Vehicle wraps have become a popular way to boost the visibility of your business and protect your vehicle. Whether your goal is to advertise your services or customize the look of your ride, vehicle wraps offer a cost-effective alternative to paint jobs. If you are looking for a new way to promote your business without breaking the bank, keep reading to learn whether vehicle wraps could be the right solution.
what is a vehicle wrap?
A vehicle wrap is a layer of vinyl film applied over a vehicle’s existing paint. This versatile material can be applied to cars, vans, trucks, motorcycles, or any other vehicle. Vehicle wraps can be used as a protective layer that slows wear and tear to a car’s exterior, as well as an easy way to achieve a particular look.
However, the main commercial use of vehicle wraps is to advertise businesses or events. Vehicle wraps can cover the whole vehicle or just a part of it, depending on the goals. For example, partial wraps for business advertisements may cover doors, sides, or the roof of the vehicle. These can be customized with lettering and decals and produced in any colour or pattern you prefer.
Benefits of Commercial Vehicle Wraps
Highly Visible and Affordable Advertising
Advertising costs are unavoidable when running a successful business, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be clever about it. Traditional forms of advertising, such as placing ads on TV or radio and in newspapers, magazines, and billboards, can be prohibitively expensive. Even when you put ads in these prominent places, you must pay for the amount of time that your ad is visible.
In contrast, vehicle wraps offer a more long-term form of promotion in a mobile and highly visible form. They are a one-time investment that can generate years of visibility. Wherever you or your employees go around town, you take your branding and message with you! It’s particularly useful for businesses that have a geographically localized target audience. Even while sitting in traffic or parked on a roadside, your business details are being noticed by everyone passing by.
Professional Credibility
A strategically designed vehicle wrap that reflects your company branding enhances your professionalism. Choosing an attractive design that mirrors your website, storefront, and other business materials creates a cohesive identity that helps build brand recognition and trust, making it more likely that people will have your business top-of-mind when they need the products or services you offer.
Vehicle Protection
In addition to the advertising benefits, vehicle wraps protect your vehicle against the elements, including rain, snow, heat, and UV radiation that cause paint to fade. They also shield the body of your car from minor scratches and dents and exposure to chemicals and contaminants that you may encounter on the road. When you eventually remove your vehicle wrap, you’ll find your paint job looking as nice and fresh as you left it!
Customization Options
If you work with an experienced and skilled business, the world is your oyster when it comes to customizing vehicle wraps. Choose from countless colours, textures, and patterns to create a design that best reflects your company branding. Finishes can be matte or glossy, and you can choose the specific parts of your vehicle you would like covered.
Want your logo and phone number on the back panel? No problem. Prefer a design that goes all the way around a van, including the windows? That can be done too. Perforated vinyl wraps allow you to see through your windows from the inside while your branding is visible on the outside. Vinyl lettering and graphics can be cut to your specifications to ensure your vision comes to life.
Temporary Changes
The wonderful thing about vehicle wraps is that you can alter the colour, finish, and design of a vehicle without investing in permanent paint. This is especially useful for event-specific branding or businesses that have seasonal offerings. The relatively cheaper cost of vinyl vehicle wraps allows you to change up the colour and advertisement on your vehicle as needed without permanently changing a vehicle’s appearance.
Easy Application and Maintenance
Unlike a custom paint job, a commercial vehicle wrap can be installed within a few days. This ensures you or your employees won’t be without a vehicle for too long, minimizing interruptions to your productivity. Vinyl wraps are resistant to minor stains and cleaning is done as you would normally wash a car with soap and water. Vinyl wraps do not require waxing or polishing the way paint does.
How Much Do Vehicle Wraps Cost?
Now that we’ve seen the advantages that commercial vehicle wraps offer for business advertising, you may be wondering how expensive they are. The cost of a vehicle wrap depends on the size of the vehicle being covered, the complexity of your design, and the finish.
Unlike custom paint jobs, which can cost in the tens of thousands, vehicle wraps usually range from $2000 to $5000. If you are interested in transforming your vehicle into a mobile billboard for your business, we can provide you with an estimate based on the look you have in mind.
How Long Do Vehicle Wraps Last?
Vehicle wraps are a good investment that, if cared for properly, can yield up to 7 years of advertising for your business. Depending on the weather and climate, a vehicle wrap may require occasional touch-ups to prevent peeling.
How long your vehicle wrap lasts will also depend on how well it is initially installed, as well as exposure to the elements. If you mainly park your vehicle in a garage that protects it from the elements, your vehicle wrap is likely to maintain its appearance for longer without fading. A vehicle wrap should be professionally installed to avoid bubbles, wrinkles, or peeling.
How to Design Eye-Catching Vehicle Wraps
If the goal of vehicle wrap is to promote your business, then naturally, the colours you choose should match your branding. There are a few additional things to keep in mind when choosing your design.
Be strategic with the placement of information
You want to capture the attention of your target audience and ensure they can easily read the information that will help them contact you if they are interested in your products or services. Avoid putting text on areas of your vehicle that are curved or bent for maximum readability.
Make sure your business name and preferred contact information (phone number, website, social media, etc.) are placed on a part of your vehicle that is easy to see. This is usually the sides and back window, but a professional installer can help you consider the size and shape of your vehicle to choose the best placement.
Choose a font and messaging that’s easy to read
The same principles that apply to creating effective signage are relevant for vehicle wraps: choose clear, bold fonts that are easy to read from a distance and while moving. Ideally, the font on your vehicle wrap should be consistent with the typeface you use in your branding materials, such as your storefront signage and website.
Any messaging on a vehicle wrap should be short and easy to understand at a glance. After all, people will see your messaging while encountering you on the road or passing by your vehicle, so they won’t have much time to absorb the information!
Use high-quality graphics and colours
For a professional appearance, be sure to provide high-resolution graphics to the company creating your vehicle wrap. The last thing you want is a blurry logo on your business vehicle! A high-resolution file will ensure the logo appears sharp and clear.
While you want to work with your existing brand colours, you also need to consider your vehicle paint and how best to use contrasting colours to make your messaging stand out. Avoid overly bright or clashing colours. The best practice for maximum readability is to use dark text on a light-coloured background, or vice versa.
Commercial Vehicle Wraps in Vancouver
Why pay astronomical costs to advertise on a billboard when you can transform your vehicle into a 24/7 mobile billboard instead? At Can-Design, we have helped countless clients design and install vehicle wraps to increase their visibility in the community. Contact us today to discuss your needs.