posted
Out here in the Saskatchewan prairies, I don't get much call for race car lettering, but....
Last month I had a customer bring me his car. It was really small with a big wing thing on the top (excuse my ignorance!!!) Anyway, the car was purple; I think the proper term is "thrills gum purple"
My opinion was bright yellow letters, but he wanted chrome. I thought that would work, but it turns out that it looks great up close, and can't be read on the track. I'm now assuming that chrome and purple are too close in color value to show up.
We talked about outlining the chrome with a bright yellow or white. He now wants the chrome removed and wants bigger letters. He wants white with a yellow outline. I think the white and yellow may blend together from a distance.
I'd appreciate any advise you have, oh race car number gods!!!!
Suelynn
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Sprint car guys want it all!! chrome alone is hard color because if you have it on a dark color, and the reflection is dark, it disappears. the same with putting chrome on yellow, if you have a light reflection it disappears. Scoring people at the track HATE chrome numbers because they are hard to read. If you have ever tried to put chrome on the rear fuel cell of a sprint car you will swear to never do it again.
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
have you seen my mobile sign shop? the top color is purple metalic......http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=145442&ck=
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
When we do race cars and they ask for Chrome I offer them this (painted or printed):
the track officials will apprecitate it!!!!
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Hi Suelynn I,m not as color correct as most of the great folks here at in letterville and some of these folks are real pros .but i letter a few here in the heart of race country(oops used to be hahahah)maybe yelow with process blue out line or orange with white out line or if he wants white letters maybe a red or orange outline ....me id have bright yellow with lime green outline ..but a lot of these guys are supersticious and want have any green at the track or eat peanuts etc........hahahah hope this helps a good idea would be to check out the sprint car websites those guys have really neat letering normally .........Curtis p.s drop shadows look great and aren't hard to add
-------------------- Curtis Denton Classic Air and Graphics Knightdale, N.C. http://www.classicairandgraphics.com "We'll paint anything that rolls, flies,wiggles,giggles,floats,slithers or slides Posts: 40 | From: Knightdale, N.C. | Registered: Nov 1998
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quote:Originally posted by Curtis Denton: ..but a lot of these guys are supersticious and want have any green at the track or eat peanuts etc........hahahah
I wear the same underwear every time I get on my race bike!!!!!!!!!!!
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
Chrome works great, but only for a pinstripe outline. On a purple car, and it sounds like you worked on a sprint car, by the way, you will need a light colored number. White, beige, yellow or a real pale blue or green. Pretend there is going to be no outline,shadow or anything. Choose a color that will have the most contrast. For visibility sakes, the outline on this car needs to be black and heavy. You can put a pinstripe of a complemantary color around the out line just make sure it's thin. The number needs to stand out on it's own, the outline needs to be part of the background and not easily seen from a distance.. If the outline doesn't help the contrast between the number and the car, it's useless at a distance. Too strong of an outline will only confuse things. Remember, the number should show up at a distance....nothing else.
-------------------- George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@bigriver.net
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
posted
It may not help you right now...but you can do a search on the web for race car suppliers or race car bodies...they have catalogs with several pictures of lettered race cars. Have them send you a catalog. You can get a lot of ideas on what to do and what NOT to do.
Jeff
-------------------- Jeff's Lettering Lisa,Luke,Dara, and Jeff Spradling 5742 Shattuck Rd. Belvidere, Il. 61008 815-544-0167
Surviving another day. Posts: 626 | From: Belvidere, IL USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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-------------------- Gavin Chachere Plotter in the garage,New Orleans La.
"Sgts Shugart and Gordon again request permission to rope down to crash site two" Posts: 1223 | From: new orleans.la. | Registered: Mar 2000
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Thanks for all the great advice. I don't know why I didn't think of lime green, I love it with purple and I did a sponsor logo on the car in lime green...duh!
Jerry and Rapid, thanks for the visuals, that really helps. And thank you George for the terrific advice. I knew white and yellow wouldn't work! I think I'll try to talk him into a white number with a heavy black outline and drop shadow with a tiny green outline.
Did I mention that I love you guys???
-------------------- "It is never too late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot
Suelynn Sedor Sedor Signs Carnduff, SK Canada Posts: 2863 | From: Carnduff, SK Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Just an afterthought or two...ok, maybe more than two...
Several of the dirt and asphalt tracks around here have begun specifying in their general rules that chrome numbers are not to be used. The scorers typically cannot see them because, from where they view the cars from the tower, they reflect the track surface, turning them dark.
Over the years, as I began to letter cars for different tracks, I've found it was a good habit to ask owners what the rules on lettering are. In most cases, tracks only required the door and roof numbers, but some tracks and touring cars also require additional numbers on the headlights, windshield and tail areas of their cars. The smaller numbers help track officials out on the surface more easily identify them and greatly assists realigning the field for restarts.
This year, I noticed an explosion of cars this year using effects vinyls. Holographics, engine turned, mirror, diamond plate.....some to excess. Most of this stuff looks great up close, but out on a track under what sometimes is poor lighting, they just blend together, turn into a single color to the eye and usually don't show up well.
IMHO, I've seen suppliers market "racing packages" of vinyl stuffed full of these effect films. Seems like a waste of money to invest on something high end and costly to stock for those "I got wrecked and need another set of numbers by the weekend!" callers...who usually call on Thursday...
Bright, bold, and legible....that's a race car. A few nice tweaks with pinstripes, faded letters or some airbrushing can make it a car show contender. The cars overly decked out in "glitzy vinyl" are going for the car show, but on the backstretch...well...so much for being able to read the sponsor names. Not too effective for a race car.
Just my take on it.... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
might check out rickschwalliephotography.com ot hoseheads.com for some ideas ..they have tons of photos of short track cars on them ..even if there not a winged sprinter ,the color combos are there .....hip www.hipsticker.com
posted
Great posst and some really good answers...but everyone missed one that I love to see and is one heck of a reader..."brushed white gold or aluminum leaf" it picks up the lights like nothing you've ever seen. Another alternate is a machine turn in "white gold"
Problem with chrome is it mirrors everything and actually "camoflages" its self.
Whenever doing race car lettering the most important thing to remember is a good "contrast line between the numbers and the color of the car.
I always have at least a 3/4" line and sometimes a line an shade combo.
sounds like you've been given a lot of good info here...pick one and run with it!
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
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