The pros at Vernon Graphic Solutions have been creating eye-catching, brand-enhancing graphics since 1943. That’s over three-quarters of a century of branding for businesses around the US. As you can imagine, that is a lot of expertise in knowing what works – and understanding what doesn’t. Our creative team has been known to take a hand-drawn sketch from a napkin and create amazing 4-color vehicle wraps as large as semi-trailers. Ideally, our customers will rely on us to help them create their branding vision and bring it to life on their vehicles. But it’s also not uncommon for various clients to create their own artwork – or to rely on their own graphic designers or advertising agencies to develop the creative.
There have been many occasions, however, when a client has asked us if they can design their own graphics. In these situations, it’s always best that unless they have a very clear line of sight when it comes to design, that they have a background in graphic arts or experience using design software. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
This is why we’ve developed a list of “No-Nos” when it comes to creating your own graphics.
Effective Fleet Design – 5 Examples of What NOT to Do
- Too much is too much. When you’ve got too many words – or too many images, it is overwhelming. Yes, bright or vivid images can be very eye-catching, however, it’s key to understand where the eye goes when looking at an image. When too many things are placed within a graphic – colors, shapes, words, fonts, etc. – it reduces the ability of someone to focus on your key message.
- Garbage in, garbage out. You’ve probably heard this phrase when it comes to eating too much junk food. But the same could be said for using poor quality graphics. You can’t pull an image off the internet (at 72-dpi) and think that will work for print work, especially not when the graphics you’re looking to have produced are oversized to fit on a specific vehicle. If the image you start with is poor quality – your end-result will be poor quality.
- Be clear in your message. As every great marketer understands, consistency is key when it comes to branding. This means that your fleet vehicles should complement your overall brand using the same colors, fonts, tagline, and logos used on your other advertising mediums. You want consumers to know it’s your truck when they see it.
- Smaller is not better. Make sure that any fonts you use are legible to passersby. More often than not, the truck will be in motion, so you want to ensure that it’s easy to see and easy to read. Tiny print is out the window for fleet graphics, just as oversized graphics that extend beyond your design or space is equally ineffective. It’s important to ensure that everything within the available space is proportional.
- Got good grammar? Misspelled graphics and advertising copy can often lead to recreating artwork, as well as reprinting and reinstalling new graphics. Avoid the headaches, hassles, and expense of do-overs by double-checking your work.
Why take risks when we’re here to help?
The bottom line is that over our decades of experience, we’ve gotten pretty good at creating graphics. Give us a little direction, and we can take your concept, logo, colors, and theme to create vehicle graphics that will get your business noticed. If you’d like to know more about our creative processes or would like to see how creative we can get with your business, give us a call or fill out the form below today. We’d love to work with you.