Five design tips you can borrow from effective stock car lettering

When it comes to signage, nothing can look more cluttered than a stock car. There are loads of sponsors who pay to support the racing team in exchange for a spot on the car for their logo or name. And there’s a limited amount of space on the car body—not to mention that it will often be viewed racing around a track surrounded by other cars.

Adding the names of the sponsors to the car typically falls to a sign maker. Their task is to control the clutter so that the viewer’s eye could travel from one message to the next, giving the sponsors the advertising they want. Before wraps, race cars were all hand lettered, and this responsibility fell to the signpainter. Even though many cars are now done with wraps or vinyl lettering, the designer’s job is still the same: get the advertising message across effectively.