Turn Your Vehicle into a 24/7 Marketing Machine

Commercial vehicle graphics should represent your brand and must be easy to digest, to not only grab the attention of a potential client, but so they also know how to get in touch. Our Signs Express experts share their top tips to remember when it comes to your overall design:

1. Think about what information you need to include

• Who you are – your business name and/or logo.
• What you do – clearly display your products and services.
• How to contact you – you want to avoid having too much contact information on your vehicle, so we suggest having your website and a phone number.

2. Think about font and colour

• Not all colours will work on your vehicle, for example, silver on a white vehicle is almost impossible to see in some lights. If your company colours don’t work as cut vinyl direct onto the paint colour, we often solve this by flooding the panel with your corporate colour first.
• As a rough guide, letters that are three inches high tend to be visible from about 7.5 metres away and letters closer to six inches tall can be read from around 10 metres***. So, where you can, make sure the letters are big enough for more visibility but not so big that they are ‘shouting’.
• Fonts should be evenly spaced so the letters are not squashed so closely together they’re hard to read, but not so widely spaced that they don’t instantly form a word to someone seeing your design for the first time.

3. Overall graphics

• Setting your budget is key. There are a vast number of possibilities when it comes to vehicle signage, knowing your budget will allow the graphics to be designed to give the maximum effect. Once this has been determined, you can look at the many options available.
• Think about which parts of your car, van or lorry are most visible. The most viewed area is often thought to be the rear of a vehicle so make sure this is a priority and fully utilised. Consider a smaller size or less text elsewhere if your budget is tight. For longer words or more detailed graphics, using the side panels works well as they have the largest surface area – just be careful how this will read if doors are open.
• To ensure the maximum lifespan of the graphics, different materials will be used. The vinyl used, along with where the graphics are placed, will make a massive difference to the overall cost. For instance, a large logo on a flat panel will use a different material to that of the same sized logo that goes over panel creases, typically done on a partial or full wrap.
• Check the vehicle proof carefully, is it the right make, model, wheelbase, colour? Does it have anything in the way of the graphics, extra locks, access ladders, rubbing strips, aftermarket windows? Is everything spelt correctly?
• Finally, let your insurer know of any vehicle sign writing. Some companies may charge a slight premium as replacing the graphics in any accident will increase the repair bill but others will offer a discount as they believe that the vehicle is less likely to be stolen***.

Vinyl graphics (sometimes called decals or stickers) offer you the chance to add lettering and simple logos using colours and fonts of your choice whilst remaining highly affordable.

Benefits:

• Ideal for leased vehicles
• Works within smaller budget
• Easily replaced if vehicle needs repairing
• Great for mixed use vehicles (professional & personal)

Considerations:

• Designed to work with the colour of the vehicle paint work

The versatility of full vehicle wraps makes them a popular choice to apply your brand identity to any commercial van or truck.

Benefits:

• Reversible so ideal for lease vehicles
• High impact and can be seen from all directions
• Vinyl wrap provides a barrier to potential damage
• Cheaper option than a colour change respray

Considerations:

• Most expensive option
• The DVLA will need to be informed of any full colour change so the registration document (V5C) can be amended