7 common mistakes to avoid in vehicle wrap design

If you want to take advantage of the benefits of fleet graphics, a design that will wow your audience is essential. Unfortunately, if a designer does not have specific fleet graphic design experience, it can be easy to make some mistakes that will minimize the benefit of this investment.

If you decide to design your fleet graphics in-house, here are 7 mistakes to avoid:

1. Too busy. When your design has too many words, too many images, or too much going on — it will drastically detract from the readability and connection-potential. Simplicity is key.

2. Fonts that are hard to read. A font may look fun and interesting on your computer, or on a print ad, but clean, clear, widely recognizable fonts are the best idea when it comes to vehicle graphics.

3. Inconsistent branding. You may have a design that looks amazing and meets all of the requirements … except … it doesn’t actually look like the rest of your brand! It’s important that your vehicle wrap fits with your overall branding so that it supports your big picture marketing efforts.

4. Not designing for the vehicle’s exact measurements and details. Vehicles are not all the same size, and they are not all flat. Think about where the doors, the gas cap and the latches are — think about how the viewer will see the design around those areas. Buses, trailers, trucks and cars will all need different designs for maximum impact.

5. Designing only for sitting still. This vehicle won’t always be parked, stopped at a light or sitting in traffic. Most of the time, it will be moving. And so will the cars driving around it. You want these other drivers to not only see, but consume, your vehicle’s graphics. Ask: How visible will this be at 65 mph or 100 km/h?!

6. Treating it like a smaller format project. There are design choices that can work for a magazine ad or brochure that will absolutely not work for large format vehicle graphics. A trailer wrap is quite a unique tool in the marketing toolbox.

7. Poor quality images. Not only will poor quality images be hard to see, they will also make the entire wrap appear to lack in quality. Crisp, high-quality images give the overall design the elevated appeal it needs. Top quality images are essential.

Here’s a tip for how to check image quality.

Open the graphic in Photoshop.

Ensure your image is at its intended final size (1:1 scale) and at final resolution (72 dpi)

Zoom in at 100% (Cmd /Ctrl + 1) / Indicators: Top title tab in title or bottom ruler

Look closely to ensure the image is sharp and not blurry

Once you’ve achieved an impactful visual design, you’ll want to make sure you’re adhering to our technical specifications for uploading the files.

When in doubt, use a Turbo fleet graphics designer!

At Turbo Images, our goal is to help you get the most from your fleet graphics. Our graphic designers specialize in fleet graphics. They know best practices and create impactful vehicle wraps for our clients every day.

Ready to maximize your presence on the road — with fleet graphics design specialists? 

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