By Melissa Donovan
Congratulations are in order for Art City Wraps out of Oshkosh, WI. A 53-foot semi-trailer wrap completed for Sheboygan, WI-based JJ Trucking and Coolers earned it first place in Digital Output’s 2023 Application of the Year awards.
Art City Wraps, in business since 2003, operates out of a 4,000 square foot location with three employees. It offers full-service large format printing, specializing in commercial vehicle wraps and graphics. JJ Trucking is a family owned and operated freight shipping company specializing in refrigerated cargo.
Above: Art City Wraps helped the Lauersdorf family of JJ Trucking create a high-impact, mobile billboard with one of its semi-trailers in support of PanCan and pancreatic cancer awareness. It printed to Avery Dennison MPI 1105 Easy Apply using a Roland TrueVIS VG2-540 printer.
Mission-Driven Wrap
The project for JJ Trucking was unique in several ways. As a first time client, JJ Trucking had initially reached out to a local sign shop with its request, but when that sign shop didn’t feel it could meet the client’s vision, it suggested Art City Wraps.
The goal was to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer in honor of JJ Trucking’s owner Brian Lauersdorf, who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in March 2022.
His daughter, Kimberly, in addition to his wife, Marilyne, selected one semi-trailer within the company’s fleet of 25 and turned to Art City Wraps for the design, production, and installation of a mission-driven mobile billboard to further pancreatic cancer awareness through touring events associated with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).
Imagery was crafted based on JJ Trucking’s input. In particular, the freight shipping company wanted concepts included in the design like a road, ribbon, boxing gloves, and signs. The visual and educational message was to drive home the risks and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
“Using purple from the pancreatic cancer ribbon in a monochromatic way throughout the design, transparencies and shadows play together to work the background image of the road into a violet clouded sunset. Near the rear of the trailer, the sunset fades into an image of a man holding his abdomen; this is one of the first signs of his pancreatic cancer,” explain Carla Marquardt, owner/designer and Joshua Marquardt, owner/installer, Art City Wraps.
The wrap was printed on a Roland DGA Corporation TrueVIS VG2-540 54-inch eco-solvent device using Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions MPI 1105 Easy Apply. To add a finishing gloss and protect the color pop of the design, MPI 1105 was paired with Avery Dennison DOL 1360Z digital overlaminate.
“We consistently use these products. The prints always look amazing and the adhesive in combination with the repositionability offer great dexterity. This made the installation on a corrugated surface and rivets much more enjoyable,” share the Marquardts.
From initial conversation to installation, the entire project took a total of one-and-a-half months to complete. One of the biggest challenges was filling the space of the 53-foot semi-trailer with a design that remained sensitive to the subject matter, while also making the piece educational and visually appealing.
“Trying to design something that is going to leave a fast and informative impression, makes this challenge a bit harder. Thinking about what our client is going to be doing with the finished product, in this case; driving down a highway at 70 miles an hour or driving down a parade route. Our design had to serve both things,” note the Marquardts.
Art City Wraps and JJ Trucking were thrilled with the final result. Marilyne, Kimberly, and Brian’s son James surprised Brian with the finished truck—deemed the Trucking for a Cure semi-trailer—just in time for him to drive it in the 2022 Christmas parade in nearby Plymouth, WI. Sadly, Brian passed away January 2023, losing his battle to pancreatic cancer. The wrap however lives on, and more importantly its messaging to spread awareness about the disease. The Lauersdorfs honor Brian’s memory by continuing to tour PanCAN events with the Trucking for a Cure semi-trailer.
A Job to be Proud Of
Art City Wraps’ last 12 months were full of successful projects, though none as meaningful as the Trucking for a Cure semi-trailer. “It is a beautiful piece that we are proud of. It was made to spread awareness about something that has caused so much heartache for so many people, which this is just one more way of it doing its job,” share the Marquardts.
Congrats again to Art City Wraps on the completion of such a poignant project and consequently winning first place in our Application of the Year contest.
Aug2023, Digital Output
