How I design a boat name for my customers.
Here is the process that I go through to make sure that your lettering is designed to compliment the look, colors and available space on your boat’s hull.
It starts with the shape of your canvas
The choices for font and artwork will depend, among other things, on the dimensions of the available hull space. Most hull panels for boat names are wider than they are tall – so we often need to consider height limitations for the design. The size and shape of the area to be lettered will be taken into account when selecting fonts and arranging artwork and hailing ports.
Choosing the right font
If you have not already selected a font, we will start by discussing the overall style that you might like. I may browse several hundred fonts before selecting a dozen or more that could work will suit your taste – and will fit well in the available hull space. Most people want their boat’s name to be visible from some distance on the water – so I usually try to choose a font that is clearly legible and is of a high quality typographically. Once the font has been selected, the kerning (inter-letter spacing) is perfected and the layout phase of the design begins.
Artwork
Most boat names are constructed of durable, layered, blade-cut vinyl. Graphics are usually designed with solid colors that are assembled to build multi color images. A wide range of colors and textures are available including metallic, reflective and sparkle materials. During the artwork phase of the design, I will present you with options for graphics that are compatible with this process. If you prefer to use images with color fades or photo quality, an inkjet process can be used to print vinyl decals for your boat name. In most cases, the blade cut graphics are selected for their vivid colors and durability in a marine environment.
Layout: Tying together the name, artwork and available hull dimensions
The layout part of our process will make or break the design. A good “square-on” photo of the boats hull is very helpful during this phase. We have a lot of artistic priorities to keep in mind at this time, and we need them all to come together to express your boat’s personality. Your boat name should …
- be legible
- fill the space, but not crowd the edges
- account for hull fixtures and hull curvature
Your feedback on my emailed drafts will help us zero in on a design that pleases your eye – and also serves it’s function to identify your boat. Boat names are great fun to design and there is a satisfaction to getting them just right. So don’t be shy when asking for updated drafts with just one more idea. Because I want to get it right just as much as you do!
