The branding of commercial vehicles can be traced back to the days of the horse drawn carriage. However, with the evolution of digital printing equipment and special substrates and the development of a completely new skill set, the vehicle liveries of today are a new art form.
Two prestigious awards in this year’s British Sign Awards, organised by the British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) and supported by 3M, reflect the increasing importance of this developing market.
The first, sponsored by William Smith, is for Commercial Vehicle Graphics and entries are invited for any project involving any type of commercial vehicle, from vans and trucks to trains, boats and planes. Entries can be for single vehicles or complete fleets and can include applied graphics, partial wraps and full wraps.
The second, sponsored by Spandex, is for the ‘ Wrap of the Year’ which recognises the growing market for customising cars and other small vehicles using vinyl wraps rather than expensive (and permanent) paint jobs. Any car or small vehicle which has been fully or partially wrapped to meet a customer’s personal preferences or for sports/racing/show purposes can be entered for the award.
“Applying graphics and wraps to vehicles of all kinds forms an increasingly important revenue stream for many sign makers but we also recognise that many businesses are now dedicated to vehicle liveries,” said David Catanach of the BSGA. “The awards are open to all businesses involved in providing this service.”
“Our panel of experts decided that having separate categories for commercial vehicles and personal vehicles provided the fairest way to judge while also reflecting what is happening in the market,” he added. “It was always very difficult to judge the wrapping of a single car against the re-branding of a fleet of commercial vehicles. The separate awards provide a much more level playing field for all.”
Closing date for entries to the awards in Friday, September 9th and winners will be revealed at the BSGA Awards event to be held at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on Thursday, November 3rd.
Full details about the awards and how to enter can be found at www.britishsignawards.org
European Sign Federation