Whether you are going to apply pinstriping tape to your ride or have a pro do it for you, most people want it to turn out classy and cool. The overall design is the most important element in having a successful stripe job. Coming in right behind the design are the colors you choose. Here are 7 tips to help you pick the right pinstriping tape colors.
- Pick colors you like! Sounds obvious right? Yet some people pick what their friends or a vinyl pro like, and don’t pick colors they really want. Maybe the colors you choose don’t look as good as others, but if you like it, that’s all that matters.
- If the pinstriping tape you are using is more than one color, choose a dominate color and a secondary color. Let one color have most of the impact, and the other color or colors be the supporting cast. This way the colors don’t fight each other, they help compliment each other. For example dark green and dark brown are both nice colors, but they are both really strong colors and will fight for attention. Dark brown with a tan or beige would be a better choice in most cases; or dark green with a medium green.
- Generally speaking, I have found that metallic colors and a dark car may look really good, but the metallics don’t hold up over time on a dark vehicle. For some reason the metallic pinstripe colors go bad in two or three years. Try and avoid this scenario if you can.
- Complimentary colors will generally look really nice together. Blue and orange are complimentary, so are red and green, purple and yellow.
- Think about using a pinstriping tape that is about the same color as your vehicle, but is lighter or darker. For example, dark blue striping on a medium or light blue car looks really nice. Dark green pinstriping on a light or medium green car looks sweet.
- If you are looking for colors that really stand out and make a statement, look for high contrast as well as bold lines and shapes. Contrast, in addition to color are what make some pinstriping tape stand out and others seem much more subtle. How do you get contrast? Dark vs. light. Dark colors on light colors or light colors on dark colors.
- If at all possible, try and get a hold of a pinstriping tape color chart and put it up next to your vehicle outside in the sun. On the sun side, not the shade side. Take a few steps back from the vehicle and squint your eyes to see what pops out at you. Sometimes using the process of elimination is a better way to look at choosing colors. Instead of picking colors, you start eliminating what you don’t like to find the right color or colors for your ride.
I hope these seven tips help you when picking colors the next time you want to add some stripes to your ride. The great thing about pinstriping tape is that you can take it off if you don’t like it, and you can always add more if you think your car needs it.