Whether they use cars, vans, trucks or buses, companies from every industry have designated vehicles to accomplish business tasks. From delivering goods to providing house calls to meeting with clients, your automobiles are essential to your daily routines. They help you get the job done quickly without having to rely on rentals or public transit. But if you want to make the most of your company cars and trucks, you should consider adding custom vehicle lettering and graphics.
Vehicle graphics allow you to personalize automobiles to match your company’s branding. With custom vinyl designs, you can add valuable information, like your company name and contact information. You can also decorate it with your logo and other brand-appropriate images. While your employees are using the company vehicles, they’ll be simultaneously exposing your business to new potential customers.
This guide will take you through how you can use vehicle graphics in your business and the benefits they provide.
What Are Vehicle Graphics?
If your company has a designated vehicle or fleet, adding graphics is an excellent form of advertising. Automotive graphics include decals and vinyl stickers that are fully customizable. They’re one of the most effective types of marketing within the out-of-home advertising (OOH) umbrella. OOH, also referred to as outdoor advertising, is any ad consumers will see when they’re traveling or not in their home.
Custom auto graphics reach more consumers per day than most other types of advertising. They typically contain the same messages and information as billboards, but they bring them down to eye level. Drivers and pedestrians will be able to clearly see your company name, logo and any other details. Whether your graphics are on a car, van, truck or bus, it guarantees you more exposure than a stationary sign.
When you create a graphic design for your automobiles, you should consider including the following elements.
- Company name: Regardless of what else you include, it’s essential to have your company’s name printed boldly and clearly. It’s the most basic information you can give about your business. Keep in mind that people need to be able to read it as you drive by. Making it simple and isolating it from other graphics or elements will give pedestrians and other drivers the best chances of accurately reading your name.
- Logo: In addition to your company’s name, you should also include the logo. Putting the two side by side will help viewers associate them, creating better brand recognition than using one independently of the other. Logos are noticeable and more easily identifiable than a name, making them perfect for moving vehicles.
- Slogan: If your company has a specific slogan or catchphrase associated with your brand, it may be helpful to add it to your graphic design. Not only will they help with brand recognition, but if they’re well-written, they can be very memorable. The point of advertising is to have your business stick in potential customers’ heads, and a catchy slogan can accomplish just that.
- Contact information: One of the most crucial pieces of information to include is some way people can get in touch with you. You can add a phone number, email, website address, social media handle or any combination you desire. For your graphics to be as effective as possible, you need to give interested customers a way to get in touch with your company or learn more.
- Branding: While each detail is equally crucial, you need to make sure every graphic you include has a design that matches your branding. From the fonts you choose to the color and style, the more cohesive everything is, the more recognizable your vehicle will be.
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Uses for Vehicle Graphics
Since they’re so versatile, vehicle graphics are perfect for many different industries. From technology companies to food service to local tourist attractions, every business can use vehicle advertising to their advantage. You can keep it simple with your company name and logo or make the most of the space with images and other information.
Graphics are excellent for many types of vehicles, including the following.
- Company cars: Some companies have designated cars for their employees or to travel for business purposes. Adding graphics to the sides or back of the vehicle is a great way to spread your name. Wherever your employees go, they’ll be advertising your products and services, raising brand awareness with no additional advertising efforts.
- Delivery vehicles: From restaurants to furniture stores, many different businesses use delivery vehicles. They’re a great way to increase profits and provide better customer service. But those vehicles are also perfect opportunities to increase exposure for your company. With vehicle graphics, you can turn your delivery cars into mobile advertising.
- Truck fleets: Whether you offer independent shipping services for your customers or are continually moving product from place to place, truck fleets are a necessary part of many industries. You may also have a group of vehicles that take your services mobile. Regardless of your trucks’ specific purposes, vehicle graphics can turn them into valuable advertising space.
- Public transit: Buses are always moving in busy cities, circling their routes. Not only are they one of the largest and most noticeable vehicles on the road, but people who rely on public transit services actively look for them. Their sides are broad and flat, making them perfect for advertising opportunities. With the number of people that use them and the amount of ground they cover per day, buses and other forms of transit are like moving billboards.
- Boats: Vinyl vehicle graphics are waterproof, making them suitable for boats as well. Advertising on your boat can be useful in densely populated marina areas or around docks. Visitors and other boaters will be able to see it when it’s in the dock, and if you place your logo or company name strategically, they’ll see it as you drive by.
The Benefits of Custom Vehicle Graphics
Applying graphics to your company vehicles takes advantage of valuable open space. If you’re already traveling to worksites, businesses, customer homes and other locations, adding information to your autos will make every trip more valuable. Outdoor advertisements, including those placed on automobiles, are highly effective. They have proven abilities to reach and influence more consumers, as OOH ads affect 70% of people’s decisions about where to spend their money.
Custom vehicle lettering and graphics are a beneficial advertising choice for any business. With your designs and help from a professional imaging company, you’ll be able to do the following.
1. Increase Your Exposure
Company vehicles are always on the move. Whether they’re out for delivery or your team is driving to a work location, your vehicles pass by a large number of people daily. If your business is in a large city, even one car can cross paths with thousands of people. The sheer level of exposure is what makes vehicle graphics one of the most efficient forms of advertising. They’re able to reach a broader audience for less expense per thousand views than any other type of outdoor advertising.
Having a form of mobile advertising also means you’ll have exposure to different demographics. While your other advertising methods may target specific demographics, vehicle graphics have a broader audience. They may bring in customers who never would’ve known about your business otherwise. If someone on the street is facing a specific problem that your business solves, seeing your mobile ad may inspire them to look into your company.
To get the best possible results, design a straightforward graphic layout that includes the essential details about your business. You want people to be able to see and understand your graphics from a distance and while in motion. However, it also needs to be eye-catching and memorable. If passersby notice and remember your branding the first time they see it, they’ll be able to recognize it on a second encounter.
2. Include Vehicles in Cohesive Branding
Every business needs a cohesive brand. The more organized your business’ brand is, the more likely customers will recognize it across different advertisements.
Vehicle graphics are excellent for increasing your exposure to the public. But for your designs to be effective, they must be quickly recognizable and understandable. This means that your vehicle should match your company’s branding and be distinctive in its visual execution. Your vehicle graphics may be the initial encounter a person has with your business, so it helps to design them as though you’re introducing your company for the first time.
Creating graphics that cohesively connect your vehicles to your company branding makes your business more recognizable at a glance. Well-planned branding that spans across all of your company’s materials will also make your business look more organized and professional. When arranging your vehicle design, you should match your company’s colors, fonts, and overall style. However, be careful not to make it look too crowded, as readability is a significant factor in your graphics’ effectiveness.
3. Update Your Look
Whether you want to rebrand your company or only update the look of your vehicles, vinyl graphics make it a snap to implement changes. It’s essential to stay updated with current trends and modernize your branding when it goes out of style. Rebranding takes a lot of time, effort, and money, though, so it’s beneficial to simplify your designs wherever possible.
Using vehicle graphics rather than getting full paint jobs or vehicle wraps enables you to switch up your design quickly and with minimal effort or costs. Paint jobs take time to prep, apply, and dry. When you want to upgrade your look, removing the design and repainting is time-consuming and can detract from your business. Vinyl is easy to apply and remove and won’t damage the finish on your vehicles, allowing you to get back to work faster.
If your company leases vehicles for business purposes, you can still customize them with vinyl graphics. Unlike paint, adhesive vinyl doesn’t violate the majority of lease agreements, and some leasing companies even include vinyl applications in the original financing.
4. Stay Within Your Budget
Budgeting is always a concern when running a business, large or small. You likely have a budget for your vehicle usage, maintenance, and marketing materials. While full paint jobs and car wrap can be quite expensive for some budgets, printing and applying individual vinyl graphics and lettering can help you save money while achieving similar results. For new businesses or those with tight budgets, vehicle graphics are a perfect way to brand a fleet without breaking the bank
Application Process
The majority of vehicle graphics consist of adhesive vinyl – a flexible material that has a sticky backside, making it easy to apply in a cinch. While the process is relatively simple, working with a professional installation team will get you the best results. Working with an imaging company can help you quickly get through the process with the desired results all the way from the initial design to the final application steps.
The application process for vehicle graphics at SpeedPro involves the following steps:
- Prepare the application surface: Before beginning the process, our experts thoroughly clean the surface where you’d like to place the graphic. If there is any residual dirt, wax, or oil, the vinyl may not stick well enough, or it could cause bumps and unevenness. Using ammonia may also prevent the vinyl from adhering, so we utilize a milder cleaning solution and apply it with a cloth.
- Position and secure the graphic: Place the graphic where you want to affix it on your vehicle and secure it in place with tape. Do this before removing the backing so that you can adjust it as many times as needed to get the perfect positioning. This is a beneficial step when you need to arrange multiple graphics together to get a complete idea of the final visualization.
- Remove the backing: Once you have the correct placement, carefully remove the backing and press the adhesive side onto the surface. For larger graphics, keeping the edges taped and removing the backing in two halves or several sections is helpful. Keep the protective front layer on to avoid damaging the design throughout the process.
- Smooth out bubbles and wrinkles: With a squeegee or flat-edged tool, smooth the vinyl out to remove any bubbles or wrinkles. Work from the center outward to push them toward the edges.
- Remove protective layer: When the graphics are fully affixed and smoothed out, remove the protective layer on the front. You can smooth it out one last time if there are any remaining defects.
Create Custom Vehicle Graphics With SpeedPro
Adding branded graphics is an excellent investment to make the most of your company vehicle. But you should always ensure that you’re working with a reliable imaging studio.
SpeedPro will help you through the process from start to finish. Our professionals work with you to create vinyl graphics that fit your needs and match your budget. You’ll have the advantage of selecting from a catalog of industry-leading products and quality large-format printing with high-grade vinyl sheets and ink, making your designs appear bright, bold, and professionally installed. Not only will your vehicles now serve as invaluable advertisements, but the graphics will also stay beautiful for years.
For top-quality auto graphics near you, SpeedPro’s got you covered. To start creating your custom graphics, find your local studio, and receive a quote, today