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!

This is a question we get daily, with good reason. The best way to attack that question is knowing what factors go into your wrap. Generally, most shops including ours use templates and guides to determine square footage of a wrap. Is it full coverage? What kind of vehicle is it? Do you need graphic design? How long is it going to be on there for and what materials should we use? All these questions are determining factors in your wrap.

Nissan NV Wrap done for Driveway Rescue TV show for RTM productions, in Franklin, TN.

“Where can we save money?” We do too many van wraps a year here to count, and 90% don't have the roof done- instead, we install a 18"-24" piece of vinyl as a "header" over the windshield to give the illusion of roof coverage. This saves significantly as on many commercial vans and vehicles, the roof is one of the largest panels. If you're looking to wrap a van- Chevy, ford, dodge, or Mercedes- be it a econoline van or a sprinter-style van I'd budget anywhere from $2200-$4500 printing and installation depending on trim models, roof height, and design needed. The larger the vehicle, the greater the price. Most companies like ours charge by the square foot- If that seems to be slightly out of budget reach, I'd look into partial wraps, as you can achieve similar results as a full wrap with a more cost effective and budget-friendly price point.

Also, be mindful of materials being used- if a company is coming in significantly lower than other bids, find out if they are using premium 3M or Avery materials, and if so if they are using the best application for the job at hand. Someone quoting higher might be using a higher price-point material for quality reasons- so make sure quotes are apples-to-apples, respectively. I’d approach this the same way you would in your business- if someone called with a considerably less quote compared to yours, you’re immediately going to think “sure, but what are they getting for that, and where are they cutting corners” about your customer and their competing quote. If it’s close and the same cost of goods/materials/labor cost you may be willing to match it.

Some materials have an 18 month- 2 year lifespan, where more a more expensive option might be using a 5-7 year, premium cast 3M vinyl. Choosing the quote with better materials at a higher cost MAY be a better option if the lesser quality materials forces you have to have your wrap re-done every 2-3 years; that extra $500-1,000 for premium materials now may save you double or triple that over 4-5 years. Be mindful of quality- Ask about cast vs. calendared vinyl and laminate combos to make sure you’re not getting a cheaper price for a cheaper product. Wraps are a high ticket item for businesses, and you should be mindful of quality!

Food Truck Wrap for Tacos Aurora, Nashville, TN

Food trucks, boutique trucks, etc can be similar in price- with large, extended height and length food trucks getting into the $4000-$5500 range for printing and installation. These trucks may look flat, but they have a good amount of hardware and accessories on them that make design and installing properly more difficult than at first glance. Making sure your chosen company designs the wrap with proper installation in mind, making sure information is not running through vents, raised areas (where text MIGHT be distorted or lost) is just as important as quality printing and installation. Design often is a separate cost, but be mindful that a quality, well designed wrap will garner more attention and have a higher rate of effectiveness than just slapping a background and a logo on your vehicle. Make sure your wrap company checks off these boxes below before jumping into the least-cost option. It may save you money in the long run! Lets review the wrap checklist:

• Are they using the right materials for the job, and did I do my research to make sure they are?

• Have I checked their google/social reviews for positives/negatives?

• do they have insurance in case my vehicle is damaged in their care?

• Do they quality control their print production according to MFG requirements? (outgassing prints, matching base and laminated materials, right print profiling, etc)

• Do they offer an installer warranty? Did they go over the ACTUAL material warranty and lifespan of the materials being used? (you should request a copy of said info bulletins)

• Do their designers take time to offer insight on creative to IMPROVE brand exposure with quality design and functional placement of info? (managing these expectations is key)

Advertising and Commercial wraps are a serious marketing tool, and have very high ROI's, especially in local markets.

Contact us today and we can help you brand your fleet vehicles to be a 24/7 employee of your business!

Looking to expand your local reach for your business, brand or organization? Vehicle Wraps have proven time and time again to be the best bang for your buck. But what makes a vehicle wrap program work? A Good, Effective Design Strategy. A good wrap company should be asking you as the client what it is you're trying to achieve with your wrap.

Are you looking to drive web traffic? Are you looking to offer a product or service? If so, how do they contact you? Is your wrap going to support your marketing efforts across other media platforms? Do you have a strong social presence and wish to communicate that to your clients to improve engagement with your brand? Establishing the purpose is key to creating a dynamic, disruptive wrap design. You have 3-15 seconds to make an impression, and get your message across. Make sure you're concise, direct and simple with your message to deliver the best impact you can.

The residual outcome? The better, more effective the design, the more professional your fleet looks- attracting more business and attention and that, when done right, converts to revenue.

Click the link below to see some examples of highly-effective vehicle wraps we’ve done, and get a quote for your next vehicle wrap.