Your business does what it says on the van

Use a colour for the signage that contrasts well with the base colour of the van

A trade endorsement as part of their signage is displayed by 27% of van owners and around six in 10 customers say they would sometimes or always look out for this before contacting a company.

What are the biggest turn-offs? More than 50% said a spelling mistake in signage would deter them, and about the same number would rule out companies with dirty or badly driven vans. Other deterrents are smoking drivers and blacked-out windows.

AXA has teamed up with design consultant Darren Forsyth to provide tips on how to make the most of your van signage:

Use as few colours as possible and use to a colour that will contrast with the van colour – for example, dark blue on a white van
Ensure you use suitable material – vehicle wrap vinyl is ideal for vans
Keep it simple and clear – unless you’re stuck in a traffic jam, potential customers don’t have time to take in too much detail
Have the key bits of information at ‘eye level’ for other drivers. It’s pointless having your company name or contact details somewhere that will be obscured by other traffic
Try to keep sign writing within the van’s panels
Avoid going over door joins or around corners of the body
Consumers say they like pictures, but simple illustrations work better than photographs
A sans serif font will works better than a serif font, especially in larger sizes
If the colour of the font is important get some swatches for reference as vinyl colours don’t match regular Pantone reference colours
Make sure several people to proof-read your sign – a mistake can be disastrous
Finally, ask your insurer about discounts for signage – some, including AXA, will offer a discount for a ‘branded’ van.