Vehicle graphics are a dynamic branding tool that combines creative design with strategic execution. Unlike static signage, vehicle wraps and fleet graphics are always on the move, making them a powerful way to promote your business. This month, Signarama offers key creative tips to ensure your vehicle graphics stand out and effectively communicate your brand message on the go. Here are five tips to ensure your vehicle graphics not only turn heads but also communicate your brand message effectively.

Types of Vehicle Graphics: A Solution for Every Business

Vehicle graphics offer a range of options to fit your specific needs and budget, including:

• Full vehicle wraps: Cover your entire vehicle for maximum impact and visibility.
• Partial Wraps: Highlight key areas such as doors or the back of your vehicle to deliver results at a lower cost.
• Decals: Add smaller, removable vinyl graphics to specific spots for a flexible branding option.
• Magnetic signs : Perfect for businesses using personal vehicles, offering temporary branding solutions.
• One way vision: Utilize perforated vinyl to display your message on the outside while maintaining visibility from the inside.

With so many options, you can tailor your vehicle graphics to match your business needs. Now, let’s dive into five design tips to ensure your graphics make an unforgettable impression.

1. Keep Your Messaging Concise

Effective vehicle graphics rely on concise and direct messaging that include your logo, your name, and your contact information. Add a short tagline or motto to communicate what your business is about. Remember, drivers and passengers only have a few moments to take in your message. Avoid clutter and focus on essential information.

When displaying your message, use good design principles to make your text and graphics visually appealing. Simplicity ensures your message is both memorable and impactful.

2. Prioritize Legibility and Readability

When designing vehicle graphics, consider the type of font that will optimize your message. Use fonts and text sizes that ensure clarity from a distance and at high speeds.

In general, san-serif typefaces work better for vehicle graphics, as these fonts don’t feature fancy elements, like swirls and curls, and thin strokes that distract from the readability of your text. These fonts include:

• Impact
• Calibri
• Arial

Avoid serif fonts with overly decorative or complex typefaces, such as:

• Merryweather
• Pacifico
• Most cursive fonts

Match text size to your vehicle type—larger text for trucks, smaller text for cars. To ensure your text and graphics stand out, consider your text color and background contrast. High-contrast combinations enhance visibility and make your message stand out. 

3. High Contrast and Bold Color Choices

Vibrant, bold colors and high-contrast designs attract attention and make your vehicle graphics memorable. Ensure that the color scheme of your vehicle graphics design aligns with your brand identity to maintain consistency and maximize visibility.

If your brand utilizes pastel colors and more subtle color combinations, perhaps for the purpose of your vehicle graphics, you might consider using higher color saturation levels in your logo in order to make your vehicle graphics more eye-catching and legible on the road.

The psychology behind colors used in branding plays a role in choosing the colors for your corporate identity. You might have noticed that many fast-food brands use primary colors, red, yellow, and blue in their logos to signify excitement and high energy. Other high visibility brands, such as FedEx use complementary color combinations to stand out and represent their values. Orange evokes friendliness, vitality, and energy, while purple represents luxury and creativity. The two colors together make a powerful, eye-catching combination. For a slightly different message, UPS uses brown, a color that is associated with tradition and gold which is associated with success. This contrasting color combination evokes an established and successful brand that can be trusted. 

Many high-visibility brands, such as Target, Home Depot and Starbucks use either a primary color or a secondary color in combination with white in their logos, giving these logos a clean, energetic look. Along with creating eye-catching, memorable text for your vehicle graphics, use of high-quality imagery is crucial in conveying your standout message. 

4. Incorporate High Quality Images

Images can amplify the effectiveness of your vehicle graphics when used strategically. To ensure your images will engage consumers, avoid using generic stock photos, and opt for top quality images that are composed for your brand’s unique purposes, creating a more authentic connection with your audience. Your images should not overpower your vehicle graphic’s design. Instead, they should enhance it. Ensure images complement the design rather than overpower it, creating a cohesive and professional look. Iconic imagery can sometimes communicate your message faster than text alone, so use this to your advantage!

5. Test Drive your Design

Effective vehicle graphic designs need to account for the unique contours of each vehicle, including doors, windows, and handles. Proper scaling, plus image placement and message placement prevent distortion of your design and ensure that key information is not obscured, so your message remains clear. It’s a good idea to ask for a mockup of your vehicle graphic design before you sign off on your design, so that you can see how your vehicle graphics will actually look on your vehicles.

Why Choose Vehicle Graphics for Your Business? Vehicle advertising is a cost-effective way to expand your brand’s reach, establish credibility, and build customer loyalty. Whether you’re driving across town or parking at a job site, your vehicle becomes a mobile billboard for your business. Signarama’s local vehicle graphics experts are here to help with every step of your vehicle graphics project—from design to installation. Ready to put your brand in motion? Contact your nearest Signarama today to get started!