Car lovers can't seem to get enough with just owning the car brand they love and always dreamed to have. They still go to the extent of buying extra accessories to make their automobile more beautiful to their eyes. The original color and design are also further enhanced to suit their taste and style. And so it is that we see a lot of cars today bearing unique and colorful graphics.

Auto graphics go way back to the 1950s and 1960s. It all started with hood ornaments as a symbol of a certain brand's identity. Back then, these auto emblems were vague in their origin and meaning. Some were not planned at all while the others were committee design.

Just take for instance the case of Chevrolet. Did you know that the brand's popular bowtie logo was patterned after a wall paper? The year was 1907 when General Motors founder William Durant visited Paris and got so intrigued by the hotel's wall paper. He really tore off a sample and kept it in his wallet. It was later in 1913 when he used it while creating an emblem for the Chevrolet line of cars named after race driver Louis Chevrolet.

Auto graphics not only involve the car models but as well as their engines and features. Every brand and model today has a logo as a symbol of its unique personality. However, the latest and more important trend than the logos and emblems are the so-called ?down the road graphics.? The aim of this is to make the automobile more recognizable from all angles even from afar.

Car stickers and decals are available in a wide range of colors, styles and designs from stripes to letterings and digitally printed wraps such as those you see on race cars. You can also have one custom made to suit your taste. High resolution photographs that can be enlarged can be used as well for a more personalized look.

Generally, men go for the hunting, flame or racing themed graphics while women prefer floral, insect, scenery or animal stickers. Businesses, meanwhile, use letterings, logos and messages on trucks and cars to advertise their products and services in a more economical way. Many use the reflective types as they make the graphics and messages shine during daytime and still very visible even at night.

Most car graphics and letterings use high quality stickers made from self adhesive and easy to apply vinyl. This vinyl material is very durable it can last from five to 10 years or even longer and can stand car washing. It is also so smooth that you would think the graphics on the vehicle were actually painted on.

To make these car decals even more durable and resistant to the sun's ultraviolet rays and any kind of weather, modern techniques are now applied. Many graphics designers now use special films and ink to make the designs last longer when exposed outdoors.

So who says auto graphics are just for decoration? Yes, it's a great way to show your personality on your car but other than that, it is an effective way to promote a company and prevent accidents notably if you use the reflective stickers that are helpful in avoiding collisions at night.