Behind the Scenes of Mitzvah Tank Design: 2025 Project Breakdown

By Shmueli Bell

Designing a Mitzvah Tank is more than slapping the graphics onto a large vehicle. It’s an art form - one that requires precision and intention, and consideration. When a Mitzavah Tank drives down the street or pulls up to a campus, it carries the Rebbe’s message. The design has to reflect that mission clearly and with real visual impact.

In this article, I’m breaking down three Mitzvah Tank wrap projects I designed in 2025, with a special spotlight on the Chabad of Maryland tank—one of the most thoughtfully executed wraps I’ve worked on. Along the way, I’ll share a few of the principles that guide all my mitzvah tank design work. For anyone researching how to approach a new wrap, I hope this offers real value and a practical framework to start with.

Before we dive in—if you’re looking for a full guide to building a Mitzvah Tank from purchase all the way through interior modifications, I highly recommend checking out this excellent resource from Mitzvah Tank USA: https://mitzvahtankusa.com/build-a-tank/

My Core Approach to Mitzvah Tank Design

1. Consider the Vehicle—Every Door, Window, and Handle Matters

A good wrap isn’t printed on a Photoshop canvas. It’s printed on a moving, living vehicle.

Every van or RV has its own shape, quirks, proportions, and problem areas. If you ignore that, you end up with text slicing through a door line, a face split in half by a hinge, or a critical message disappearing behind a tinted window.

I always design with the vehicle—not around it. That means mapping out:

How the doors swing open
Where the windows are placed
Where the tank folds, curves, and compresses
Which areas get the most visibility as it drives

A well-designed tank looks great even when every door is open.

2. One Clear Message

A mitzvah tank shouldn't need time to explain itself. Most people see it for seconds—if that.

That’s why I like to focus on:

One core message that can be read in under a second
A few smaller messages for people who walk up, stop, and take a closer look

This balance is something many tanks miss. When everything is emphasized, nothing is emphasized. Simplicity isn’t minimalism rather it's effective communication.

3. Avoid Photos (Unless They’re Professionally Shot for the Tank)

Photos are tricky on large vehicles. Low-resolution images, mismatched lighting, and clashing styles are all magnified when stretched ten feet across a wall.

I have a simple rule: If you didn’t shoot it specifically for the tank, don’t use it.

The Chabad of Maryland project is the perfect example of how to do it right. They invested in a custom photoshoot with real people from their community. That authenticity can’t be faked with Google images or recycled stock photography.

The result? A wrap that feels personal and honest.

4. Never Rush a Mitzvah Tank — But Keep Things Moving

Deadlines happen. Events come up. You want the tank ready for Chanukah… and it’s already Rosh Chodesh Kislev.

But rushing the design stage is always a mistake.

A tank stays on the road for years. It becomes a landmark in your city. The design deserves time—but it also needs momentum. I’ve learned to balance both by:

Working in drafts that always move things forward
Keeping communication constant
Refusing to compromise on quality (what looks like a tiny detail on a screen can be a few square feet when printed)
Working with wrapping companies to make sure they implement the design exactly how it was envisioned

A rushed wrap looks rushed. A well-paced project looks timeless.

2025 Project Roundup

Below are three recent Mitzvah Tank projects. Each with its own challenges and creative solutions. The Maryland tank takes center stage, for good reason.

Chabad of Maryland — Gavi's Mitzvah Tank

In memory of Gavi Rosenblum z"l

This tank is one of the most collaborative projects I’ve had the privilege to work on, and it was especially meaningful because I personally knew Gavi.

What made it special:

It included a full custom photoshoot
The goal was clarity: one message, one large visual, clean layout
From the wrap to the shirts and stickers nothing was forgotten

Mitzvah Tank Chicago

A lineage of Mitzvah Tanks:
We wanted to design this tank to be bold, eye-catching, and impossible to miss on busy Chicago streets. At the same time, it needed to sit naturally alongside its predecessor. The new tank features vibrant colors and clear, prominently displayed Mivtzoim across its windows.

The new and the old Mitzvah Tank side by side.

New Brunswick, NJ

This tank brings the Rebbe’s message front and center with a large, full-back photograph of the Rebbe and the call to action: “Do a Mitzvah Today to Bring Moshiach Now.” The design is rounded out with clearly displayed Mivtzoim across the Mitzvah Tank.