CMX 2004 - Plumbing & HVAC

Trucks for the Trade
Truck Graphics, Part II
Choose the right graphic designer
There is more to graphics than
putting stickers on a truck
By Simon Blake
In Part 1 of this article (Jan/Feb., 2004), we talked about
what goes into effective truck graphics. In Part II, we look
at choosing a graphics supplier and the practical aspects
of applying graphics to a truck.
The graphics that a contractor
applies, or doesn’t apply, to his
truck become the company’s identity
in the community. This makes
choosing a graphic designer and deciding
on graphics one of the most important
decisions that a company owner –
and it should be the owner – will make.
“Many contractors fail by delegating
the development of truck graphics and
other promotional material to an employee,”
notes Gordon McCallum, creative
director for McCallum Graphics in
Mississauga, Ont. Truck graphics should
be part of a total marketing campaign. It
is therefore important to choose a
graphic designer that understands the
company’s overall goals, he added.
Just as a customer does when hiring a
service contractor, a contractor should
ask to see previous work, check references
and talk to other contractors when
commissioning graphics for his truck(s).
The process is easier where the
graphics company does its design work
in-house, reports Julian Sarboiu of
AXXENT Signs Inc. in Mississauga,
Ont. Working with one company on the
Beware of
copyright
Any contractor that wants to use
something previously published
elsewhere, such as a comic book
or cartoon character, MUST obtain
permission from the individual or
company that owns the copyright.
Calgary contractor Peter
Archdekin, president of Pete the
Plumber, actually phoned Marvel
Comics to check the rules concerning
the use of their superhero
figures on his trucks. He was told
the company could ask him to
remove the characters, but as long
as he didn’t use any individual
character on more than one truck
and because he was “a little guy
up in Canada,” they probably
wouldn’t bother.
design and another to apply it to the truck
can add cost, downtime and headaches.
One other thing to keep in mind
when hiring a graphics supplier is how
long they intend to keep the truck.
Because the design work is done on
computer, there is no need for the truck
to be at a graphics shop until the graphics
are actually ready to be applied. A
two-day turnaround is typical, advises
Sarboiu. “Shy away from shops that
cannot provide you with a specific
timeline for your job’s completion.”
The shop should also have valid liability
and contents insurance that covers
your truck while it is in their hands,
he added.
How it’s done
Digital photography and computerized
graphic design software have made the
process of creating custom graphics for
a truck relatively straightforward.
Typically, the designer will work out
the graphics with the contractor on a
computer screen using a file graphic of
the particular model of truck. “It should
not be a complicated process from the
customer’s point of view,” notes
Sarboiu.
Once the design is done, the artist
will print or e-mail a ‘photo’ of the completed
truck. That can be changed and
adjusted until the contractor is satisfied
with the result. Only then are the fullsized
graphics produced.
Today most truck graphics are done
in vinyl. An enormous range of colours
and special effects are available. “There
are certain things that you can incorporate
into graphics today that don’t cost a
lot more money but have benefit –
reflective graphics, for example. They
light up when headlights hit them,”
notes McCallum. Exploring options
with several graphic designers can be
time well spent.
There are two methods of printing
graphics – inkjet that prints the image
onto the vinyl and thermal imaging,
which fuses the ink to the vinyl with
heat. Thermal imaging is generally considered
more durable. However, some
shops warranty inkjet work for five years.
The vinyl itself comes in a number
of different qualities – everything
from extremely expensive material
that will outlive the truck to cheaply
Today’s graphic designers like Julian Sarboiu and Randall Thomas, seated, design
truck graphics on templates of the actual truck body set up in a software program.
made offshore products (Sounds like
PVF products!). Good quality vinyl
will come with a warranty. The vinyl
manufacturer’s colour chart will also
list durability. A vinyl that is rated at
five years, for example, should stay in
place regardless of how many times the
van goes through a truck wash and
should not show any visible signs of
fading for five years.
Design software compensates for distortion
in the vinyl as it goes around
corners, etc. There should therefore be
no visible distortion once the vinyl has
been applied.
Randall Thomas, a partner at
AXXENT Signs, believes lights, moldings,
etc. should be removed and
replaced after the vinyl has been applied.
The goal is to minimize the number
of edges exposed to the elements.
Cost varies with the complexity of
the graphics. Most shops charge by the
running square foot for production
and an hourly rate for installation.
Some shops add a setup charge for
production – make sure that is included
in the quote.
Collision repair with vinyl is straightforward
because the shop will have the
graphics on a computer file. This makes it
relatively easy to print off only the damaged
sections and reapply them to the
truck once a body shop has made repairs.
Vinyl can also be removed when a
leased truck has to be returned, for
example, notes Thomas. However, the
paint will be faded where not covered
by vinyl. If the vinyl has been in place
for three years or less, they can usually
buff it back to original. A repaint may
(continued on page 56)
Roy, left, and Bob Birnie have been experimenting with their truck graphics for years.
They turned to Gordon McCallum to turn their ideas into an unforgettable design.
www.plumbingandhvac.ca March/April 2004 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 55