Design Clinic: Cargo van

Cargo van graphics always seem to catch my eye. They give you a big canvas to work with, and plenty of room to deliver an advertising message. It lets a small business get even more value from their vehicle lettering.

When I first saw this example, I thought about what I liked about it. It was clean and readable, and the message was organized to a point. Let’s say this company owner wanted me to take what had been created and build on that. He wants something that not only reads well but looks more like an established company. We hear so much today about logos and branding that the subject came up right from the get-go.

Our original is a black-on-white somewhat generic-looking layout. The company name and phone number are just about the same height and weight. In my opinion, these two elements are in direct competition with one another—two very important elements competing like this causes our readers not to see one or the other first. Whether this truck is standing still or rolling along, this competition will interfere with the main message and hurt the overall readability.