By Sydney Arp, NPI, Inc.’s Designer and Marketing Specialist
Vehicle advertising can generate between 30,000 and 80,000 impressions a day, and up to 95 percent of consumers tend to absorb vehicle messaging above other types of ads. That’s a lot of potential eyes on you! Now that you’re a traveling billboard for your business, you’ll want to make sure you get an eye-catching design that’ll resonate with potential clients long after the light turns green. So, what makes a highly effective vehicle wrap?
A Clean, Uncluttered Design
A clean design with cohesive elements is key to a successful truck wrap. We encourage you to get as creative as you like, but always remember that when it comes to vehicle signage, less is more. You should only include essential information, such as the NPI or GPI logo, your phone number, and your website. While not a hard and fast rule, it’s also never a bad idea to include imagery of a home so viewers understand you’re in the real estate industry with one quick glance. Since our logo clearly communicates that you’re a property inspector, it’s not necessary to include your full list of services. In fact, most inspectors keep it simple by only adding “Residential & Commercial.”
In the example below, the design is concentrated just to the right of the center of the truck so that the eye is drawn to one place to receive all needed information. There’s a house pictured, but the NPI logo and Inspector Justin McCurry’s contact information are given nearly equal space. The gray stripes on either side of the design image add a unique touch without distracting the viewer and give a clean transition between the red paint and NPI green. We’d say this is a successful vehicle wrap!
Current, Consistent Branding
At NPI and GPI, we’ve streamlined our branding in recent years, so you’ll want to be sure that you’re using the most up-to-date design elements in your vehicle wrap design. The best way to incorporate the correct branding is to review our Brand Standards Guide, and be sure to pass a copy of the guide on to your vehicle wrap design company. The Brand Standards Guide includes our current logos with usage explanations, our unique color codes, and more that’ll be extremely helpful to your wrap designer.
Below, Brian Shabino of NPI Sioux Empire has used not only our brand-wide geometric pattern, he’s added a touch of NPI orange to his truck. These are newer brand elements that help make your vehicle stand out. Plus, they’re consistent with the branding on your NPI website!
Easy-to-Read Contact Information
Having your website URL and phone number in a large, easy-to-read font is THE most important element of your wrap. In fact, the rest of your wrap’s design should fall in line behind your contact information when it comes to priority. When choosing a font, the simpler, the better. While serif fonts can look nice and add a unique flare to your design, they can be difficult to read, especially in the limited time a potential client may be in perfect view of your truck. That’s why sans serif fonts tend to work best on vehicles as a general rule.
It’s also important that the characters are sized and spaced apart with readability in mind. Letters or numbers that are too close together or too far apart can be tough to discern on the road, and you’ll want any wording to be large enough to read at a quick glance. Finally, another crucial part of achieving legible text is the font color. Creating high contrast is your best bet for getting letters to stand out. In the example below from Inspector Jared Jackson of NPI Northern Idaho, the white of the phone number stands out against the black of the truck’s base color. Green may have looked nice, but white ensures optimal readability.
Where to Begin
With these tips in mind, you’re ready to order your very own vehicle wrap! Here are your next steps:
Step 1: Gather Inspiration
Before you start vetting a local wrap company, you’ll want to have a rough idea of what you like, plus the scope of work so you can receive an accurate quote. That’s where the home office and your fellow inspectors can help! We have photos of wraps of all different styles for you to share with the local company you choose to go with.
Step 2: Do Your Research
We recommend researching at least three companies that specialize in vehicle wraps as their primary offering. Check out their online reviews, look at examples of their work on their website, and most importantly, meet them in person to get a feel for their creative process and price range. Vehicle wraps can be a relatively large up-front investment, but they have a huge return, so you’ll want to make sure your truck is in good hands.
Step 3: Get Your Mock-Up and Get in Touch
Once you’ve made your decision, share your inspiration ideas with your wrap company and provide them with the vector versions of our logos and Brand Standards Guide so they can get started with your design. You should receive mock-ups via email once the design is complete so you can approve it or make changes. At this point in the process, it’s important to keep in mind that you don’t have to go with the first version of their mock-up. Don’t be afraid to give them feedback if you’re not completely in love with their initial design. Remember, this is a BIG investment that you’ll be driving around everyday for the next 5 years!
Once you’ve settled on a design, be sure to send in the mock-up to Sydney at sydney.arp@npiweb.com before giving your wrap company the final okay. We need to make sure all logo usage is correct for legal reasons, and if any minor tweaks can be made to improve the design or legibility, we can suggest those at that time.
Vehicle Wrap Alternatives
If you’re not ready to commit to a full vehicle wrap or your homeowner’s association has limitations on vehicle signage, you can opt for a removable magnet. Vehicle magnets typically include our logo, your phone number, and your website URL. They’re a no-frills, low-cost option that can help distinguish you when you’re driving down the road or parked at an inspection. NPI and GPI magnets are available to order through our online store, www.npigear.com. We can also design more customized magnets in-house, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Are you interested in ordering your first vehicle wrap or revamping your current design? Get in touch with the Marketing Team at marketing@npiweb.com!
