A work van caught in Hoddle Street traffic is rarely just a van. Instead, to every commuter sitting behind it, driving beside it, and looking at it from the footpath, it either communicates something about the business behind the driver’s seat, or it does not. When vehicles pass through dense residential suburbs every day, park outside job sites on quiet streets and drive along peak hour corridors in Melbourne, that distinction becomes far more important than business owners would think.
Vehicle signage Melbourne cannot begin with putting your logo on the door panels. First, you need to have a conversation about the function of the vehicle, the type of clients the vehicle will attract, and where it spends most of its day.
Choosing the Right Format Before Choosing a Designer
Every format works for certain types of businesses but not others, and basing your decision exclusively on cost is one of the best ways to make sure that your signage doesn’t perform as intended.
Vinyl lettering involves cutting lettering from vinyl film and placing it onto your vehicle’s paint. It is an effective option for businesses that require a basic set of elements: a trading name, a phone number and a website. It performs well under Australian UV conditions, it costs significantly less than a vehicle wrap and it looks professional, provided there are not too many elements in the brief.
What Melbourne’s Traffic Actually Demands From a Design?
Despite the fact that many designers believe otherwise, rear panels of a vehicle are underutilised relative to the door panels, which is completely wrong given the traffic conditions in Melbourne. Rear panels are exposed to peak hour traffic on roads such as Punt Road, M1, Sydney Road and the Eastern Freeway, which means that a design that works from the side only is going to be lost.
Proximity viewing in residential car parks and side streets where most service businesses spend their day requires different legibility standards and different size requirements. Bright contrast designs are legible at a much greater distance and when they move. If it looks unique on a computer screen, it might just blend into the landscape of Melbourne, if the contrast is low enough.
Fleet Consistency and What It Actually Signals
A single vehicle wrapped in a well-designed brand creates awareness in the area gradually. However, the use of three to four cars all using the same branding designs travelling through different neighbourhoods at the same time greatly increases this awareness level. In addition, the design of the car creates the impression of a professional company without saying a single word.
The inconsistency in design such as varying logos, fonts, and layouts on different vehicles sends a completely different message to the same people. Volume discounts start to become available in cases where the project involves three to five vehicles in total. Therefore, a professional company would be able to afford a consistent design for all of its fleet members rather than assuming that only one vehicle will be enough.
For companies operating leasing programs, professional application of vinyl wraps does not affect the original paint beneath it, and it is completely removable.
Getting the Practical Details Right Before the Wrap Goes On
The state of the vehicle surface determines the look and longevity of the wrap application. Damage, contaminants, and paint chips need to be removed first because the application of vinyl wrap over the damaged surface is not going to be successful. In addition, environmental temperature and humidity play an important role in the quality of the adhesive. Indoor installation of the wrap always gives a better result than outdoor and garage applications. The retention of the original file will allow matching of new fleet members to the existing ones without having to redesign the logo.
