All you need to know about vehicle livery
Aura Graphics answers the essential questions on buying, applying and maintaining company branding for your fleet
1. What difference does a livery make to business promotion?
Your vehicles are highly visible to your customers and can communicate with them on a continual basis, making them hugely valuable assets. Branding them is a vital part of promoting your business effectively. The appearance of your vehicles can often give a perception of your brand so a well maintained vehicle with good livery can really help reflect your business in the right way.
2. What are the essential details to include in a livery to maximise its impact?
Design is key when looking at livery. The overall design must communicate your brand message, but also be easy to view.
Our suggestion is to focus on the key message you want to communicate, ensuring it is clear and uncluttered. Don’t forget contact information and put it where it can be seen. Today, most people research businesses online before they make contact, so make sure your web address is part of the design.
3. Does a business need to employ a design agency to create the graphics?
Larger corporate businesses with a companywide brand strategy may have an advertising or brand agency that will want to design the graphics within the structure of the brand identity guidelines.
However, smaller businesses or graphics for special projects can often be created by the right livery provider. This could save time and money overall, but just be careful to stay within brand guidelines, as consistency is key.
4. How long does it take to apply a livery to a vehicle and does it require a specialist?
This will depend on the design content and the vehicle type. For example, a straightforward livery with just lettering and logos may take only one-to-two hours to complete, whereas a full wrap livery can take up to eight hours. Regardless of design, it is important to have the livery installed by a professional company to ensure you get long-term performance. Investing more upfront by working with a professional livery provider will pay dividends over the life of the vehicle.
5. How does a livery impact on insurance premiums if vehicles carry expensive tools or cargo?
We are not aware of any formal statistics on this or any negative impacts of branding vehicles. The practice is long established and we have come to expect professional businesses to operate liveried vehicles. We would suggest that taking measures such as installing trackers, alarms and special locks alongside clear warning notices would be more influential. However, we do recommend advising the DVLA and your insurance company if your wrap design will alter the registered colour of vehicle.
6. How does a bodyshop repair a liveried vehicle?
Repairing a liveried vehicle should not impact the way bodyshops carry out repair works. The repairer simply removes the livery from the damaged area of the van, repairs the van as normal and then orders new parts to be applied. We recommend a minimum of 72hrs between paint application and livery installation to allow sufficient outgassing to occur as vapour from paint can deteriorate the adhesives of the livery if applied too soon.
7. How long will livery last?
This is largely determined by the quality of materials and components. Some graphics films can last up to 10 years, but as soon as they are printed this can reduce to four-to-five years. The inks, printers, laminates and processes used are just as important as the base material. Using a matched component system, such as 3M Select Platinum, will ensure you get the most comprehensive performance and warranty for the life of your vehicles. Only livery providers with industry recognised warranty accreditation can provide a higher level of protection, so make sure you ask for a written warranty statement to ensure you are covered.
8. How easy is it to remove a livery at the end of the vehicle’s life?
Heat is crucial when removing livery and, provided the right materials have been used, it should be painless.
Cheaper or incorrectly specified materials can take longer to remove than they did to put on. Don’t let a low initial price leave you with this problem. Livery removal should not damage the paint surface, although some polishing may be required to remove ‘ghosting’ caused by oxidisation.
Residual values of the vehicle should not be impacted by livery and in some cases a full wrap can help protect residuals as the wrap protects the paintwork.
9. How much will a basic livery cost?
Much like the vehicle itself, livery costs depend on a number of factors such as livery design, type of vehicle, number of vehicles and life expectancy of the livery. As a general guide, a basic lettering and logo type design can cost around £250 with a full wrap around £1,800 for a medium van. It really depends on a number of factors, so it’s best to speak with your livery provider to get a more accurate price. Remember, when comparing quotes, you get what you pay for. Don’t let price be the only decider.
Call us on: 0845 0525 241
Email: fleet@auragraphics.com
Visit: auragraphics.com
