Meet Michell Silva | Freelance Vehicle Wrap Designer & Print Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michell Silva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michell, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
When it comes to designing vehicle wraps, many of my clients and even fellow designers aren’t aware of how much time and effort I spend on research, planning and preparing files ready to print. These three elements are crucial to making sure the design is effective and free of errors. One look and my clients’ potential customers must know right away what their business offers and how to contact them. Vehicle wraps are like billboards; not only do they have to be appealing, but they must also be effective and require a lot of preparation to make sure they print correctly.

The first step is research and it’s broken down into two parts: the meeting and searching for references. Prior to my client meetings I always ask to see their logo, what their business goals are and what vehicle they want to wrap so I can prepare questions. Coming into the meeting prepared with good questions is crucial to understanding their business and making sure what I design will be something they love and will achieve their goals. In this meeting I listen to all their ideas, give my recommendations, answer any questions they have and I write it all down. Listening to my clients is important during these meetings. A lot of the time the clients already know what they want and sometimes they “say” it through samples they provide, their logo design, or even sketches they give me. After the meeting, I begin looking for references. These references could be other vehicle designs, art styles, and their own sketches. I like to have as many ideas and references on hand before I start designing, because it helps me come up with many unique designs before finalizing what I want to show my client.

Planning is the next step, and it heavily focuses on the arrangement of information on the vehicle design. Where you place information on the wrap affects how easily potential customers will absorb it. If the customer sees too much information, they won’t read it and if the information doesn’t flow or doesn’t stand out, they might miss it. By having pictures of the real vehicle, I can determine optimal areas to place their logo and contact info. Placement of information also affects how easily it will be installed once it’s printed. Placing information too close to the edges could easily be cut off when installed, resulting in reprints and missing deadlines. Thinking and planning ahead will avoid printing problems for the client, the print shop, and the installer. Once I’m happy with the design, I begin to prepare a summary for my presentation about why I designed it the way I did, the ideas they gave me, how I implemented them as well as what ideas were omitted and why. Once the customer sees the design and they give me their revisions to get approval and I start the final step.

Once I have final approval it’s time to start setting up the files ready to be delivered to the client and print shop. Every print shop is different, they all have their own way to set up for production and their own printing methods as well. When I deliver files, I make sure it’s “universal” to all print shops so they can easily set it up the way they like to print. If I don’t, I risk serious issues like blurry images, missing fonts, or printing at the wrong size. I always go back and check each element to make sure everything is high quality and in the correct format. I also leave instructions on how to print based on its current size and how to contact me if they have any issues or questions. I try to make the transition as easy as possible, so the print shop doesn’t reject the files and the printing isn’t delayed.

Vehicle wraps require a lot of patience and work but it’s such a fun and unique medium. I had to learn how to design vehicles on my own, there is no teacher for something like this. I made every mistake possible when I first started, and it took a lot of trial and error until finally after three years I mastered and developed my own techniques. Now with seven years of experience I work with companies all over the USA working as a freelance vehicle wrap designer from home. It’s such an awesome job and I get to work with so many great companies and customers. I’ve been working freelance full time for the last 2 years but I’m excited to see where this line of work takes me next.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

So, my business is primarily vehicle wrap designs and secondary is print consultant. Vehicle wrap design is a bit of a niche, but I always get two types of customers: print shops and business owners. Print shops are my long-term customers, they contact me often and I design vehicle wraps for their customers as an independent contractor. Sometimes their in-house designer is on vacation, or they are too swamped with projects, so I come in and help them take care of a few designs. I work with many of them all over the USA and I’m always thankful for consistent work. My second type of customers are independent business owners looking for more professional or artistic looking wraps. They are usually short-term customers, but they just want someone who is a pro and will get them a nice wrap. They also are looking for someone who will dedicate time to them, usually print shops don’t have time and agencies are too expensive, so I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m also a print consultant, I help clients who need a designer to prepare or fix their print design files. Print files are not difficult to set up but if they aren’t done right, they are rejected. So, I help customers set up their files correctly, so they don’t have issues when they send files to the printing companies.

I’m still building my business, but when I first started I struggled getting clients because I offered services everyone else did so I didn’t stand out. Also, when I did help a customer, I just gave them the files and didn’t express that I was capable of work beyond business cards and vehicle wraps. Once I niched down and focused on vehicle wrap designs, I started getting tons of clients. After I finish a wrap design, I let the client know I can help them with their print designs; and if they know anyone else who needs a design wrap, if they could refer me to them. Not long after I started doing that, I started getting more and more clients on a daily basis. Now I have enough customers to support myself but I’m always happy to take on more clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For shopping I always take visitors to Sawgrass, it’s honestly one of the best malls in South Florida. Sawgrass has awesome restaurants like Matchbox and both outlet and luxury stores. Local places I recommend is Miami Beach; I love going to South Pointe Park and Lincoln Road. South Pointe Park is honestly my favorite park and beach, it has a small pier, and you can watch the cruise ships leave the port. I love taking visitors there on weekdays because it’s so calm and peaceful. Wynwood is a great place for photos and obviously food. Wynwood Walls is worth taking pictures at and one of my favorite restaurants in the area is 1800 Lucky. It’s a food hall that has all kinds of Asian food so everyone could spend the day there and try different meals every time. Restaurants I always take visitors to 107 Taste by FIU, Bocas Grill in Kendall and Versailles on 8th Street. I haven’t been to Jungle Island or Zoo Miami in a few years but I always take visitors there, especially if they love animals. I love going to Schnebly Winery, it’s a great spot for taking pictures, having a bit of wine and sometimes they host special events.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Stephen Dalis, my graphic design teacher from tech school. He taught me how to design business cards and flyers and those skills were how I landed my first graphic design job

Luis Villa, he was my boss when I first started as a graphic designer and he taught me the basics of vehicle wraps. Definitely wouldn’t be here today without his support and help for nearly six years.

Brian Largaespada and Ayleen Lanza, they were my first real freelance customers. To this day, their logo is still one of my favorites.

Website: www.michellsilva.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michii.sama/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michell-silva-designer/

Image Credits
Pet Domestic – Photo by Ethan Sacks Urgent Care – Photo by Robert Bernauer Living Water – Food Truck 2 – Mauro Tea