To The Beat of My Own Drum

By Ryan Sandoval

I was born in Phoenix, AZ but moved to Puerto Rico when I was two. Two years after that, my family moved to Saudi Arabia and then Dubai which was where I lived most of my younger life before moving to Florida. For the last 25 years, I have been living and designing out of Fort Lauderdale, FL.

After high school, unsure of what I wanted to do, I decided to go try out for the Florida State drumline and made it… sweet… but now what? Being more of a creative type, I enrolled in some design classes but was convinced it was a dead-end path. I explored a few other majors but couldn’t shake my creative drive. I went all-in, joining the fine arts program at FSU.

However, in 2005, digital design was relatively new so my curriculum consisted of figure drawing, color theory, and sculpturing rather than photoshopping. Which, in hindsight, was great because it taught me the fundamentals of being an artist but there was more opportunity in digital design than becoming the next Picasso. So I did what every self-motivated student did… Dual-enrolled at YouTube University with a major in Photoshop Tutorials. The rest, as they say is history. After graduation, my best friend was a GM at a small sign shop and asked if I wanted to apply. I was hired as an entry-level designer and would only be given small signs, banners, and other painfully boring jobs until I proved myself. At the time, the company was new to wraps. We wouldn’t get a lot of jobs but when we did, I jumped at the chance to design it. I was fascinated with the technical process - figuring out the best way to measure, building the templates, designing, paneling, and then seeing it installed - I was hooked!

How I Became Glarb

After working there for almost 3 years, I ended up getting fired by the best friend who hired me. Long story short, I was asked to work on another designer’s project and was told it was approved and needed to be sent to print. Come to find out there was an updated file that was mislabeled and the design I sent, which was printed and installed, was not correct. It was a massive loss for the company and once my boss saw that the updated file (although mislabeled and wrongly categorized) was in the client’s folder, the responsibility fell on me. I wanted to continue designing wraps so I called local shops to see if they were hiring but had zero success so I changed my tactic. Instead of calling to be hired, I called and asked if they had projects waiting to be designed. At first, people were hesitant but I told them if they gave me a chance, I would handle everything from start to finish and provide them with ready-to-print files. Once that happened, more projects quickly followed. I continued to call on shops, local and out-of-state, ask for opportunities and little by little became a ghost artist for a few shops.

My biggest contract was with Skinz Wraps which dominated the wrap world back then. This is where I met Burl Cole who was based out of Florida but managed California, New York, and Dallas. Every design job that came from those territories was handed to me to template, design, panel, and send to print. Business was great but I had to discipline myself to stay organized and design efficiently because I was handling up to 15 projects at once. It was overwhelming but a fantastic learning experience.

As far as art or design, I can’t claim anyone as a mentor but in business, it would definitely be my dad. Watching him start from almost nothing to becoming a successful entrepreneur was so inspiring for me. He taught me so much about starting a business and what to expect but also being able to witness how he would manage people and navigate through difficult obstacles showed me so much. I know there was so much more that I could have learned from him but unfortunately, he lost his battle to pancreatic cancer 2 years ago so I try to hold on to all that I’ve learned from him as much as possible.

My Current Business

My business officially started in 2013. I do not have any full-time employees but I work with a ton of contractors. I feel like I’ve gathered a solid crew of installers who I can pull from depending on the job. I know who to call for the color changes or the commercial wraps and a different guy for the high-end custom prints or more technical installs as well as someone for storefronts or lots of squares, etc.

When it comes to my business offerings, I primarily advertise for design services, but we handle it all in-house. Color change, tint, PPF, paint correction, ceramic coating, boat wraps, building, etc. Like I said, I have a solid crew of friends in this industry and if I can bring them in on a job, I will! I really enjoy working with Avery MP1105 and their DOL overlaminate for the price, the color it holds, and the ease of install. Also lack of glue lines!

I also don’t really advertise much at all. It’s been on my to-do list but I get the majority of my jobs from FB and IG. Locally, it’s all word of mouth. I’m on Google but I don’t have a website so it is a little difficult to get a hold of me… which I like.

As far as protocol, I don’t really have a solid one. With design, I really try to get my own measurements when I can to make sure everything is sized properly. A lot of what I do is sent out so I need to make sure everything is dialed in on my end to avoid issues or reprints. I also include a detailed installation guide making sure the process is explained as much as possible.

For color changes and other in-shop wraps, I give the normal year warranty with a follow-up quality check a few weeks after the vehicle leaves. I stand behind my work. If there is a clear error on my end, I’ll always make it right.

Work priority is tough. Obviously I try to maintain a first-come-first-serve workflow but some projects take longer than others due to revision counts and complexities of the design. If there is a hard deadline, that project will take priority and if a project lingers longer than anticipated, I always make sure to communicate that with the client.

Though I’m not officially wrap certified by any brand, getting a cert from a major manufacturer has always been on my radar. I’ll just say, someday…

Client Relationships

When it comes to designing for other firms and who gets the credit, that is always discussed during the initial brief, especially if there is continuous work. Some companies love to collaborate but others prefer to maintain credit for their brand, which is totally understandable. As a contract artist, you have to respect the fact you’re being hired by a company that spends time and money advertising that job. When they attach your name to a project, they run the risk of a potential client reaching out to you directly. It’s VERY important for us to maintain our client’s trust in the process, especially when we’re given direct access to their clients. Any discussion outside of design is always directed back to our client.

I would prefer 100% to do print and install n my own, if at all possible, because nothing is worse than seeing mismatched transitions (especially when you know they should line up). I spend a lot of time ensuring the design is properly aligned and try to convey that importance to other installers. Mocking up all the panels on the car is mandatory to see how the design needs to lay and where adjustments need to be made.

As a designer, you are quoting your time. My principle is to make sure you surpass the client's expectations making them feel their money was well spent. If you quote high, don’t cut corners or copy/paste images to get the job done faster. Spend that extra time on the details and try to incorporate some sort of Easter egg for your client to show that you went the extra step for them.

Picking and Choosing

There are some jobs to stay away from. I have to keep my workload a minimum to make sure I don’t get bogged down with a bunch of small projects. I usually turn down partial wraps and am very picky when it comes to logo design. I also try to stay away from anything political.

Years ago I was asked to design a 52’ trailer. At the time I really needed the money and didn’t fully understand the design concept until I received the deposit and all the imagery/verbiage. I started realizing I might be designing for some sort of cult leader who swore he was the next Messiah from South America and was planning a tour. I never saw anything or heard about it after so I’m not sure what happened.

My Rig

I work on a 2017 iMac Pro 27-inch with the Vega 64 graphics card and RAM maxed out to 256GB with dual monitors. I also screen mirror my iPad through Astro-Pad, which allows me to use it as a tablet when I need to hand draw any elements. I can also seamlessly switch over to Procreate or Adobe Fresca if I want to draw on the go and send it to my computer. Everything I do is mainly done in Photoshop but will also use Illustrator when vector elements are required. I design all four sides at once and everything is at 100% scale with 120 dpi. One design could get to around 30 GB big when it’s done.

I recently got my first printer, an HP Latex 800W. We've had some ups and downs because I was learning on the go, but we've eventually come to terms. My laminator and I, however, still have a love-hate relationship. I do outsource prints when I need to. My go-to is WePrintWraps but I’ll also use Alwan. I also have a couple of local printers I use depending on the job.

Design Environment

My work environment - Think of it as a “rusty sanctuary”, complete with vintage car memorabilia, oil cans, and die-cast models. Staying creative all the time is not easy so I need to surround myself with things I love, creating a “rusty sanctuary" that I can spend all day in.

I’m constantly looking for inspiration and save everything anything that catches my eye to a folder. Trends change and as a wrap designer, you never know what the next project request will be. Your style of design could limit you so versatility is key. My stance on AI is open but it shouldn’t replace the artist. In my opinion, the quality is not great and still needs to be reworked and enhanced in order to be a main feature of a car wrap. I have used it several times to help conceptualize or create elements that I needed but always retouch the image to match the design. It’s like using a hammer versus a nail gun to hang a picture.

Advice for Aspiring Designers

The best advice I’ve been given is from my Dad who said “There is no point in doing anything unless you’re willing to be the best at it”. Because of that, I’m never satisfied and always challenge myself to be better. There isn’t a project I look back on and nitpick little details that can be improved the next time. Always try new things, push yourself to be comfortable in different styles, and follow other artists that inspire you. Keep up with color trends and save eye-catching palettes to enhance your next composition.

Some advice I would give to a noob designer would be:

1. Learn how to wrap. When you understand how vinyl needs to be manipulated, it will change how you design transitions.

2. Be different. Push the envelope. Create something that has never been done before and don’t be a one-trick pony.

3. Understand your value as a designer and stick to it respectably. Don’t let people devalue your time just because they want a deal.

4. Always collect a deposit! It legitimizes the project and locks the client in making sure they don’t flake or show your concept to someone who will do it cheaper.

5. Also, when you collect a deposit, take the job seriously and finish it in a timely manner. Don’t make them wait just because you don’t feel like working on their job.

Looking Ahead

The next thing for Glarb is to finish building our website where you can buy wrap kits with our designs. There will be a library of standard designs that can be purchased by the yard as well as tailormade designs that will fit certain models. Over the years, we have created hand-measured templates for a bunch of vehicles and want to release limited designs for the more popular models. It’s been a process but we should be releasing it soon. I would also love to start offering classes on the basics of vehicle wraps as well as more advanced classes where we can go over the entire process from measuring to creating the template to paneling, processing for print, printing, and then installing. In five years I will most likely still be designing vehicle wraps unless AI takes over. My passion for this industry is still as strong as it was when I first started and don’t see myself doing anything else.