I'm working on vinyl for my ford explorer survey vehicle.
In your opinion is it too much.
I have another design where I just black letter the front door. I'm going to try a poll and see how that works.
John,
I like it, but it is kind of busy. I have a simple magnetic sign on my truck. I can take it off as needed. I do a lot of subcontract work for engineering firms, and on a lot of sites, when I am working with their crews, I have to take the signs off.
It is nice to be in "stealth mode" sometimes. I have also done engineering surveys in numerous states that did not fall under their definition of "land surveying" for the same clients, and in those cases, if I wasn't licensed in that state, I would pull the signs off. (I always checked first to make sure I wasn't breaking any rules). I did not want to be "advertising".
It depends on your business model. I personally prefer the cleaner, simple look myself.
Personally, I prefer a more understated look. When I had my truck done, I told them to think "business card" rather than "billboard."
I just have three lines with my company name, "Land Surveying & Civil Engineering," and my phone number in black, approximately 1" high sans serif letters.
I think of it more as identification, rather than advertising.
Drop the motto, move the Name to the top, the number toward the rear, change the spacing and size of email addy to make it easier to read, try to think what it looks like at 60 mph from 50' away and what you want to convey in 30 seconds. And get a light bar so people know you mean business.
"land surveying" gets lost in the overprint, hard to read
covering the whole car is fun, but I prefer something more understated... just the front door.
yes, the moto is cool too but it is lost on the average consumer
A little over the top I think. looks like you're gonna run the Daytona 500 -- I'd lose the motto and try something more subdued to try to convey a more professional image -- would you call a lawyer who had a car like this?
I used to think that I preferred the cleaner business card look, but then I realized that out of the 4 or 5 well drilling companies around here, the one that always pops into my head first is the company that has the "loudest" advertising on their trucks.
I think it depends on why you are lettering your vehicle. If it is simply identification, then go with something cleaner, if you want to catch the eye of the public and have them remember your name then you might want to go with something "louder" like you have pictured above. I personally like what you have pictured.
I am going to be the voice of dissent here and say ÛÏNo, I donÛªt like itÛ but I donÛªt think it sucks. This is a situation of what ÛÏfloats your boatÛª. I see the appeal of doing the vinyl graphic for advertising on the road but for me I would step back from it. I would prefer simple and clean. If your belief that it is going to bring more business with higher rates, then go for it.
If this is the first Û÷layoutÛª than I would go back and revise because it is very busy as other have said. This is common for a first draft. I did a redesign this summer of a club logo and my first draft was overloaded with detail and info. It took 4 or 5 revisions to get it right.
If I was looking to add pizzazz to the vehicle, I would look into getting a nice pin-striping done on the vehicle. Preferably hand painted but if cost was a factor then vinyl would be OK. Pin-stripe along doors, hood, rear etc in a common motif with some embellishments by a local artist. For added Û÷popÛª,I might look into some of the new led light adornments for vehicles too.
Hey John, I was going through some stuff last month and came across the quads that you sent from Iraq. Thanks again for our service and the maps!
Too busy for my tastes. I like the magnetic signs myself
Thanks for all the input.
Three of my kids like the loud design. The fourth kid and wife like the simple design.
I'm on the fence about it. I had a 1998 Ford Explorer set up loud like in the pic but I did it to cover up the ugly. It improved it's looks for sure and I got jobs from it. Since I got rid of it people think I went out of business. It was loud but it brought in work.
I really like the look of the new explorers and don't know if I want to cover up the lines of it. A simple design may work just as well to bring in work.
Here is a more simple design I have used before.
Robert Hill, post: 332705, member: 378 wrote: I am going to be the voice of dissent here and say ÛÏNo, I donÛªt like itÛ but I donÛªt think it sucks. This is a situation of what ÛÏfloats your boatÛª. I see the appeal of doing the vinyl graphic for advertising on the road but for me I would step back from it. I would prefer simple and clean. If your belief that it is going to bring more business with higher rates, then go for it.
If this is the first Û÷layoutÛª than I would go back and revise because it is very busy as other have said. This is common for a first draft. I did a redesign this summer of a club logo and my first draft was overloaded with detail and info. It took 4 or 5 revisions to get it right.
If I was looking to add pizzazz to the vehicle, I would look into getting a nice pin-striping done on the vehicle. Preferably hand painted but if cost was a factor then vinyl would be OK. Pin-stripe along doors, hood, rear etc in a common motif with some embellishments by a local artist. For added Û÷popÛª,I might look into some of the new led light adornments for vehicles too.Hey John, I was going through some stuff last month and came across the quads that you sent from Iraq. Thanks again for our service and the maps!
Thanks Robert. I'm glad I finally got those to you guys. I know it took me forever and a day.
I think that you are going to get as many different opinions on this topic as people that you ask. For instance I personally think that pinstriping on a vehicle looks "cheesy", that's not a knock on Mr. Hill, its just something that I really don't like. I would be interested to see if there is a generational difference in opinions also. It really comes down to what you like, If the "louder" lettering is bringing in business I would probably stick with it. I would bet that most of the general public doesn't even read the lettering on the average company vehicle unless it catches their eye, like I think that your first design will.
This is actually something I have been paying attention to a lot lately as I am soon to be leaving my current company to partner with a former colleague which recently started a survey/engineering business. The more people I talk to the more I am starting to believe that "louder" designs, as long as they still look professional, really do bring in more work and make people think of your company as being more "modern" for lack of a better word.
I like it, but we've found that in the LA area, you are nothing but a target. People know that company insurance pays pretty well, and run into you. We have nothing on the side of the truck, but that's not where our business comes from anyhow.
plusballs, post: 332723, member: 9035 wrote: I like it, but we've found that in the LA area, you are nothing but a target. People know that company insurance pays pretty well, and run into you. We have nothing on the side of the truck, but that's not where our business comes from anyhow.
Wow that's crazy. I'm glad we don't have the problem here.
I've had signs on my vehicles since I started my business and have never been targeted like that. This is the first time I haven't had signs on my survey vehicle. It's usually the first thing I do but I've been without signs since I got this one about six months ago.
What does the bird have to do with anything?
The detail on the passenger door needs re-worked. The compass is difficult to distinguish. The cardinal letters are too small and I can't tell what is in the middle.
Looks like a bunch of grapes or a cluster of polygons?
Just being honest.
The bird is something I put on my vehicles. My brothers name was Wesley Jay after the Jay bird. It's a blue jay and if you look closely at the birds chest you will see my brothers face in it. He died of cancer in 2012. I made them up for the entire family to put on their vehicles. It's more of a personal thing but I figured I'd put it on the survey vehicle too.
Keep in mind when the logo is on the vehicle those letters are an inch tall.
The rest of it is the state of WV with the counties. The one I live in is centered on the needle. It will about 1 foot tall when on the vehicle.
My logo is a SUUNTO compass.
Understood. Sorry about your brother.
With the state/counties under the compass rose, I didn't understand that the outline was a SUUNTO compass. Now I clearly see.
If it were a little more 3D, it may have jumped out at me.
I suppose local people instantly recognize the county outlines.
I don't care for the first design, but I do like the size and placement of the tripod on the rear fender.
It is something that people instantly associate with a land surveyor.
Perhaps you can put your motto on the back window or tail gate.
The company I was with from 2004-2011 had highly graphic'd trucks. I don't know that it ever brought in any work.
I might suggest a compromise between your simple design and the more bold. Use the colors from the bold, the size and scope from the simple. Include your web address. People can get what ever other information they need, and you want them to have, from that. It's a lot easier and cheaper to edit your webpage than it is to alter these graphics.
Norman Oklahoma, post: 332738, member: 9981 wrote: The company I was with from 2004-2011 had highly graphic'd trucks. I don't know that it ever brought in any work.
I might suggest a compromise between your simple design and the more bold. Use the colors from the bold, the size and scope from the simple. Include your web address. People can get what ever other information they need, and you want them to have, from that. It's a lot easier and cheaper to edit your webpage than it is to alter these graphics.
That's something i have to work on is my website. It's terrible.
At one point I was using blue, orange, and pink. Since that is the colors I use in the field. But my mom said pink was just too much. I liked it but I guess mom knows best.
