Tips and Tricks : The Versatility of Reflective Vinyl
Boost your customer’s brand image with the dynamic versatility of reflective vinyl. With the pressure to create more eye-catching campaigns and projects that have greater impact, reflective vinyl will make your customer’s branding and messaging “jump”. Day and night time illumination extends advertising exposure to 24 hours a day!
Today, reflective vinyl applications go well beyond the traditional emergency or safety signage. Creative thinkers are now adding sparkle and shine to vehicle wraps, fleet graphics, buildings, wall wraps and more to stand out from all other advertising.
Reflective vinyl is a pressure sensitive adhesive film layered with glass beads or prisms designed to reflect artificial light, such as headlights, back to the observer.
The film’s overall reflectivity is dependent on the arrangement of the light-reflecting components. It is available in two constructions – prismatic and beaded:
- Prismatic reflective vinyl has reflective micro-prisms incorporated into the construction allowing brighter reflection and an increased angle of visibility. It is most commonly used for critical emergency signage and road signs.
- Beaded or retro reflective vinyl is made by embedding retro reflective glass beads into the face of the vinyl. It is often used for digital printed graphics across an array of applications, which we detail in this article.
Benefits of reflective films:
- Strikingly high visibility – easily seen at night thanks to the ability to reflect light back to the observer.
- Attention grabbing, with vivid colours in the day time, and a glow in the dark effect at night.
- High quality construction makes the film durable and long lasting.
- Incredibly versatile with the ability to cut to any shape or size.
Things to consider:
- Bruising – bruising occurs when the uniformity of the reflective components is disturbed, either by drastically stretching or creasing the film. It is difficult to heal the film back to the original state.
- Dry application only – never use the wet application method on reflective sheeting, as the application fluid can cause de-lamination or corrosion of the metallised layer.
- Expense – reflective films are more expensive than standard vinyl films. However, with the added feature of increased visibility this outweighs the added expense. Here are a few different applications and examples where reflective vinyl films could be incorporated to give your customer the brand boost they’re looking for!
Full or Partial Vehicle Wraps
Add a classy, unique look to your next full or partial vehicle wrap by incorporating reflective vinyl. For maximum impact, day or night, a full vehicle wrap will set your vehicle alight with an added sparkle and shine not available using conventional opaque vehicle wrapping films. Alternatively, use reflective vinyl to highlight small, key areas that command attention, such as a funky graphic. The team at Auto Artisan utilised Avery Dennison’s V-4000 Premium Reflective on a very cool Halloween themed Bull Rush Rally vehicle.
Interested in adding a classy and unique touch to your vehicle? Contact us now to explore the possibilities of incorporating reflective vinyl into your next full or partial vehicle wrap.
Trucks and Corporate Fleet Signage
Reflective vinyl on trucks and fleets not only increases the safety of drivers and pedestrians, it also provides companies with the opportunity to have their message or branding visible 24/7. Think of how many potential customers are out there driving at night past your company vehicle, that have no idea who you are or what you do, and how great it would be to make your logo stand out all the time… Reflective vinyl is perfect for those wanting to boost their brand identity and visibility. Simply print the logo on reflective media and you’ve added a whole other dimension to your fleet signage. The recently installed wrap by Justin Pate and Exotic Graphix for The Big Umbrella soup station van incorporated Avery Dennison’s V-4000 Premium Reflective to highlight the logo on the bonnet and volunteer crew text on the side of the van.
Bus, Tram and Taxi Graphics
n almost every city in Australia you see advertising on a panel on the rear of a taxi. A popular favourite for movie launches, events and even social awareness campaigns, taxis with reflective media provide a moving billboard that is visible all day and all night long. Add a graphic down the side of the vehicle and there is even more opportunity for your customer. But why limit this to taxis? Buses and trams are a perfect canvas to replicate the concept as well.
Shop-Front and Building Graphics
Add instant impact to shops and buildings with customised branding for retail stores and events using reflective vinyl and some strategically placed spotlights. Whether it is for a specialty store launching a new product range, or an industry event, reflective film can help kick it up a notch for your customer. Arlon’s IllumiNITE Wrap was used at a Paint is Dead WWWrap event as part of the SEMA Show recently, and it really shows how effective reflective film can be when you think outside the box!
Wall Wraps
Wall wraps provide the opportunity to transform smooth uninspiring indoor surfaces into visually appealing spaces. Whether it is a functional graphic, such as directional or wayfinding signage, or a work of art, add vibrancy to walls in basements, carparks and garages with graphics printed on reflective vinyl. 3M’s Scotchlite 780mC Print Wrap Film is perfect for adding pop to wall wraps.
Stickers and Decals
Perfect for mass market, wide-spread brand awareness that consumers can place anywhere, stickers and decals are extremely dynamic. If designed well, they have the ability to be aesthetically striking and become a cult favourite among a business’ target market – think Apple, Bad Boy, RM Williams. To increase the impact for your customers brand, consider using reflective vinyl which can easily be printed, and contour cut to any shape and size. With the increased stability of the film, it means any novice can apply a small graphic easily without creases – making it a viable, light catching, alternative to traditional stickers and decals.
This is just the tip of the iceberg! With a little creativity and the ability to think outside the box, you can increase exposure for yours, or your customers business, simply by adding a little reflective vinyl to your next application.