved by using it in new angles or in a different design perspective.
“Some are using very long elements and squared of paint masks to mimic European style RVs,” he continued. “There is a lot of experimentation going on right now in the RV design industry, as the next step in the evolution takes place.”
But it is not just the design of the graphics that is changing. Wilson said the color pallet designers can work with is also expanding.
“Outside of the design itself, our clients are willing to try new colors,” he said. “The standard for many years was that only automotive colors could be used (Silver, Charcoal, Black, White, Dark Blue, Dark Red), then a few years back, neutral colors became all the rage.
“Right now, as the designs are changing, so is the color pallet,” he continued. “We are seeing clients flirting with using bright blues, reds, greens, and even purple as small highlight colors. Those colors haven’t been used in a very long time, and it’s great to see them starting to come back into the design process.”
Graphix Unlimited also creates designs for private owners, Wilson said there is a number of reasons that an RV owner will commission a new graphic for their rig. It is expensive to produce, but owners often want to make an investment to showcase something that is important to them or has special meaning. Wilson said some examples include a show of support for a favorite team, promotion of their personal brand, or dedication to a branch of the military.
The design process takes a series of steps, especially when creating graphics for a manufacturer, Wilson said.
“First, a graphics salesperson will meet with the decision maker for an RV brand and talk about some ideas they’d like to see for the upcoming model year’s product,” he explained. “Those instructions come back to the designers who put together conceptual ideas. Those ideas are presented to the decision maker. This goes on for a series of rounds, reworking liked designs and starting over on new designs, until the decision maker gets the exact design they are looking for.”
Once the design is selected, there are additional steps to get it to the manufacturer for application.
“After a design is picked, we produce and install a prototype, offline, of that design package. Once approved we go in to production making the first round of vinyl graphics,” he said. “Those vinyl graphics are produced and delivered to the RV manufacture.
“Those graphics will be placed in the section of the assemble process where they will be installed by installers at the factory. The installers clean the sidewall with alcohol, and then apply the graphics. They must move quickly to keep the assembly line moving.”
For the OEM process, the graphics are screen printed at the company. This is a quicker process and is capable of producing large quantities of graphics and offering a competitive price. For private customers, the graphics are printed digitally and is more economical for smaller quantities, Wilson said.
Once applied, the graphics are warrantied for five years, said Plant Manager Drexel Sales.
“Variables such as location of RV, storage methods, and weather can drastically affect the life expectancy of the graphics,” he said.
Sales offered some suggestions to keep the graphics on an RV looking good for years to come.
“To prolong the life and vibrancy of the RV’s graphics there are several things an owner can do,” he advised. “Keeping the unit clean goes a long way to maintain the vibrancy of the graphics. Owners should avoid using and abrasive cleaning agents or acidic cleaners. Also storing the RV inside such as a garage or covering the RV with a cover can also protect the RV and graphics from harsh climates when not in use.”