The “secrets” to designing wow-worthy vehicle wraps aren’t really “secrets” anymore. At KickCharge, we’re not afraid to share the keys to success with anyone who will listen. So we can’t help but wonder: Why are there still so many “blanded” wraps on the road? There shouldn’t be! To us, it’s not that difficult to create a simple, easy-to-read message once you understand the top fundamental tips of vehicle design.
So many home service vehicles lack proper branding and legible messaging which is a major wasted opportunity. Many do not have a true understanding of the medium of vehicle wraps. In the past, the prerequisites for truck lettering artists were years of study and apprenticeships. Trying your hand at the craft is a bit easier today, since the primary barrier to entry is acquiring the cash to buy a large-format digital printer. This means that, while a sign or wrap company may be brilliant at installing wraps, they may lack experience in the study of successful outdoor advertising.
The following rules can help you better understand the fundamentals for designing a powerful vehicle wrap. Whether you are a designer hoping to improve your layouts or a small business owner trying to gain market share, these fleet branding ideas will help you get the maximum impact and return on investment for your outdoor vehicle advertising programs.
One of the reasons many vehicle wraps fail is because they start off with a poor brand identity and logo. For a small business trying to make an impact in their community, the brand should always be the primary message for the vehicle wrap. When you start with a less-than-stellar brand identity, you’re failing before you even begin by wasting money and missing a huge marketing opportunity.
KickCharge Creative designs wraps only for clients whose brands we’ve created because most existing home service brands are lackluster, messy or just plain boring. The shocking part is that we are usually the first ones to tell them this harsh truth. Maybe wrap installers are afraid to lose the job. Maybe their marketing agency is afraid they’ll scare away a client by talking about revamping their look. Not KickCharge! If a company won’t change its poor brand, we won’t design its wrap.
Typically, clients appreciate our honesty because they know we have their best interests in mind. Because a vehicle wrap is one of the most visible, public-facing marketing tools a business has—and because its success depends entirely on the strength of the brand behind it—we won’t design or wrap a vehicle if the brand isn’t where it needs to be.
Before Classic Renovators came to us, they suffered from a classic case of “White Van Syndrome.” They didn’t even have a logo—their only identifier was “Painting & Carpentry” in blue letters on the side of a van. The only place their business name appeared was in the website URL they put below their service. After developing a retro-inspired logo around their existing name, we designed a vehicle wrap that’s impossible to ignore.
Van wraps that use photos are rarely effective. For starters, a photo is not a brand identity; it doesn’t connect the audience with the business name. It may be representative in some way of what a company does, but it doesn’t tell the story of why a customer should choose your company. A good brand should be able to sell your services, tell people what you do and reflect your name at the same time.
A common example is an HVAC contractor with a picture of an air conditioning unit on its truck. Great. Now I know you do air conditioning, but I don’t know who you are. When you’re on the road and have only seconds to draw in a customer and stay “sticky” in their minds, a simple photo won’t cut it. Sure, they’ll remember they need their HVAC unit serviced, but they won’t remember your name or what you look like.
Or consider the contractor using a picture of a house, like Jolly Goat’s original brand did. It doesn’t communicate whether you are a siding company, a roofing contractor, a window installer, a power washer, a landscaper or an electrician. After I’ve spent my 2.5 seconds noticing the photo, your brand message is lost amid all of the other things trying to grab my attention.
The best truck wrap design ideas focus on powerful brand integration. National chains have an easier time using photography because, once again, their brand is already known. As a result, their message need not be 100% focused on conveying it. Small businesses don’t have this luxury.
A great vehicle wrap only needs a few things to be effective: strong brand implementation, a tagline, a web address and maybe a phone number. In the few seconds you may get to convey your messaging on the road, bulleted lists have no place on a vehicle. Think of it this way—if this truck was a billboard, how much copy would be on it? Billboards and vehicle advertising face similar challenges and therefore should employ similar strategies. If you prioritize your copy, it will be more effective. In general, the hierarchy should always be:
So, what are some copy-related items that just aren’t worth the space? Here are just a few of the ones we run into most often:
The vehicle wraps for Key Breeze Locksmith have all of the information a customer might need—and nothing they don’t—but the powerful brand is the focus, as it should be.
Contrary to popular belief, van graphic design ideas that incorporate diamond plate, carbon fiber or tribal flames are not effective. By eliminating fills, noisy backgrounds, photos or bevels and glows, you’ll be on your way to designing a wrap that actually stands out. The market is littered with visual noise. The ones with impact are the wraps we can actually read and remember; they can’t help but stand out among the visual clutter. KickCharge vehicle wrap designs are innovative simply because they are unlike what everyone else seems to be doing. That’s why they stand out.
If the viewer needs to work too hard to figure out the primary brand messaging, it’s a lost opportunity. Vehicle advertising isn’t like print collateral, where the viewer can stop, absorb the advertising and try to understand the message. You have mere seconds to convey the message you need. Choose one primary takeaway you’re hoping to communicate to the viewer. Is it obvious or is it lost in the imagery? Is it legible or is it too small to see at 50 MPH?
This vehicle wrap design for Beyond Wow Plumbing communicates the company’s brand promise and information right away. Simple and powerful messaging—the “wow factor” on top of a great wrap!
Perhaps the most straightforward way to see how a brand-focused vehicle wrap is more effective is to compare before and after images side-by-side. Visit our Before & After Gallery for more powerful examples of weak designs transformed into vehicle advertising that gets the job done.
A better brand makes all marketing work better. Stop wasting thousands of dollars and hours of time trying to push a brand identity that falls flat. A powerful, disruptive rebrand should do most of the heavy lifting for you, freeing your budget (and schedule!) to take on more jobs and lower marketing spend.
The best trucks to wrap for advertising have an open canvas with minimal obstructions that would interrupt the design. Our team prefers the Ford Transit Mid Roof; its shape is ideally suited for most logos, and since the license plate is on the bumper, it does not obscure any of the available design space on the doors. Other models KickCharge Creative has designed include Dodge ProMaster, Chevy Express, Nissan and Mercedes Sprinter— though, they have the license plate on the rear door.
Don’t let your brand blend in amongst the traffic! Turn heads with effective vehicle wrap marketing and keep your business moving forward.
Check out the related video on our YouTube channel:
Dan Antonelli