TRUCK LIVERY AND WRAPS TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

What does your truck have in common with a 10th century family-owned sewing needle shop? More than you’d think, actually!

Jinan Liu´s Fine Needle Shop, which operated in China during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279AD), is the first known example of a business using print advertising.

The needle shop’s bronze printing plate with a logo of a rabbit holding a sewing needle and the Chinese characters for, ‘find us by the rabbit image on the shopfront,’ is now on display in the National Museum of China in Beijing.

Obviously, your transport truck can also be used to advertise your business, but with the added benefit of mobility and positioned wherever you want!

AN IDENTITY

A livery is simply an identifier. Think of a uniform, insignia or symbol, long used to designate affiliation.

The first examples of livery on vehicles were royal crests on horse-drawn carriages. These became more and more commonplace throughout the so-called Carriage Era from the late 17th century until the first decades of the 20th century. We’ve even seen early examples - such as with the United Kingdom’s Royal Mail, which was founded in 1516 - of entire trains painted in the colours of their company.

When stagecoaches began to establish routes along the frontier of the American west in the 19th century, livery became an important way to distinguish a business. Examples from this time are often beautifully painted by hand with impressive scrollwork, calligraphy, and fine lines. Even then, branding mattered.

In advertising, much like real estate, the most value-adding factor can be location. Being able to move that location and strategise its placement is a boost that any business can benefit from.

THE PROFESSIONALS

As the old adage goes, if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. If you choose to put a wrap on a company vehicle, it’s worth going to the professionals. Chris Windsor, who works in sales and estimation at Signwave Moorabbin, said that going to a commercial outfit can be an extremely beneficial creative exercise.

“If you know your business well, you don’t even really have to know what you want. We’re always more than happy to put our heads together with our customers,” said Chris.

“Getting to help out on those creative projects is probably my favourite part of the job.”

Chris said different customers needed different approaches when it came to vehicle wraps.

“Some people with long-established businesses with great reputations can just go for clear and confident branding,” Chris said.

“But if you’re new to the industry and you’re trying to get your name out, something more engineered or sensational is going to attract that attention on site.”

AN ARTIST’S PERSPECTIVE

Going with a professional can also ensure that someone is casting an educated eye over the face you’re presenting. Many of the people who work in the industry are former sign writers or graphic designers with years of experience, ready and able to tell you what is going to draw attention and what is going to go unnoticed.

“It can be the small things,” said Chris.

“Someone comes in with an existing sign and they know it looks wrong, but they can’t put their finger on it. An experienced operator can tell with a glance if the proportions are wrong, it’s not centred or if the name is too small and the number is too big.

“That’s actually a common one, a huge number but people won’t know who they’re calling.”

In the modern world, advertising is always creeping into your line of sight and in this environment, competition is tough. If you want to give yourself the best possible leg up, any way of standing out can equate to new customers, new opportunities and new business.

DESIGN

Anyone wanting to add livery to their work vehicle should think long and hard about the sort of service or product they provide their customers with.

They should also ponder the associations or image being portrayed publicly and, of course, develop an in-depth awareness of what competitors are doing on the design front. Getting your head around these cornerstone elements is the key to an effective, attractive, lasting and – above all – successful truck wrap design.

If a company can’t effectively communicate who they are and what they do both verbally and visually, potential customers will probably struggle to identify with a brand.

PAINTING VS WRAPPING

There are numerous benefits to wrapping your vehicle over a new paint job.

A paint job can cost into the tens of thousands and end up taking your vehicle off the road for several weeks. A wrap is created digitally and printed on to vinyl.

This can then be applied onsite in considerably less time for considerably less money. Even the most complex wraps can be designed, created and completed in approximately one week.

To add to this, wrapping gives a certain freedom to the vehicle owner.

As the graphics are designed first, you can view what the final product will be.

If business details change, this can be easily amended and if the time comes to sell the vehicle, a wrap can be removed, leaving the original paint job reasonably well protected.

When it comes to your vehicle, be it a work vehicle or a personal one, it always pays to do the research.

Check out local wrappers and painters, they are trained artists and tradespeople and will delight in helping to guide you towards the best decision.

If you’d like to see some truly inspired liveries, make sure to follow the Isuzu Truck of the Year competition for inspiration.