How the Custom Motorcycle Wrap Design Process Works
If you’re looking for a custom motorcycle wrap, you may already have an idea of what you want—or you might just know that you want something completely different from everyone else on the road.
At BIKESKINZ, custom motorcycle wrap designs can range from something as simple as changing the colors of one of our existing designs to creating completely original artwork specifically for your bike.
In fact, roughly half of the motorcycle wraps we produce involve some level of customization.
So, how does the custom motorcycle wrap design process work? Here’s what to expect when you have BIKESKINZ create a personalized wrap for your motorcycle.
What Can Be Customized on a Motorcycle Wrap?
There are different levels of customization, and not every custom motorcycle wrap requires starting from scratch.
One of the easiest ways to personalize a wrap is to modify one of our existing designs. For example, if you like a particular design but want the red changed to green, blue, yellow, or another color, that's usually a relatively simple change.
We can also combine elements from different designs. You might like a galaxy, digital camouflage, smoke, or another background but want to incorporate a particular character, logo, or graphic into it.
Common customization requests include:
- Changing the colors of an existing motorcycle wrap
- Adding or removing graphics
- Combining elements from multiple designs
- Adding a personal or business logo
- Incorporating a character or mascot
- Creating a sports-themed motorcycle wrap
- Creating original artwork from a customer's idea or photograph
Simple changes, particularly basic color changes to an existing design, may not require an additional design fee.
More involved designs require considerably more graphic design work and are priced accordingly.
How Much Does a Custom Motorcycle Wrap Design Cost?
The cost of a custom motorcycle wrap design depends largely on how much design work is required.
Changing a color is very different from taking several photographs, removing their backgrounds, creating a new composition, adding effects, and making everything work together across the body panels of a motorcycle.
For more extensive custom projects, design pricing can start around $600, depending on the amount and complexity of the artwork required.
Before beginning the project, we discuss what you're looking for and provide a price for the complete design project. This way, you know what the design is going to cost before the work begins.
For these larger custom design projects, we typically require a 50% deposit before beginning the design work. The remaining balance is paid after the design has been approved and before the finished motorcycle wrap is printed and shipped.
Choosing Images for Your Custom Motorcycle Wrap
One of the most important parts of creating a good custom motorcycle wrap is starting with good source material.
An image that looks perfectly fine on a phone or computer screen isn't necessarily large enough to reproduce at the size required for a motorcycle fairing.
Whenever possible, we recommend providing images that are approximately 1200 × 800 pixels or larger, with roughly 800 pixels or more in the vertical dimension.
Higher-resolution images give us more flexibility when positioning and resizing artwork while maintaining good print quality.
Look for Complete Images of the Subject
Resolution isn't the only consideration.
If you want a wolf incorporated into your motorcycle wrap, for example, an image showing the entire wolf generally gives us more flexibility than a photograph where most of the body is outside the frame.
The same applies to people, characters, animals, vehicles, and other objects.
We can always crop an image during the design process. We can't easily recreate parts of an image that were never there.
Avoid Images With Objects Blocking the Subject
It's also helpful to find photographs where the subject isn't heavily obstructed.
For example, imagine finding the perfect image of a character, but there are flames, leaves, another person, or another object covering a significant portion of the character.
Removing the background may be possible, but whatever is covering the subject also has to be removed or reconstructed.
A clean photograph with good separation between the subject and background gives us much more flexibility.
How to Find High-Resolution Images for Your Motorcycle Wrap
If you're searching online for artwork or photographs to use as inspiration, Google Images can be a useful starting point.
When searching Google Images, use the image search tools to look for larger images whenever possible.
Don't automatically choose the first image you like. Look at several options and consider:
- Is the image large enough?
- Is the entire subject visible?
- Is the subject clearly separated from the background?
- Is anything covering an important part of the image?
- Will the pose work well on the side of a motorcycle?
- Will the colors contrast with the background of the wrap?
You don't necessarily have to figure this out yourself.
Send us the images you're considering and we can help determine which ones are likely to work best for your custom motorcycle wrap.
How the BIKESKINZ Custom Design Process Works
Once we understand your idea and have the artwork or reference material we need, the actual design process begins.
1. Tell Us What You Want
The process usually begins with a conversation by email.
Tell us about the motorcycle, the theme you're considering, colors you like, graphics you want incorporated, and anything else that helps explain what you have in mind.
You can also send reference images.
You don't need to have every detail figured out before contacting us. Part of the process is determining what will work well together.
2. We Review the Idea and Source Images
We'll look at the artwork and photographs you've provided and determine what's usable.
We may recommend one image over another because it has better resolution, a better pose, cleaner edges, or simply works better with the overall composition.
This is also when we'll determine how much original design work will be required.
3. We Quote the Custom Design
Once we understand the scope of the project, we'll provide pricing for the custom design work.
For larger projects, a 50% deposit is typically required before the design process begins.
4. We Create the Motorcycle Wrap Design
Now we begin assembling the actual design.
Depending on the project, this can involve changing colors, isolating subjects from photographs, combining multiple images, creating backgrounds, adding effects, illustrating new artwork, and positioning everything so that it works with the shape of your motorcycle's bodywork.
Designing graphics for a motorcycle is different from creating a rectangular poster or image.
The artwork has to work with fairings, contours, openings, panel breaks, and the overall shape of the motorcycle.
5. You Receive a Preview
Before anything is printed, we'll provide composite renderings showing how the design is intended to look on the motorcycle.
Typically, you'll be able to see both the left and right sides.
This gives you an opportunity to review the overall design and request changes.
6. We Make Revisions
If something isn't quite right, we can make adjustments.
Maybe you want a character moved, a color changed, a graphic enlarged, or something removed.
The preview and revision process allows us to work through those details before the wrap goes into production.
7. You Approve the Final Design
Once you're happy with the design, you approve the final version.
The remaining balance is then paid before the wrap moves into printing and production.
Can BIKESKINZ Create Completely Original Artwork?
Yes.
Some custom motorcycle wraps go well beyond combining existing graphics.
We can create original artwork based on photographs, sketches, ideas, or a theme you have in mind.
For example, a photograph of a person can potentially be recreated as a comic-style character. A rough logo or mascot concept can be developed into finished artwork. We can also create characters and other illustrated elements specifically for a particular motorcycle wrap theme.
These projects require considerably more design and illustration time, so the cost will be higher than modifying an existing design.
The result, however, can be a motorcycle wrap that's genuinely unique.
Frequently Asked Questions About Custom Motorcycle Wraps
Can I change the colors of an existing BIKESKINZ design?
Yes. Color changes are one of the most common customization requests. Simple color changes to an existing design can often be made without an additional design charge.
Can you combine parts of different motorcycle wrap designs?
In many cases, yes. For example, we may be able to use the background style from one design and incorporate graphics or other elements from another.
Can I send my own images?
Yes. We can review your images and determine whether their resolution and composition are suitable for use in a printed motorcycle wrap.
What resolution should my images be?
As a general guideline, look for images around 1200 × 800 pixels or larger whenever possible. Larger, high-quality source images provide more flexibility during the design process.
Can you make artwork from a photo?
Depending on the project, yes. We can create illustrated or stylized artwork based on photographs. Because this requires substantially more design time than a simple image placement or color change, additional design fees will apply.
Will I see my custom motorcycle wrap before it's printed?
Yes. Custom projects include a preview process so you can see how the design is intended to look on the motorcycle before final production.
Do I have to pay for the entire custom design upfront?
For larger custom design projects, we typically collect a 50% deposit before beginning the artwork. The remaining balance is paid after final approval and before printing and shipping.
Ready to Create Your Own Custom Motorcycle Wrap?
Whether you want to change the colors of an existing design or create something completely original, the first step is simply showing us what you have in mind.
Send us your ideas, reference images, colors, themes, or even a rough concept. We'll review the material, discuss what's possible, and help determine the best way to turn your idea into a motorcycle wrap.
Precision Designed. Made for Your Bike. BIKESKINZ.com
