Van signwriting

[Graeme Harrold]

If you are going to get any livery on the vans, cheap is not always your best option. Cheap means lower end vinyl that WILL shrink and crack sometimes in as little as 12 months. Fleabay sellers will cut and send prepared vinyl without worrying too much about longevity, beacuse once its gone wrong, they have the nice feedback and your money.

Digital print has a life span of 3-5 years and MUST be laminated for any kind of durability. Any good sign maker will advise you accordingly depending on the layout you want and should be able to tweak & produce designs that work with what you want. Less is more, in as much that too much text looses its readability quickly.

Font choice - beware of windows fonts that look good on screen and paper when at size 12. Once blown up to 150mm text you start to see the low quality of the finished article. Many have a series of short lines to form curves, some are littered with other errors. A pro font may cost £25, but its worth it for a £150 berlingo of £220 transit (average price for livery)

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Good point Graeme. I had mine done and he gave me a 7 year guarantee as well. He said that after a week it can be steam cleaned and washed with anything, and he is right. i havent had the need to steam it, but hot pressure wash and traffic film remover doesnt harm it at all. Good quality vinyl, great help with design and layout, free fitting to 3 sides of Transit Connect, and all for a paltry £195 all in. he even did the Elecsa Logo's digitally to get the correct sizes in with the price.



Cheers............Howard

 

[andekoch]

thanks mate. will pm you my email address

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Lenny, where do you get them made in that size from?
I've been struggling to find any big enough.
Cheers

Beware with magnetics, they come with their own set of problems and care instructions. They have to be removed and cleaned frequently as they can chemically weld to the vehicle if left. Speed can also be a problem as Ive seen and heard of a few sets fly off at 60-70mph!!! As for size, blank magnetic comes on rolls 600mm wide, so 4 foot x 2 foot is no problem for most signmakers. As an alternative, just get the van written and have a blank magnetic to cover up if you need to be un-marked for site work.

 

[eskimo39]

Another problem with the magnetic signs is depending on where you work, they can be easily stolen. A plumber friend of mine used his van on the week ends for Trials Biking so used magnetic signs. However one morning he found one missing and thought it must have blown off. However a few weeks later he was contacted by the police who had a video of a van on fake plates with his sign on the side doing a runner from a petrol station. I have the most information sign written on the 2 back doors of my Combo as I spend a lot of time in traffic and hope someone behind me one time may need a sparky.

The plumber mate now has fixed livery and also has a card dispenser which he leaves clipped to his window when parked on jobs so people can get a card when they walk past although not sure if it really works.

 

[Voltimax]

All sound advice..
I'll keep it simple on the sides but have a bit of a list down one of the back doors
and I'll stick to the removable stickers that napit sends out, wont bother getting any fancy logo work done.

Would you put your web addy on if the site was as simple as this? Jon Best Electrical Services
I just used an old copy of dreamweaver (and I dont know how to use it)
I've been thinking of getting a professional one done but this site and the entry onto free listing sites such as city visitor and mainly google local business has got me plenty of work.

How much did your site cost to get done professionally my friend from durham?

If this is applicable to anyone be warned- I was drawn into google advertising by a free voucher they sent- which you can only use if you register a bank card. If you dont keep an eye on it they do start taking money out! £40 a go etc.

Did you know you shouldn't use that NAPIT part P approved logo anymore? It's been made obsolete.

 

[Festerfly]

Had this done today by a friend who has a sign company in Knebworth.

Im really chuffed with it, basic and simple.... just like me!

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Simples, the best way.

 

[mattyevz]

Im getting my van done soon. Iv designed it myself. Im trying to keep it a simple and clean as possible. What you think? Any suggestions?

Cheers

 

[Festerfly]

Im getting my van done soon. Iv designed it myself. Im trying to keep it a simple and clean as possible. What you think? Any suggestions?

Cheers

Nice. It's simple a to the point. Don't need much more than that. Got more info then mine has! Lol

 

[Graeme Harrold]

Simple is always best, and that does the trick. The only thing I would add is to break up the phone number a bit more. 5 digit code, then two blocks of three - 01234 123 456. It will make it easier to read AND remember, as the viewer will take the number in, in smaller chunks.

 

[Dave Buchan]

Re: Van signwriting

Originally Posted by monkeyhanger
I have decided its time to get my van done. I've only ever had NAPIT stickers but work has been a bit quiet and I've been won over by the 'free advertising' benefits of it (would start bringing my gear in overnight which tbh I should be doing anyway)!
Along with name, landline, mobile and web addys (along with napit stickers) would you lads advise putting a list of undertaken works on, i.e. DB Upgrades, Em Ligting, Fire alarms, maintenance repairs etc. etc. or is it better to have less- maybe more eye catching?

If it's electrical services you offer get them across your van and whatever you specialize in ,get this on also

My van livery only has bullet point, benefit driven headlines directed towards the customer and what I can do for them, electrically it reads;

ELECTRICAL INSPECTION SERVICES:

- Homebuyers Electrical Reports
- Landlords Electrical Reports
- Landlords Appliance Safety Checks

I know some guys like to put their contact no. on also, but i personally just have my website address on there,so that if i get noticed potential customers will look on my site effectively creating a foot in the door or 1st point of contact before deciding to hire me

If done correctly, van livery will pay for itself and generate more leads for you over the long run!




​

 

[Ponty Massive]

I was thinking about getting the van done, but a neighbour of mine (a chippy) has just had his van broken into whilst he was in a car park. I'm worried it's advertising to the criminals, Electrician.....cable, copper, test equipment etc...

 

[Dave Buchan]

I generally try to keep what i need in the van to a bare minimum, all test equipment gets removed in the evening. Unfortunatley it's just the nature of the beast ,but as you well know if you have no toys to play with you have no income!

 

[Graeme Harrold]

The old urban myth......"No tools left in this vehicle overnight" Van broken into, and note left.............."Just Checking!"

Yup its a delicate balance, but does the advertising outweigh the possible break in.

 

[Voltimax]

If done correctly, van livery will pay for itself and generate more leads for you over the long run!

Load of rubbish, had my vans sign written for 9 years now and never get any work on the strength of it. It's said that 30% of your work will come from having your van sign written, but that's tosh. I have my van sign written because it looks professional and shows you have confidence in what you do.

 

[m25maintenance]

lads i got postcards printed, on the front co details, on the back it tells the home owner i just worked at number ????? in their street and keep my card for future use. so when im done at a house i pop my post card into 10 houses next to the 1 iv worked in.

 

[BluSparx]

lads i got postcards printed, on the front co details, on the back it tells the home owner i just worked at number ????? in their street and keep my card for future use. so when im done at a house i pop my post card into 10 houses next to the 1 iv worked in.View attachment 2515

I'm liking this idea

for the sake of spending 10 minutes if that dropping postcards in a very nifty little idea think I might pinch it

 

[rocker]

lads i got postcards printed, on the front co details, on the back it tells the home owner i just worked at number ????? in their street and keep my card for future use. so when im done at a house i pop my post card into 10 houses next to the 1 iv worked in.View attachment 2515

Yea that's an excellent idea, have you had any work off it?

 

[m25maintenance]

lots of jobs, it takes a few mins but the rewards can be good