Well-Designed Wraps and Signs Reinforce Brand Identity

While there are differences in approach when designing business signs or vehicle wraps, the overarching goal for both is to reinforce the brand. “The intent of the wrap or sign is to simply plant the company’s image, logo, or brand in the mind of the potential customer,” acknowledged Eric Zimmerman, product manager, color products, Roland DGA.

Elevating the Brand

Creating an identifiable brand is the critical first step to implementing a successful graphics program, asserted Dan Antonelli, president of New Jersey-based Graphic D-Signs, a full-service ad agency that caters to a national roster of small businesses. The company expanded its initial core competencies from branding and vehicle advertising to include web design and development and marketing and advertising services.

The challenge for the sign or vehicle wrap provider, as the one who get the call from the business owner, is assessing whether or not what the client wants makes sense or works for that medium, explained Antonelli.

“If the customer feels that it’s their business and their logo, and no matter how bad or good it is, ‘ this is my logo and I don’t care how bad it is I am going to put it on my truck’—the graphics provider’s dilemma is ‘do I just collect the check and move on, or do I educate the client?’” said Antonelli. “Within our own company, we may have to guide our clients to consider a redesign logo so it works properly for that medium.”

The brand needs to communicate a positive initial first impression, a positive brand promise, a point Antonelli hammered home in his book, “Building a Big Small Business Brand: How to Turn Your Brand into Your Most Valuable Asset,” available on amazon.com and through the company’s website (www.graphicd-signs.com) Branding for a small business is important, providing consistency across all touch points, from business cards to vehicle wraps.

One of Graphic D-Signs clients, an HVAC company with 30 trucks on the road, realized an 834 percent increase in phone calls year to year after a brand and logo redesign.

“It was the best investment he ever made,” said Antonelli. “Companies can get a huge ROI with a logo design that is simple and effective.”

Incorporating a brand logo is more effective than just using normal text for the company name, said Dean Derhak, product director at SAi, makers of Flexi Software. Branding affects the color scheme of the vehicle wrap as well, so the whole wrap design should incorporate the brand colors throughout.

“When creating a wrap or sign design, clarity, and impact are crucial elements,” he added. “The viewer may only have a chance to view a wrap or sign for a few seconds, so the design has to be striking and memorable. An impactful wrap or sign design that comes to mind when a consumer is considering a purchase can truly be the deciding factor.”

That being said, design concepts can vary greatly depending upon the particular project and target audience.

“The effectiveness of a commercial vehicle wrap is how well it generates leads,” said Derhak. “So the two key elements of an effective wrap design are eye-catching graphics and clear contact information. Customers often want big graphics everywhere in the design but that’s not as important as simple contact information. That means a phone number for most businesses or website address for web-based businesses. Contact information should be visible on all sides of the vehicle, including the hood. For trucks, it’s important to have the contact information on the doors and the truck bed or box.”

For a vehicle wrap to be effective, the design needs to be big, bold and eye-catching, echoed Zimmerman. “In many cases, less is more. Keep in mind that you may need a wrap to deliver the intended message while the vehicle is traveling at 65 mph. The graphics should clearly incorporate the brand’s imagery as well as the company logo and possibly a website URL, and they should do so in an interesting, attention-grabbing manner. Creative design and vibrant color can play a big role in creating a wrap or sign that screams for attention. A lot of Roland customers are using our specialty inks, such as metallic Eco-Sol MAX and Eco-Sol MAX 2, to produce graphics that really pop.”

Pro Vehicle Outlines works with thousands of vehicle graphics professionals, providing them with a yearly collection of vehicle templates that they in turn use to design, present, produce, and install total wraps, partial wraps, lettering or decal applications, explained Michael Chramtchenko, director of marketing, CADlink Technology Corporation. Pro Vehicle Outlines is one of CADlink’s businesses.

“Using these templates is essential to what these graphic professionals are trying to accomplish,” he said.

When designing vehicle graphics, you need to ensure, for example, that key information is not running through the door handles, or on the rivets on side panels. You have to make sure the text remains between wheel wells or fenders.

“Templates are critical tools that ensure the graphic professionals position their design properly,” Chramtchenko said. “All of our templates are created from factory specifications; measurements are hand done and compared to the car manufacturer’s specifications. We make sure, for example, the door handle isn’t off by half an inch.”

The templates show different views, and are a huge help in ensuring the graphics are positioned in a way to maximize the effectiveness of the graphics when installed on the vehicle, added Chramtchenko.

Once the design is completed, a template with the graphics is provided, a printed proof of what the vehicle will look with the graphics. The customer can see exactly what the finished product will look like.

SAi Flexi Designer allows for fast wrap design at 100 percent scale, important for making sure image resolutions are correct for final output, said Derhak. This also makes it easier when going to print because there are no scaling issues from design to production.

Flexi combines complete vector object and text tools with full bitmap editing capabilities and Adobe Photoshop filter support, so all aspects of wrap design can be accomplished quickly in a single application and at full output scale.

Flexi Designer interfaces directly with other RIP software like Roland Versaworks and ONYX. When it comes to printing vehicle wraps, the Flexi Production Manager RIP software offers special custom tiling and overlap tools that make finishing easier, said Dehart. Flexi allows shops to set custom tiles around windows and all major panels of a vehicle with correct overlaps. This makes placement and edge-to-edge seamless wrapping easier with the least amount of material wasted.

As far as signs are concerned, there are countless types, so there’s no “one-size fits all” approach, said Zimmerman. “There are key elements you should consider when developing your design, however. First off, think about the purpose of your sign, what you want it to accomplish. Equally important is taking into account who the audience is and the specific action you want them to take (call to action). Certain rules apply across the board when designing signs. Always use proper spacing, keeping in mind how you are using negative space. Creating a sign that is clear, concise and clutter-free works regardless of the format or size.”

Top Tips from Our Experts

Avoid cluttered, confusing designs. The final wrap must be easy for a viewer to quickly comprehend. This means the design should have contrast in colors so the contact information will stand out.

Background graphics and colors should not conflict with the text copy. Don’t make the design or text too busy, as too much information on the vehicle will encourage people to tune out. For example, instead of listing all of the products and services a cleaning company offers or the locations it serves, it’s more effective if the vehicle simply states the company name, service, and phone number.

Create a design with the vehicle in mind. For example, don’t place letters in the design where vehicle mirrors, moldings and handles are located. Wrap finishers can’t adjust a print without losing letters in these non-wrap areas on the vehicle. Wrap designers also need to be aware of vehicle contour curves, so they include extra design where needed. Using vehicle design templates can help with this, but taking some basic measurements around key areas is the best way to avoid costly design mistakes.

To avoid costly re-designs, consider how the design will look and read when the vehicle is in use. For example, a van wrap designed incorrectly can make a company message of “Wholesale Tires for Sale” turn into “Whores for Sale” when the sliding door opens. Always check how the design will look with the doors open and the windows rolled down if using perforated material on the windows.

QR codes need to be large enough for people with a mobile device to scan them from a realistic distance. At a minimum, the QR Code size needs to be 13 percent of the scanning distance. For example, to scan a QR code from four feet away, it needs to be at least 6.5 inches wide on the vehicle.

Avoid using photographs, as it dates the truck very quickly. Photos come at the expense of the branding; it’s more important to see the logo.