There are various stages to a Van Conversion. From ordering some cool accessories or upgrades to cutting giant holes in your vehicle – especially new vehicles (boy that sure is fun) and then there are the equally important, but a lot more fun – Graphics.
Not everyone wants graphics, but those that do, it’s usually personal, well, unless you’re one of the big RV builders, then I have no idea what you’re thinking because, well, have you seen them? For the rest of us, there is a lot of time and thought that goes into them and like most art, you’re starting with a blank canvass.
From the very begining, even before I bought the van, I have a vision of what it would look like when I was done. Some of those visions were foggy and others crystal clear. The graphics were foggy and I would save photos and shoot pics of anything and everything I’d see that I liked.
Fortunately I knew someone who is an excellent artist and enjoys playing with photoshop. I am always reaching out to him with an idea. James, put this on the van, James, Make this red. My requests are never ending and I am really grateful to have him as a friend. We spent about a month playing with graphics on this van and it was very taxing on him as I was all over the place. One day, he was goofing around on me, as he often does, and stumbled upon an idea that would eventually become the inspiration for my graphics. The key elements were that it had to contain the Mountains and Lakes and show my interest in Kayaking and Mountain Biking. It is truly and depiction of my lifestyle.
Take a look through the photos and watch how it morphed, grew and then became a one of a kind personalized graphic design. The good folks at Larsen Signs Company in Lakewood, WA took our idea and worked with me to make it into a professional design including wrapping the hood, blacking out the rear windows and adding my website.