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A good rule of thumb here is to treat each side of your vehicle less like a brochure and more like a billboard. In case you’ve never designed an out-of-home advertisement before, industry best practice says to use fewer than seven words and three visual elements.

Of course, you can probably get away with a bit more than that since—unlike billboards—you’re likely to be moving with your audience. Simply put: Identify your most important information and stick to that.

Your commercial vehicle design should include:

• Your company name
• Your logo
• A compelling image
• A brief tagline or description of your business
• Your contact information
• And nothing else!

Speaking of billboards, your company vehicle isn’t just the one blank canvas—it’s up to five! Your brand message can be viewed from the front, back, both sides, and—in some cases—from above.

If you’re going to spend the money to wrap your vehicle, make the most of the entire vehicle to maximize your ROI. Just keep in mind that most people are only going to look at one side, so make sure your most important information (see above) is included on every surface.

Unless you want your drivers to be constantly tailgated, make sure the text you include in your design is large enough to read from a reasonable distance.

While the “safe” distance to remain behind another vehicle on the highway can range anywhere from 6–16 car lengths—depending on your speed, the road conditions, and the types of vehicles involved—your message should be readable from at least 50 feet away without too much squinting.

The only thing worse than overcrowding your design is making it so minimal and bland that literally zero eyes get drawn to it. Even if you’re the most “buttoned-up” company on Earth, there are plenty of ways to attract a little attention while remaining clean and professional.

Try adding a colored hood or an oversized graphic of a satisfied customer and you’ll be surprised how many more phone calls you receive each month.

It might be tempting to browse a stock photography site, but these days, most people can recognize a staged stock photo a mile away. And unless you purchase exclusive rights to the image, there’s a small chance you could roll up next to the same photo on your competitor’s truck!

Unless your budget is super tight, you should definitely hire a commercial photographer. The best part is, if you tell them what the photos are for, they’ll probably know which angles and lighting will work best for your design.

Just because red and yellow are scientifically proven to attract the most attention doesn’t mean those are the colors you should slap on your vehicle. You’ll probably just get mistaken for a McDonald’s van, which is a prime example of a company with very consistent branding.

If you don’t have your own brand colors and fonts yet, now’s the time to invest in developing a brand guide because you certainly don’t want to have to re-wrap your vehicle one or two years down the road.

If you’re convinced your customers can simply search for your contact information online, you’re forgetting one little thing: Your competitors could be bidding on your branded keywords and stealing those customers right out from under you. Avoid this by including two convenient forms of direct contact on each side of the vehicle.

Also, you might think QR codes are slick, but you probably shouldn’t give motorists another reason to pull out their smartphones while driving.

Whether you’re looking to breathe life into a new brand or take your growing business to the next level, our team of professional designers, manufacturers, and installers has the expertise and experience to get the job done right—the first time.

With our in-house design, quick turnarounds, and 3M certified quality, wrapping your fleet of vehicles with Brand Ink is the best way to kick your brand into overdrive. Contact us today for a free quote.