Vehicle wraps are common place today. They’re everywhere. However, if we took the time to examine most wraps on the road today, you’d think the concept of designing a simple, easy-to-read message was difficult to understand. It’s really not, once you understand the fundamentals of what it takes to design and roll out a good wrap.
The characteristics of good wrap design and vehicle advertising — those which use proper branding, and easy-to-discern messaging — are rarely employed on most vehicle wraps seen on the road today. This explains why many wraps are failures from an advertising standpoint, and sadly a wasted opportunity for the businesses deploying them. This can be primarily attributed to a lack of education and understanding about the actual medium and what impacts effectiveness. Mastering the craft is a bit easier today, since the primary barrier to entry is acquiring the cash to buy a large format digital printer. So, while the sign or wrap company may be brilliant at printing and installing wraps, they may lack experience in creating an effective advertising effort for the company they are working with.
These tips can help you better understand the core tenets for good wrap design and effective vehicle advertising. Whether you are a designer hoping to improve your layouts, or a small business owner trying to gain market share, these tips will help you get the maximum impact and return on investment for your outdoor vehicle advertising programs.
Tip #1: Start with A Great Brand
One reason that so many wraps fail from a marketing perspective is because the business has a poor brand identity and logo. The brand should always be the primary message for a vehicle wrap, unless you have national brand recognition. For small businesses trying to make an impact in their community, the message is always about the brand. Starting with a poor brand means you’ve failed before you’ve begun: by wasting money on a wrap and missing a huge marketing opportunity.
For us, having a good logo to work with is key. Strong brand assets have a much more powerful impact and work well in all print applications, especially in vehicle wrap marketing. You’ve got seconds to make an impression, or fade away into the masses. Most companies will design with whatever you have- mainly because they don’t want to loose the job. For us, it’s Quality NOT quantity. If we feel we can’t deliver a functional design to help boost brand awareness and drive business we’ll actually pass on the job. Our integrity won’t allow us to take your money simply for revenue, knowing your message isn’t working for that money spent. A wrap is a marketing investment; it should be approached and designed with the strategy of increasing traffic and revenue through brand strength.
Tip #2: Use Photos Only When It Assists Your Brand
I think the view point here is 50/50. However, I believe that there are effective wraps that use photos- Look at Nike, Adidas, etc- they have billboards with photos. I think the challenge is most photos used on wraps were not taken with the intent to convey the brand message- simply used as a portfolio item. It’s almost too easy to snap a photo of a house, freshly painted, and overlay the logo and contact info. It’s generic. It’s too universal. This is where you NEED to let your brand identity and logo SHINE. If you’ve invested good money into your logo, it should stand alone and tell your story. When photos become the dominant element in your wrap, you can find your powerful brand getting lost. I challenge you to look at ads from the above companies, and see how the photos actually support the brand message- not overshadow it. As a small business, you want your clients to Associate your powerful logo with your brand- and the trust and services or products you provide behind it.
Tip #3: Don’t Be Too Wordy.
Again, a wrap has seconds to communicate a message. First, we need to capture attention- That means a good design, strong brand colors with accompanied with a powerful logo. Second, let’s get a phone number and web address. The typography should match and be on-brand with the fonts chosen. I’d recommend using the same or a variation of the same font family used in your logo. It keeps continuity- and consumers like clean, bold things to look at. Some companies like to list services, and as much as I’m not a fan, I feel sometimes it has it’s place. If you’re going to do it, do it tastefully. We don’t need 15 items of your services. Keep it simple: “Landscaping, Hardscaping, Irrigation.” No one can read your print ad while driving. The takeaway? You want people to focus on your brand, create a feeling. Think Billboard, not brochure.
Tip #4: Stand Out From Your Competition.
The real secret here is this is 100% achievable. If you survey the landscape of your industry, you’ll see other companies using vehicle wraps as a tool. However, many of them aren’t optimizing the real estate, since most of them don’t follow these simple tips. Here’s your chance. Let’s put the above tips to work. The job of the wrap is for people to be drawn to it- and then impressed with it. Sure, spatters and patterns, photos, etc can get attention, but then what? The consumer gets lost in the lack of composition and poof! The vehicle is gone, and as they are driving they see what seems to be the same vehicle, yet it’s a different company. Now two companies are competing for the same business, as they both failed at communicating their message. With a good design approach, you can leave a positive impression on people and when they think of hiring someone in your service industry, they immediately associate it with you.
Tip #5: Simple Is Better.
If the viewer needs to work too hard to figure out the primary brand messaging, it’s an opportunity lost. The medium isn’t the same as print design, where the viewer can stop, absorb the advertising and try and understand the message. Consider that one, primary takeaway you’re hoping to leave with the viewer. What is it? And does the wrap effectively communicate it? Is it lost in the imagery? Distance legibility is, of course, a primary concern. You have very limited time to capture the viewer’s attention and have your brand and message be understood and remembered.
Contact us to help put your brand to work with powerful wrap designs!