Big Picture - October 2017 - 32

WRAP PAC

A Q&A WITH JUSTIN PATE
The Wrap Institute founder and renowned graphics installation
instructor shares a bit about himself.
How did you get into the world of vehicle wrapping?
I fell into the wrap world back in 1996 in New York City. My upstairs neighbor
in Chinatown was an installer and asked me if I wanted to come work for him.
I worked for him for about a year doing all types of installs, like barricades in
Rockefeller Center and windows for FAO Schwarz, but it was mostly cargo and
minivans for Time Warner that I cut my teeth on. There was something about
wrapping a car that just clicked, so I really focused on that.
The ﬁrst car I ever wrapped by myself was really stressful. At that point, I
had always worked with one or two other installers on one car, so doing it
solo brought up a lot of doubts: Could I even pull this oﬀ ? What if I screw this
up? Yet, at the end of the day, the wrap was done, and I saw a limitless
horizon of possibilities ahead of me.

What's the biggest diﬀerence in the industry today versus the
industry back then?

BIG PICTURE

October 2017

I think there are actually two equally big diﬀerences from back in the day until
now. First, the material today is much more varied to a speciﬁc application,
and it's way easier to install. The material back in the day was super aggressive, so you had to be really on top of your game in order to get a professional
quality wrap without it taking days or having to reprint panels.
Second, the information and techniques available today are just night and
day from when I started in 1996. Back then, it was literally "ﬁgure it out as you
go." Mistake-learn, mistake-learn. Now, it's "watch a few minutes of video,
then get to it."

If people left your workshops remembering only one thing, what
would you want that one thing to be?
I think it would be to never stop learning. This is the slogan of The Wrap
Institute, and I really take it to heart. My workshops are constantly changing
because I'm always coming up with or picking up new techniques or adding
new tools. If you are an installer and think you have learned everything, then
you will quickly get passed by.

What's the coolest thing you've ever wrapped besides a vehicle?
I have wrapped two ﬂoors for artist Mark Dean Veca, and they just had that
huge "wow" factor that I only get when wrapping a cool car. To see people
walk on a wrap, along with the walls having graphics, just creates the coolest
feeling. It just immerses the viewer in the graphic and really creates a
satisfying feeling to be the one who helped create that eﬀect.

After 13 years working and freelancing in the wrap industry,
Joffrey van der Jagt decided he was tired of doing rushed,
imperfect, and boring work. So he launched ProWrap
(prowrap.nl), a shop dedicated to perfect, luxury car wraps.
But when a loyal customer requested two Pac-Man-themed
Ferrari wraps, to be designed, printed, and installed in just six
days, those days of working rush jobs paid off.
The pair of Ferraris would be driven in The Challenge, an
intercontinental luxury car rally where teams earn points for
best theme, driving skills, and more. The drivers had PacMan-themed suits to match.
The wraps were designed and printed in one day so
lamination and installation could start on Day Two. Van der
Jagt says lining up the spots on the Pac-Man board was no
small challenge. ProWrap used a Mimaki CJV30-130 printer
to output the graphics onto Avery Dennison MPI 1105 vinyl,
finishing with DOL 3100.

http://www.prowrap.nl

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