Introduction To Vehicle Branding
There are many opinions on what makes effective advertising or marketing. Many experts will tell you that making a great first impression is the key – however, the REAL secret is to make a great LASTING first impression! One of the most effective vehicles for doing that are vehicles themselves! A vehicle is not just a method of getting from A to B – it can be a fantastic marketing opportunity. Whether you are a brand new business just starting up, or a long-established company, vehicle graphics are a great way to advertise and market your business.
Think about it – whether you’re actually going about your daily business in your vehicle, or whether you’re parked or even in a traffic jam, your message and brand is being viewed by those around you!
The Key Benefits Of Vehicle Graphics
Brand awareness
You can strengthen your brand identity and association whilst creating unique marketing opportunities. Vehicle wraps have been known to boost name recognition up to 15 times morethan any other form of advertising. Passing motorists and pedestrians will not notice a plain white van – they WILL, however, notice a coloured, attractive, professionally designed branding on your vehicle.
Build a local business presence
Vehicle branding provides memorable local advertising. The people most likely to see your product/service advertising are those who live and work in your area where you operate most.
One cost – Once applied
Vehicle graphics will look great for 5 or more years. Unlike other advertising forms, where you have consistent reoccurring costs, you can change your vehicle wrap as often, or as infrequently, as you please. Your initial investment will be a fraction of other advertising media costs for long-term advertising campaigns and will continue to generate results for years.
Cost effective advertising
Latest UK statistics claim that we spend on average 1,040 hours behind the wheel every year – around 1.5 months! With 35.6 million registered vehicles on the road this is a huge number of potential branding impressions.
UK Government statistics show that your vehicle will be seen up to 3,000 times per day on its journeys. We’ve estimated that equates pretty much to 4 pence per 100 sightings – compare that with figures of £1.94 for direct mail advertising, or £1.21 for radio advertising, for the equivalent public reach, and it’s a compelling argument for using an existing company asset to further boost your company profile and business.
A wider audience
Vehicle graphics provide advertising for your business wherever you go – even on your way into, and home from, work you’re constantly advertising your brand. You will reach every demographic regardless of gender, income, age and ethnicity.
Non-aggressive advertising
In an age of constant ‘in your face’ advertising from all media forms, vehicle livery provides people with a memorable image without engendering negative feelings/reactions towards the advertising.
Flexibility
With today’s quality materials and vehicle wrapping methods, any graphics or artwork can be removed and replaced.
Protects your vehicle
An aspect not to be overlooked! Leaving aside the many advertising and marketing benefits of vehicle graphics, the vinyl wrapping will also protect your vehicle from stone chips and minor abrasions, as well as everyday wear and tear. Once the wrapping is removed, the vehicle will have that ‘almost new’ appearance regardless of how long the designs have been on!
Request A Quote
With an increasing range of materials and techniques available the creative possibilities are unlimited. To discuss your requirements please contact our team.
Contact UsVehicle Graphics Design Considerations
1. Create a template
It is crucial to have an accurate template of the vehicles concerned. You should set up your template in layers. One layer should include features such as bumpers and windows although they may not be necessarily going to be covered. Then create separate layers for each of the different views that will be printed – passenger side, driver side, front, back and top.
2. Look for design inspiration
Decide what will be appropriate for your vehicle branding. Obvious starting point is your company brand image or logo. Decide what advertising copy you want displayed. If you’re going to use photographs or pixel-based artwork, ensure their quality – make sure they are high resolution images.
3. Think about the layout
Keep in perspective how your branded vehicle will be seen – it will usually be whilst in motion. Use bolder colours and ONE main point of focus – this will make the design eye-catching and easy to recall. Remember – extensive text might make it hard to read.
4. Be aware of what can't be done
Government regulations dictate that certain parts, or aspects, of different vehicles cannot display logos and such – ensure at the design outset which of these apply to the vehicle you are designing for. For example, the front windscreen as well as driver and front passenger windows cannot be covered on any vehicle.
5. Think about the contours of the vehicle
Designing “flat” artwork for a three-dimensional object can create problems so consult your installer to achieve the most effective results. Cars, vans, trucks and such, all have multiple body lines – most of which are not parallel to the road surface. A common mistake is to have text or design elements following body lines rather than what is actually level.
6. Special considerations
Keep in mind the vehicle’s use – if sliding doors are a feature, consider what the design will display when doors are opened – and perhaps avoid some embarrassing text!
The Different Types Of Vehicle Graphic
Car Stickers Or Decals
Vinyl lettering and graphics provide an easy and quick advertising solution for company vehicles. Decals are self-adhesive and can be fitted by a specialist sign writer or can be easily despatched directly to your business premises. Custom car stickers are easy to apply and remove and can be created with a fast turnaround, so are ideal for promotional events and ad hoc usage. Car stickers are waterproof and can be applied to the vehicle’s body work or the inside/outside of windows and glass. They are a quicker and cheaper alternative to full vehicle wraps and tend to be designed with the body work colour of the vehicle in mind rather than covering the whole of the vehicle.
Car & Van Wraps
Vehicle wrapping works as a bright form of engaging signage that represents the quality of your brand as a positive image. Large sheets of printed vinyl are used to cover, uplift and transform any vehicle’s appearance. Heated and moulded to conform to the exact contours of your vehicles, the vinyl is expertly applied and can be removed at the end of an advertising campaign or the end of the vehicle’s life usage.
Vehicle Graphics - The FAQs
How long do vehicle graphics and vinyl wraps last?
This can all depend on the type of graphics you choose but a full colour digitally printed wrap should last up to 5 years.
Can I wrap just one part of my vehicle?
Yes, we can provide a vehicle wrap that covers either part or the whole of your vehicle. Sometimes applying smaller graphics can create a great solution for smaller budgets. Or just including simple branding such as your logo and contact details on the side of your vehicle can be highly effective.
Will a vinyl wrap damage my paint work?
When applied correctly vehicle wrapping should not damage your paintwork, in fact in can act as a level of protection. An experienced graphic installer such as John E Wright will check your paintwork prior to applying graphics to ensure it’s in a good condition.
Are vinyl wraps easy to remove?
Vinyl wraps can be removed though we’d recommend this is performed by one of our trained experts. You could damage your paint work if you attempt to remove them incorrectly.
Can you apply wraps to the windows?
Of course, though the law prevents graphics being applied to the driver and front passenger windows, as well as the front windscreen.
Does it matter what colour my car is?
Not at all, though you may want to consider the colours in your branding before confirming a design – or indeed purchasing a new vehicle. You want your graphics to look great but too many colour contrasts will reduce their impact.
Conclusion
Whether using decals or full vinyl wraps, your vehicle is an extremely versatile and effective advertising option. Graphics can be applied to cars, vans, trailers, motor cycles, boats, horse boxes, caravans, taxis, buses and just about any form of transport!
They can be designed to display photographs, complex art work or logos, can be produced in hundreds of different colours and, in many cases, different finishes such as matt, metallic and reflective.
John E Wright’s fully trained fitting staff can help transform your vehicle into something really unique. Whether you’re looking for a full wrap, help to rebrand your fleet or some removable magnetic signs, John E Wright can help your vehicle become more than just a mode of transport – it’s the next step in your marketing plan. Get in touch and tell us about your requirements, or upload your design directly to our printers through our website. It’s so easy, and you’d be surprised at how cost effective it can be.
Our Case Studies
Thomas James Vehicle Signage
Having initially approached us to help with signage for their newly acquired sales office in Calverton, questions then arose as to whether we could also help with Vehicle Signage too – giving them additional opportunities of marketing their brand to a wider audience, whilst out and about on the road.
Werner Ford Ranger Graphics
Another vehicle to have a graphic wrap treatment at our Linkmel Close production hub – this time though, not one but two larger than life vehicles entered through our doors on behalf of Werner Ladders.
As these specialist vehicles were being used by their reps all over the country in various places from building sites through to muddy and remote locations, they required the graphics to be durable and long lasting. Premium vinyls were selected to allow the printed graphic to be moulded to curved panels of the pick-up, whilst one-way vinyl was used to allow the graphic to be continued across the rear windows without causing any obstruction to the drivers rear view once being driven about.
Thomas James Vehicle Signage
Having initially approached us to help with signage for their newly acquired sales office in Calverton, questions then arose as to whether we could also help with Vehicle Signage too – giving them additional opportunities of marketing their brand to a wider audience, whilst out and about on the road.
A fleet of four Fiat 500 cars entered our Linkmel Close production hub for attention, following the sign off of their approved design.
Mercedes Benz Colour Vinyl Wrap
Respraying any vehicle with a new colour can be both time consuming and expensive, often running to many £000’s, so changing the colour with a vinyl wrap is the best and simplest solution. Apart from the obvious aesthetic improvement though there are practical benefits too. Once a wrap is applied, the original paintwork is protected from the day to day wear and tear and harmful UV damage.
Should an owner become bored of the colour or just wishes to restore the vehicle to its original appearance, then all of the vinyl can be 100% removed with no damage to the underlying bodywork.
Ideal Boilers Re-branded Vehicles
We were sent an initial design from an agency but due to financial constraints on this project the design was not suitable, so using our knowledge along side the customers brief we internally modified the design to come up with a cost effective solution which could be implemented on the vehicles.
The car graphics were booked in for one hour windows with us doing 9 or 10 vehicles a day for 7 days, this resulted in each member of staff only been off the road for one hour. We also selected locations around the country to base the fitting, again keeping disruption to the client as minimal as possible so members of staff could arrange to go to the nearest location.
Correctly getting the graphics to fit each Make, Model & Colour didn’t prove a problem as using our vehicle outline templates and the clients up to date database we could easy work out what size & colour the graphics needed to be.
