Less is more in vehicle graphic design. However, every day I see vehicle wraps that miss this point. Today, with high tech digital printers and state of the art adhesive vinyl graphics it’s easy to go too far and lose the message. I get it – people want their vehicle graphics to pop, and they should. But not at the expense of the message. And that’s the point; the message comes first. In most cases, less is more in vehicle graphics, and that’s accomplished by putting the message front and foremost. Yes, less is more in vehicle graphic design.
Less is More in Vehicle Graphic Design
Your vehicle graphics only have five seconds or less to capture consumers’ attention. That’s not a large window of time so don’t go overboard with copy, images, and design. The adage KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid, holds true for vehicle graphics.
When designing graphics for a moving vehicle, less is more. Short and sweet, simple and to the point, are the keys to creating a vehicle graphic that does its job. And what’s that job? Its job is to capture people’s attention and then share a message. Too much information, too many words, multiple images, and distracting colors take away from the task at hand.
Cat Herding
Have you ever watched a TV commercial that grabbed your attention and then wondered who the sponsor was? I remember a Superbowl commercial from years ago about cat herding that was a brilliant and hilarious commercial, but to this day I don’t know who the sponsor was. I’ve always wondered if that very expensive television advertisement had a positive return on investment or negative.
Delivering the Message
It’s the same with vehicle graphics. What good is it if your wrap grabs attention, but no message is delivered? Think about this, the average person who sees your vehicle only views it for 4 to 6 seconds. Let’s do a little experiment. Look at the wall behind you and count to six. Okay, what did you see? What do you remember? And you’re sitting still (I hope you’re not driving!) just think if someone is driving and looking at your vehicle – all their attention isn’t focused on your car or truck. What do they see and remember in six seconds?
Less is More in Vehicle Graphic Design
Less is more in vehicle graphic design. “Less is more” is probably the most well-known catch phrase of the minimalist movement. It was popularized by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in describing the minimalist aesthetic.” — Principles Of Minimalist Design
So, here’s the point, yes, less is more in vehicle graphic design, which means you need to know the message you want to send. Is it your 24-hour service, time in business, your contact information, brand, or logo? Could you use your brand colors and fonts to promote a call to action? Is there a special offer you want to advertise? Whatever it is you only have a few seconds to get your message across, so don’t clutter it with unneeded graphics. Because in vehicle graphic design less is more.
If you’d like to read more on vehicle graphic design, try these.
- 5 Keys to Vehicle Graphic Design
- Vehicle Graphic Design Hierarchy
- What Makes This Vehicle Graphic Stand Out?
- 2 More Keys to Vehicle Graphic Design
If we can be of any assistance, Contact Us, because we know how to drive your message home.
If you’d like a free estimate for your fleet or vehicle graphics; you can Request A Quote.
TKO Graphix is a national fleet and vehicle graphics company helping customers since 1985. We provide full-service graphic design, digital printing, screen printing, graphics installation, and removal of large format graphics.
We’re a fleet and vehicle graphics company and since 1985, we’ve been helping businesses, large and small, brand their fleet of tractor-trailers, service trucks and company vehicles. Whether you have a fleet of thousands or a few vehicles, we are here to lead you through the vehicle branding process.
TKO Graphix is a Certified 3M™ MCS™ Warranty graphics manufacturer. Our installation crews are 3M Certified and are employees of TKO Graphix, not sub-contractors. If you’d like to learn more and get a free quote, contact us today.
