The Stripe Art team. Left to right: Brian Fettes, Ryan Szucs, Dave Churchill, and Mark Sommerville. Photos courtesy Stripe Art
By Ginny Mumm
Casting a gaze down almost any street will confirm the demand for vehicle graphics is not slowing down, even with recent economic challenges. According to a report from Research and Markets, the global automotive wrap film market was valued at US$4 billion (more than C$5 billion) in 2020 and is estimated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4 per cent from 2021 to 2028. Further, North America accounted for the highest revenue share of the global market in 2020, and it is projected to retain its leading position throughout the forecast period.1
One local sign shop that is taking advantage of the burgeoning vehicle wrap market is Stripe Art in Simcoe, Ont. We spoke to owner Dave Churchill and designers Brian Fettes and Ryan Szucs on how they are leveraging this growing trend in their local community, and at the same time, positioning their business for future success.
When was the company founded?
Dave Churchill (DC): I started Stripe Art in 1996. It was a one-person operation. I bought my first Roland DG device, a 457.2-mm (18-in.) PC 50 thermal printer/plotter, to produce pinstriping, lettering, and graphics.
In 2006, Brian joined the team, then we really started to roll. We expanded our vinyl-cutting production, then got a larger printer for digitally printed graphics and signs. Ryan joined us in 2012. Ryan and Brian have degrees in graphic design and illustration, respectively, which really gives us a solid design and technical foundation. We also have a production person for preparing signs and small installs.
Our building has a great location on a main highway/street in Simcoe. Our shop is about 185.8 m2 (2000 sf) and comprises a reception area, a design office, and a production area featuring a 3.6-m (12-ft) Rollsroller. We added a satellite facility in 2010, located about two blocks from here, with 3.6-m doors to accommodate work on larger vehicles.
What type of equipment do you have in your production area?
Brian Fettes (BF): We’re running five Roland DG large-format digital printer/cutters—including two 1371.6-mm (54-in.) TrueVIS VG2s, two VS 1371.6-mm cutters, along with an older SP540 1371.6-mm VersaCAMM—and a Gerber Edge.
Stripe Art specializes in vinyl graphics design, creating custom graphics for personal as well as fleet vehicles.
What are some of the colour trends you are seeing for vehicle graphics?
Ryan Szucs (RS): People want their printed colours to be bright and true. Some have brand colours they want us to match, while others are aiming for a certain “look.” We appreciate the wider colour gamut of our printers. They produce fantastic oranges and greens and print white. It’s easier to produce the accurate colours our customers want and expect.
How much of your overall business is vehicle graphics? Has this changed in recent years?
DC: About 50 per cent of our business has always been vehicle graphics; however, the composition of it has changed. We’re seeing an increasing number of personal versus commercial graphics and wraps. Right now, I’d say about 15 per cent of our jobs are for consumers who want to personalize
their vehicles.
The types of vehicle graphics we provide have also changed through the years. We started off doing mainly pinstriping and vinyl-cut lettering. Today, we provide lettering as well as partial and full wraps for commercial vehicles. We still do pinstripes for personal vehicles like Mustangs and Challengers.
BF: We’ve definitely seen an increase in personalized vehicle wrap requests in the last year or so. Some people want stripes, and some want lettering to remember a friend or family member. Others want to delete chrome or add some colour.
Sometimes, people come to us knowing they want to customize their vehicles, but they’re not sure what they want in terms of design or colour. If this is the case, we’ll show them a few different design concepts. Some customers just leave it up to us and trust us to make it great.
