Photo Blog: Speedway Police Cruiser Graphics

I live in Speedway, and although I see these cruisers all the time, I don’t pay a lot of attention to them. About an hour ago, as I returned from a visit to my dentist, I passed the Speedway Police station. Two patrol cars pulled out from the station and headed south—the same direction I traveled. I didn’t think about it because these are the good guys. They’re MY local law enforcement team, and I’m always happy to see them in our neighborhood. Then I realized—those vehicle decals look really good.

The cars are easy to recognize, distinguishable from other law enforcement agencies, and they project a strong image. The design is deceptively simple and effective, with colors fading from black to white, a block font in all caps, and very little else.

The Town of Speedway was established in 1926. Law enforcement was through a Town Marshal system until 1968 when a Metropolitan Police Department was formed. The Speedway Police department is staffed with investigative and uniformed personnel, which includes SWAT, DARE, K-9, bicycle, and motorcycle units.

If you’d like ideas for your metro police vehicles, TKO Graphix has been policing this kind of work for over twenty years. Let us know what you need.

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Photo Blog: Menards Trailer Wraps

Extreme Tanning in Plainfield, Indiana

For several years, we’ve been privileged to wrap Menards’ semi-trailers. Whenever I see one on the road, I take pride – the wraps are eye-catching. What’s unique is many of them are quite different, but they’re always recognizable as Menards transports.

Menards Uses Many Designs

We’ve covered trailers with patio furniture, assorted interior and exterior home remodeling projects, and the rolling lumberyard pictured here. What makes these varied graphics similar? The design format. To begin with, the Menards logo and font are always prominently displayed, and the layouts, though varied, are similar. The next key to their brand recognition isn’t so obvious – it’s their use of the color green. Menards uses the same shade of green in much of its web, collateral, media, and vehicle advertising. The green has become branded to them. Without knowing it, we may see this green and subliminally think of… Menards. It works.

The Lesson

The lesson here is every company vehicle wrap doesn’t have to be exactly the same. Multiple products and services can be advertised on various vehicles, as long as the theme is branded to the organization. If you’d like to learn more about branding your fleet, we’ll keep the branding iron in the fire for you. Contact us for custom branding ideas.

You can check out Menards’ great savings here → Save Big Money at Menards.

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Photo Blog: Tuchman Cleaners Van Wrap

Although packed with information, this wrap looks clean. Because it’s easily identified, shares information, and offers calls to action. So, let’s break down the design and how it works.

Branding

It uses a stylized, branded font associated with Tuchman. Prominently displayed the copy captures attention making it easily recognizable.

Call to Action

The mention of free pickup and delivery, coupled with an easy to read phone number and website, which is attractive to consumers.

Credibility

Sharing that the company has been “Serving Indianapolis Since 1916” combined with their slogan, “It’s right, it’s ready, It’s guaranteed” portrays trustworthiness.

Recognition

Without dominating the design, the image of the young lady and her dry cleaning immediately informs observers what the vehicle represents.

In the first part of the last century, before adhesive vinyl was available and graphics were painted on fleet vehicles, it was common to limit the information to company name, phone number, logo, and occasionally a motto. We’re no longer restricted to the limitations of painted graphics, and if you believe the only way to present a professional and clean looking image on your vehicles is by doing less – I’d suggest you look at this Tuchman wrap one more time. Because it works. I’d hate to be in competition with them. If you’d like ideas for your fleet – we can help you “clean up” against your competition. Give us a call at 1-888-544-8051.

About Tuchman Cleaners (from tuchmancleaners.com)

“Tuchman is a 92 year-old household name. We have been recognized as the largest dry-cleaning company with continuous operations in Indiana. We are open 7 days a week and provide Same-Day dry-cleaning and shirt laundry service on all garments brought in by 9:00AM, Monday through Saturday. Tuchman Cleaners has been the Official Cleaner of Coats for Kids for over 25 years. During those 25 years we have cleaned over 170,000 coats for children in central Indiana.”

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Are Your Fleet Graphics Effective?

Are your fleet graphics effective? After nearly 30 hours on the road I learned that there are some highly effective fleet graphics on America’s highways and some that not only are ineffective but send a poor message about the organization they represent. What story do your fleet graphics tell?

Fleet Wrap and Decal Set - Knight Transportation

Knight Transportation Fleet Wrap & Decal Set

A couple of years ago, my wife and I drove to Orlando, Florida, and back. We’d never driven that far together. The good news is – after 29 hours on the road – we didn’t kill each other. She wasn’t certain of the outcome. I can be a bit annoying at times.

I’m in the fleet graphics business, so you’d expect I’d notice vehicle wraps and decals as we traveled, but my wife also paid attention. She’d point out vehicle graphics and critique their effectiveness, remark on eye-catching designs, and ask my opinion. Traveling at 70 MPH (Okay, I was cruisin’ at 76), it became apparent the most effective graphics were easy to read and highly recognizable. Some brands, like Knight Transportation, are known by shape and color alone, because a giant logo on the side of a 53′ semi-trailer pretty much says it all. So, are your fleet graphics effective? Are you taking advantage of the marketing opportunities of your fleet of vehicle?

“I’m talking about 18 wheels of rolling billboard. Is your fleet one of the thousands of trailers and box trucks traveling the highways and byways of America? If so, is your message being received by your target audience? Your fleet vehicles shouldn’t only deliver your product, but they should also deliver your message. What message do you want to deliver? Keep in mind that consumers only have seconds to view your fleet graphics. So, what’s the most important takeaway you want to share? What can you send with seven to ten words that will reach your target?” — Does Your Rolling Billboard Tell a Story?

Keep your message short, sweet, and simple

“Whether a consumer is driving, or walking in a business district, there are thousands of messages fighting for their attention — signs, billboards, and fleet graphics come at people in droves. It’s impossible to take them all in, and even the best only receive seconds of anyone’s attention.” — The Fleet Graphics 5 Second Rule.

“Your graphics should help tell your brand’s story and reflect your brand’s identity. Keep your graphics on message with branding that is consistently applied across your fleet. Even if there are variations in design, it is important to stay on brand and communicate the same overarching story. When wrapping your fleet, use consistent themes, colors and/or images to create comparable appearances. This helps increase brand recognition and provides more impactful reinforcement to your audience.” — 3M – Tips to maximize your wrap’s impact

Are you Missing an Opportunity?

My wife enjoyed full wraps such as Red Gold Tomatoes, but also found simple logos easy to identify. We saw plenty of them on the road. So, that’s the good news. The bad news – there were lots of graphics we couldn’t read or understand. There were many trucks with damaged and faded graphics, and far too many missed opportunities with 53 feet of nothing but white. An empty canvas. A blank billboard rolling south on I 65. Therefore, a missed opportunity.

You Never Got Around To It

“You’ve never wrapped your fleet. Your vehicles are an empty canvas. You’ve justified this by telling yourself you only have four trucks, or it cost too much, or you don’t have time to deal with it or… quit making excuses. So what if you only have four trucks, effective graphics can make it look like a fleet of 50 — suddenly it seems as if your vehicles are everywhere. And, it’s a fact that wraps pay for themselves. You say you don’t have time? Do you spend any time on marketing? If so vehicle graphics is where you should spend it, that is if you want the most cost effective use of your advertising dollar.” — Why Your Fleet Graphics Suck

A Blank Billboard

You wouldn’t pay for a roadside billboard and leave it blank, would you? So, why wouldn’t you advertise on your fleet vehicles? Vehicles graphics today are much more than identification. They’re a highly effective way to market your business. They solidify and promote your brand. Vehicle graphics inform the public. They remind clients what you do. And your employees take pride in quality designed wraps. So, are you on board or are you missing the boat? I mean trailer.

Vehicle branding isn’t a new practice. It has existed in one form or another for over a century. It’s practical, effective, and simply common sense for a company to double the use of their vehicles as moving advertisements for their business. The innovative nature of modern wraps and graphics has ensured that vehicle branding is not just beneficial but, for many brands, the benefits are vital.

“A white paper shared by the ATA (American Trucking Association) Vehicle Branding: Is there Hidden Value in Your Fleet? discovered that 75% of people developed a first impression about a company and its products from truck advertising. Furthermore, an impressive 91% of people stated that they not only noticed adverts on the side of trucks, but could also remember them days later. Most importantly, however, the survey revealed that almost a third of people would base a buying decision on the impression they got from vehicle advertisements.” — Vehicle Graphics: How to Achieve Maximum Branding Impact On Wheels

What are the Benefits?

The benefits of a vehicle wrap hit home when you compare the Cost-Per-Thousand Impressions (CPM) of other forms of advertising (Statistics courtesy of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America):

A 30-second prime-time spot in the top 100 television markets costs $17.78 per thousand impressions
A 60-second drive-time ad in the top 100 radio markets costs $8.61 per thousand impressions
A one-third b/w page ad in the top 100 newspaper markets costs $22.95 per thousand impressions
A four-color one-page ad in the top 23 magazine publications costs $9.35 per thousand impressions
The average for all forms of billboard ads costs $2.18 per thousand impressions
Vehicle wraps cost $.77 per thousand impressions

Does Your Fleet Stand Out? Are Your Fleet Graphics Effective?

So, is your fleet among those my wife noticed in a good way? Or is it one of those with ineffective designs, battered materials, or blank canvasses? “Everyday, we are bombarded with information. See this, buy that, try this, and look at me! It doesn’t change when we get in our vehicles — radio ads, billboards, highway information signs, and vehicle graphics all bombard us. What kind of impression does your vehicle leave?” — What kind of impression does your fleet make?

Are Your Fleet Graphics Impressive?

So, what kind of impression do your fleet vehicles make? If you’re uncertain, Contact Us and send a photo of your fleet graphics – we’d be happy to review it, or just let my wife know when you’re on the road. She’ll be happy to tell you what she thinks. If you’d like to view more effective vehicle graphics, check out our Portfolio.

If you liked this …

Did you enjoy this post? If so, you might also like this, Fleet Graphics Planner, Here’s an excerpt to get you started, “For most businesses fleet graphics are a significant investment. And it’s not only the cost but also the time vehicles are out of service. With this big of an investment in money, time, and resources, doesn’t it make sense to pre-plan? So, here’s your fleet graphics planner.”

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What is an Iridescent Vehicle Wrap?

Overused words cause me to cringe and inhale deeply. If I never hear “awesome” again, I’ll be happy. In our industry, one of those words are “pop.” Customers want the design, material, and installation of their vehicle wraps to “pop!” I’m about to use this overused word because — this wrap pops. Even for those of us in the industry, it has the “wow” factor.

Exactly What Color is This Honda Odyssey?

Rocky Bloniarz and his family decided to wrap their Honda Odyssey with Mactac Tuning Iridescent Film. The finished product is “awesome” (I did it again). When I saw this vehicle parked on our lot, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. As a matter of fact (did I mention overused phrases?), it’s totally amazing! I may be misusing and over sharing my adjectives, but the video speaks for itself. Wow.

To Look Great, it Must be Installed Expertly

What you may not notice in this video is the attention to detail. This application is perfect. There’s not a curve or seem out of place. Iridescent films are thicker than most vehicle wrap vinyl. The Mactac material used is 3.4 mil thick, which means application is a little different than thinner compliant materials. These types of films are best installed by experienced certified installers.

If you’d like to learn how your vehicle would look in Mactac tuning material, give us a call at 888-544-8051 — just ask for Awesome “Pop” Clark.

Photo Blog: Eagle USA Vehicle Graphics

Fleet graphics don’t have to be over-the-top, outrageous, or multi-colored to be effective. Nor do they need to incorporate funny caricatures, unusual fonts, or slogans. Simple not only works – it can be elegant.

This Eagle USA fleet graphic is a good example. To begin with, except for the logo and image, it’s two colors on a white box truck. Simple. It mentions who they are and lists what they do in easy to read fonts. Simple. The only images included in the design are their logo and a Cooper Moon coffee. Simple. The bottom line is it simply works.

Eagle USA, Inc. is a commercial facility cleaning and refreshment service provider based in Chesterton, Indiana. With offices in Chicago, Michiana, and Northwest Indiana, they’ve proven being customer oriented leads to success. “Our continuing mission to build respected customer relationships and exceed expectations has defined our guiding principles.”

If you’d like ideas for your fleet graphics that drive the message home, it’s pretty “simple;” just contact us.

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Photo Blog: Montgomery County Sheriff Trailer Wrap

Whenever I read or hear the words, “police vehicle,” I picture a cruiser, a patrol car, or a squad car. Because, patrol cars are what we see on police TV series and the nightly local news. It’s what we’re familiar with, but there are many different types of vehicles. Because we’ve wrapped every type of police vehicle from motorcycles to 53′ semi trailers, and everything in between.

The featured trailer is used at events to increase the visibility and exposure of the department. It’s set up at fairs, festivals, and outings throughout Montgomery County. It could recently be seen at the Montgomery County Strawberry Festival, and next month, it’ll be at the 4H Fair. The side of the trailer opens out into a canopy and two or three sheriff personnel man the display. They pass out cups and souvenirs to children, and answer various questions — including highway safety, veterans’ services, hand gun licensing, etc. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s department “Serves a population of 38,173. The area covered is 504 square miles which includes 845 miles of County Roadways and 160 miles of State Highways. The Sheriff’s Department is in charge of all law enforcement actions for the county and to maintain a County Jail and provide service to the Courts.”

So, if you own a trailer — whether it’s used as a food truck, horse trailer, or hauling tools and supplies for your business we can help you make it something attractive to take to any event or impress any customer. If you’d like to know more, contact us — we’d be happy to help.

How to Find the Best Vehicle Graphics Installers

You’re thinking about wrapping your six company cars, a dozen vans, or a fleet of tractor trailers. The last thing you need is a bad wrap that reflects poorly on you. You need to find a provider that knows what they’re doing with a well-trained experienced installation team. Who wants the hassle of delays, missed appointments, and do-over’s? You really don’t have time to watch somebody else do their work to be sure they’re doing it right. And besides, you’re not an adhesive vinyl graphic application expert. You just want someone to do the job right the first time and on-time. But how to find the best vehicle graphics installers, that’s the question?

There is no 100% fool-proof method for determining the ability, expertise, and reliability of a vehicle graphics installer, but by following a few steps, you can be pretty darn certain.

Have The Installers Been Thoroughly Trained?

At TKO we use a training manual created by our installation team and then we conduct a show, do, and repeat training. We have a “practice” 53-foot trailer and save old adhesive vinyl graphics for trainees to install. First, our experienced installers show trainees how to do it, then they watch the trainees apply the graphics, and then repeat this process as many times as needed.

“Because master applicators are developed not born it can take years of hard work and dedication to become the top tier of vehicle graphics installers. At TKO Graphix, we’re proud of our teammates with 5, 10, 15, and even 20 twenty years of experience. And we thank them for helping us bring the next generation of installers along. Because using a systemized training procedure has many benefits but one of the greatest is it allows us to identify inexperienced young people of high character, and then train them the job.

So, that’s why we spend so much time training new applicators. Because, we think it’s worth. Many of our teammate, who at one time were inexperienced trainees, have become our best employees. Therefore we believe you should hire character—train skills.” — Why We Invest Time Training Vehicle Graphics Installers at TKO

Are They Certified?

There are two primary vehicle graphics installation certification programs. Installation PDAA (Professional Decal Application Alliance) which is administered by SGIA (Specialty Graphics Imaging Association), and UASG (United Application Standards Group), through 3M. “The UASG stands for United Application Standards Group. It is the country’s leading group of professional graphic installers – proven and tested to be the best in the business. The UASG has distinguished itself by being the first organization of its kind to require every decal installer to meet high standards of professionalism and installation skill.”

Both USAG and PDAA require extensive training and testing. However, there are different levels of certification. For example, PDAA offers both basic and master certification. According to PDAA, “Basic certification accommodates companies that have absolutely no interest in doing vehicle wraps with complex curves.” So be sure you have an application team certified for the type of installation required.

Have You Seen Their Work?

There’s no substitute for reviewing the end product. If the provider is in your vicinity, do they have a facility you can visit? If not, do they have examples of their work in your area, or have they worked with companies familiar to you? You might also ask to see examples of their work online or in a portfolio. Here are a few examples of tractor trailers, box trucks, vans, and cars, TKO Graphix Portfolio.

How Experienced Are They?

You want to know not only how long the company has been installing vehicle and fleet graphics, but how long have the installers been applying adhesive vinyl graphics? A new member or trainee on a crew isn’t a bad thing, as long as there is an experienced team leader.

How to Find the Best Vehicle Graphics Installers

So, how to find the best vehicle graphics installers isn’t one size fits all. You want to find experienced and certified installation teams that fit your needs. For example, a full wrap with complex curves takes a much higher level of training than applying a decal on a flat area such as a door. And to be certain you should look at their work. Another consideration is how long has the company been in business and how tenured is the installation team. And it doesn’t hurt to ask the installation team about their training program.

“It’s a sad event when anyone or anything turns to the dark side. When short cuts are taken instead of projects given the due diligence needed to achieve the best results. When best practices are pushed aside for expediency or experience and know how are down played and ignored; that’s when the dark side looms. That’s vehicle graphics gone bad. It’s where they live. Don’t go to the dark side. OK, I might be a little overdramatic. Maybe. But there are amateurs as well as vehicle graphics providers that live on the dark side. They only thing they provide is disappointment.” — Vehicle Graphics Gone Bad — 7 Ways Vehicle Graphics Go Bad

The difference between a professional installation, versus a poorly applied vehicle wrap, or a vehicle out of service for four days when you were told it would take about a day or so, can be disheartening and costly. If you’d like to learn more about vehicle and fleet graphics application, TKO Graphix is a proud master member of PDAA and SGIA, we’ve been at this since 1985. If we can answer any questions please Contact Us.

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Photo Blog: 5 Star Dance Studio Party Bus Wrap

This 5 Star Dance Studios full bus wrap is eye-catching — it’s almost electrifying. It makes you want to dance!

The key elements to this bus wrap design were installed in stages. The 1993 Provost bus began as an all white vehicle. Layers were applied including:
• Outline colors
• Lettering
• Images of dancers
• Window graphics
• Reflective material

Using Reflective Material to Stand Out

The entire design pops, but it’s the final touch of reflective material that literally makes this full wrap glow. Historically, reflective material has been used on emergency and first responder vehicles. As well as school transports. More and more these materials are being used on commercial vehicles as well. The higher visibility created by reflective material on emergency vehicles makes it attractive for other uses. Although studies aren’t available, it stands to reason that increased nighttime visibility adds to the total number of impressions and improves road safety. It really captures your attention, doesn’t it?

Are You Ready To Dance?

5 Star Dance Studios offers ballroom dancing at its three greater Indianapolis locations — Carmel, Fishers, and Greenwood. Their expert dancing instructors are ready to show you the moves with many calendar events or private lessons — “Just bring your feet and we’ll have you swaying like a pro in no time!”

If you’d like to see the stages of this full wrap, check out this video featuring the 5 Star dance bus: How to Avoid the Top 5 Vehicle Wrap Mistakes.

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FAQ: Can I Use Magnetic Vehicle Graphics?

Magnetic vehicle graphics are a viable solution for some vehicle graphics needs. However, they have limitations. If you use your personal vehicle for work, and you’d like to use the sign in the day, but remove it when you take the kids to soccer practice — magnetic signs may be your answer. These signs are also convenient for temporary vehicles like event carts, courtesy cars, or short-term leased vehicles.

What are the Limitations?

• They only attach to metal. Fiberglass, aluminum, or body parts repaired with non-metallic fillers will not hold the graphic.

• They don’t adhere well to curves. The best application is on flat surfaces.

• Simple geometric shapes like squares, triangles, and circles work best. More complicated shapes can peel back and eventually rip.

• Since they may be easily removed and damaged, there is no warranty. It may be best to store them when the vehicle is not in use.

• The maximum material width is 48″ — graphics wider than 48” will require a seam.

For multipurpose vehicles, or those only used occasionally, magnetic graphics can be a cost effective advertising and identification option. If you’d like to learn more, contact us — we’d be happy to discuss the “field of magnetics” with you.

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