The rules outlined in this article can help you have a better understanding of the fundamentals of vehicle advertising and good wrap design. Whether you’re a designer looking to improve layouts, or a business owner trying to gain some market share, the following tips should help you get maximum return on investment and impact from your outdoor vehicles advertising programs.

Rule 1: Choose a Great Brand

One of the reasons why many wraps fail – that’s from a marketing perspective – is because the business the wrap is being made for has a poor brand logo and identity. The brand is the primary message when it comes to van wraps, unless your brand is recognised nationwide. For smaller businesses that are trying to impact their community, the message should always be about the brand. Starting with a weak brand means that you have failed even before you have begun – you will have wasted a lot of money on a wrap that just doesn’t cut it, wasting an effective marketing opportunity.

 Your Brand Is The Message! That’s It!

Rule 2: Do Not Use Photos

This is one discussion I have had with fellow sign makers more than once, and several of them disagree with me when it comes to this point. While I believe that there are several effective wraps utilising photos, I still believe that any wrap utilising a photo could have been more effective even without one. Photos aren’t a brand’s identity – they don’t connect people with the business name. While they can connect people with what the business does, but so does a good brand.

Let’s take a HVAC contractor with an image of an AC, for example. While this lets me know that you do air conditioning, but I still don’t know who you are. I won’t be able to tell because I only have about 2 and a half seconds to view your message. Another example is a contractor with a picture of a house on their wrap. That is great, but that doesn’t let me know what kind of contractor they are – are they a siding company, a window installer, a roofing company, a landscaper, an electrician, or a power washer. No one can tell since the image is the most dominant element. After two and a half seconds, the message will be lost in the midst of other things trying to capture our attention.

Perhaps you can use photos on trailers or box trucks, but I would still argue a more effective brand integration is needed. National chains usually have an easier time working with photography since their brand is already well-known and the message doesn’t have to be 100% focused on what or who the brand is. Sadly, small businesses and enterprises do not have such luxuries.

Rule 3: Limit Advertising Copy

There is only about three or four thing a good wrap needs: a web address, a strong brand implementation, a phone number and a perhaps a tagline message. Bullets lists, that look more like a shopping list, have no place exercise bike branding. This is not the yellow pages. What would you prefer? Having a list of ten things and none is remembered or convey just one or two memorable takeaways? If your truck or van was a billboard, how much information would you have printed on it? Billboards tend to have the same challenges as automobile advertising. Prioritizing your copy will make it more effective. Generally speaking, the order of things should be Brand, followed by Tagline, followed by Web, then Phone Number.

Rule 4: Don’t Design to Fit in, but To Stand Out

This is not the part where a lot of people might say tribal flames, carbon fiber, diamond plate will make your truck or van wrap stand out. By eliminating all noise backgrounds, bevels, photos, glows and fills, you will be well on your way to creating a wrap that stands out. the vehicle wrap market is littered with tons of visual noise. When we something that has impact – that is something we actually see and remember – it cannot help but standout from amongst the visual clutter. That is quite ironic don’t you think. People think that our wrap designs are very innovative basically they’re unlike what our competition seems to be doing. As a result, they stand out.

Rule 5: Be Simple, Be Obvious

If viewers need to really concentrate in order to figure out a brand’s message, then it is an opportunity lost. The medium is not the same as print design where viewers stop and absorb the advert and try to understand the brand’s message. Consider the key takeaway you want to leave with your viewer. What’s it? Does your wrap effectively communicate the message? Is it lost in the midst of imagery? Distance legibility is also something to consider. Remember, you have limited time to catch the attention of viewers and to ensure that your brand and your message are both understood and remembered.