Branding a single vehicle gives you plenty of creative freedom to design around that particular model. Once you're working across an entire fleet though, things can get a little more complicated. The layout that looks spot-on across the side of a large van isn't necessarily going to translate neatly onto a smaller vehicle with different doors or body lines, yet everything still needs to feel cohesive. So what are the fleet vehicle branding best practices?
Good fleet vehicle branding is about finding the right balance between consistency and flexibility. You want someone to recognise one of your vehicles as yours straight away, even when the vehicles themselves aren't identical.
At Joyce Design we've worked with enough mixed fleets to know that it’s the small details that can make the biggest difference once all of the vehicles are out on the road. So, we're sharing some of the practical things that we consider when creating fleet branding which needs to work just as well across the tenth vehicle as it did across the first.
If you’re looking for visual inspiration, download our fleet branding portfolio here!
Start With Clear Fleet Branding Guidelines
Before we get stuck into the fleet vehicle branding best practices and start designing fleet graphics, we need to know which parts of the brand are fixed and where we have some flexibility. Your logo and brand colours will obviously be non-negotiable, although there may be more freedom around the scale or positioning of individual elements depending on the vehicle.
Many of our clients already have brand guidelines, which gives us a good place to start. The challenge is that those guidelines have usually been created with websites or brochures in mind and vehicles don't give us the same flat blank canvas. A logo that might land directly across a sliding door could disappear once the door is opened, leading to some very bad brand recognition. As demonstrated, it’s incredibly important that the layout takes into account the shape and features of the vehicle without losing the messaging behind the brand.
For fleets, we can use those existing guidelines and turn them into a system that works across the vehicles themselves. Once we've established how the branding should behave, we have a much stronger reference point for every vehicle that follows; including any new models that are added to the fleet later.
Design for the Fleet, Not Just One Vehicle
For our award-winning designers, consistency doesn't mean making every vehicle identical; it means making sure that they clearly belong together. We saw this first-hand when rebranding more than 100 vehicles for Likewize, whose fleet included VW Transporters, Mercedes Vitos and Kia Niros. The vehicles were very different, although that distinctive bubblegum pink branding still needed to look unmistakably Likewize across every model.
We use specialist computer imaging to work with the dimensions of each model before anything goes into production. This gives us a much clearer picture of how the design will sit on the actual vehicle and lets us make those small adjustments without losing the overall identity of the fleet.
Keep Colours Consistent Across Every Vehicle
Colour is one of the instant ways that people recognise a brand (think blue and white for Tesco or the unmistakable ‘Asda green’). This means that even a small mismatch can stand out when two fleet vehicles are parked next to each other. This isn't usually much of a concern when an entire fleet is branded in one go; the real test comes later, when another vehicle needs to be added or some replacement vehicle graphics are required after a repair.
At Joyce Design we don't rely on a colour simply looking close enough on-screen, as the materials and print process all have an impact on the finished result. As a 3M™ Platinum Select Partner, we use matched 3M components to help us reproduce graphics consistently over the lifetime of a fleet. When your next vehicle arrives a year or two down the line, it should still look like it belongs alongside the ones that came before it.
Have a Process for Damaged Graphics and Vehicle Repairs
Our Accident Management Programme takes care of this for our fleet customers. We maintain an inventory of the graphics parts used across your vehicles, so when something is damaged, we can quickly establish what needs replacing. We can prepare replacement graphics for dispatch and fitting within three to five days, helping you to get the vehicle back on the road looking as it did before the repair.
Maintain the Same Installation Standards Across Your Fleet
You can get the artwork and print absolutely right, only to lose that consistency at the fitting stage. If a graphic sits slightly higher on one van or doesn't follow the same body line on another, you'll notice the difference when those vehicles are together, and your brand image takes a hit. For fleet vehicle branding, the standard of installation needs to be just as consistently high as the graphics themselves.
Of course, that doesn't mean that every vehicle can conveniently come to the same place to be wrapped. Larger fleets may be spread between depots across the country and taking vehicles off the road simply to move them somewhere for fitting isn't always practical.
At Joyce Design we offer a UK-wide network of approved installers, which means that we can arrange for graphics to be fitted closer to where your vehicles are based. You receive a much more practical rollout without having to compromise on the installation standards that keep the finished fleet looking consistent.
Keep Your Fleet Branding Consistent with Joyce Design
So, there's our fleet vehicle branding best practices. Planning a fleet rollout or getting a new group of vehicles ready for branding? We can manage your fleet vehicle branding from design and in-house manufacture right through to professional fitting; with a dedicated fleet expert keeping everything moving along the way. For vehicles based at different locations, we can also coordinate installation through our UK-wide network of approved installers.
Get in touch with our team at Joyce Design to tell us about your fleet and what you would like the branding to achieve. Whether you're starting from scratch or bringing an existing fleet back into line, we'll help you to create vehicle branding that you're proud to have representing your business out on the road.
