Every one loves technology. We currently walk around with more processing power on our hip than it took to launch the first mission into space! But with technology’s constant advance, small businesses lost a means of advertising that was very effective. That advertising was done in the printed community phone book. The phone book allowed a business to advertise in communities that they wanted to do business. The cost were huge, but the results were very quantifiable. With online directories, the impact is much less measurable. The costs can be much less. When this mode of advertising went away businesses were left with the age old question: How do I get my message out? The answer: Vehicle Graphics.
When Bayside Garden Centers contacted us they had already realized that they needed to do something with their delivery van. The vehicle drives all over the metro area every day and right now, no one knows that the deliver is coming from Bayside. Our graphic designer went to work with a clean slate. Our design was based on a few basic principles of vehicle graphic design. The first is that the message has to be visual. The design has to deliver the message as to what the owner does and do this in under 5 seconds. In this case we went with an easily recognizable design, flowering, leafy plants. We added the company’s logo and contact information which pulled the design together. Our customer was very happy with the design! The second principle is that the colors and design have to make the vehicle stand out on the crowded roads. I would say that we accomplished both.
When we print our graphics for vehicles, we use only wrap grade vinyl and laminate. Oh, sure, there are cheaper ways to do this (by using utility grade vinyl but the utility grade material is made with a semi-permanent adhesive) which makes the removal very difficult. In most, if not all, cases, the material will remove the clear coat. It is the wrong material for the job. After printing and laminating the graphics, we detail cut the vinyl. But because of the extreme amount of fine detail, we ended up hand trimming the graphics. All in all, awe spent about 4 hours prepping the graphics and the van for installation.
You can see how nice the van turned out. And if you are ever in the Bayside area, please stop in and browse the large number of living plants and seasonal specialties. If you have a vehicle that you would like to use as a mobile billboard, please call Optimum Signs at 262.289.9481 or email us at info@optimumsignswi.com.
