'Z*Squad' as one of the first ideas I had when trying to conceptualize a slap decal that reflected something for classic Nissan Z-cars. Using a vintage feeling typeface like Clarendon helped give the design a grounded 60s/70s feel, while using the naval 'Z' flag as a background harked back to the origin of the Z-car's name. The Z flag itself was symbolic of every man putting forth his best toward an endeavor.
Famously used by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, as well as Admiral Togo at the Battle of Tsushima Strait). The bodged "Jap-anglais" (reverse Engrish) roughly translates to "Let every man do his utmost".
Whereas my first Z*Squad design tried to evoke the 70s, I wanted to create a slap that could be stuck on the new wave generations that were the 280ZX and following 300ZXs'. Inspirations were the futurism of 80s saturday morning cartoons and anime. Stuff like Transformers, Zeta Gundam, and Macross.
The typefaces used were 'ArcaderFS Regular', something I found on DaFont, designed by Fred Sirman. The Japanese typeface is GaufontAtomic.
Another design meant to evoke a vintage-Motorsports feel. 'Yamura Motor Company' is a fictional manufacturer and racing team prominently featured in John Frankenheimer's 1966 racing film 'Grand Prix'. The typeface used is again an Adobe variation of Clarendon.
This design started off as a doodle, and quickly transformed into a decal design parodying the logo of carburetor manufacturer 'Mikuni', by creating a crossover with Vocaloid 'Hatsune Miku', who in Japan, is long-running mascot to the Goodsmile Racing Team.
After some formatting, I want ahead and got each of the designs printed through the printer 'Awstickers', who are based out of California. They were very easy to correspond with, so I highly recommend them for sticker related projects. Since printing, I've primarily either handed these out to local car friends, or distributed them through some motoring groups I'm a part of.
Another example of a pair of Z*Squad decals applied to an already decorated Z31 300ZX in the Mukilteo, WA area.
Managed to share the Z*Squad decal with some fellow Z car owners and enthusiasts. This one, if memory serves me correct, was shared from a driver on the US East Coast.
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Drift Slap Designs
A personal project to design some 'Drift Slaps' a culture I've been fascinated by over the past year. These are essentially decals that loosely resemble bumper stickers, which are mounted to windows or body work of cars or other modes of transportation. Though I'm pretty certain the origin lies withing the drift and gang cultures of Japan, the 'slap' has spread and evolved worldwide. Usually, the designs reflect clubs, certain car manufactures or sponsors, or can simply be rude or ironic statements.
Whether garish or smartly designed, drift slaps are cool to me because there is such wide variety to the medium. They can be serious or silly, but ultimately add character to a car.
