People see your van for about three seconds at a time: at a red light, in a driveway across the street, in the lane behind a house. A wrap that works in those three seconds tells a stranger what you do, who you are and how to reach you, in that order, and nothing else competes with those three. Everything in this guide follows from that rule. We design wraps and specifications; your installer prints and applies them. We are a branding and marketing service, not a contractor.
The three-second rule
Most van graphics fail the same way: they try to say everything. A logo, a slogan, a list of services, a website, a phone number, social icons and a rebate offer all shrink each other until nothing is readable.
Put the information in this order of size and prominence:
- What you do. One short line, such as "Boilers and hydronic heating". This is what makes a stranger look twice.
- Who you are. The company name or logo.
- How to reach you. One method, usually the phone number. A short web address is a reasonable second, smaller.
If anything else goes on the vehicle, it should be visibly less important than these three.
Test it before you print
Print your design proof at a small scale, tape it to a wall and walk to the far end of the room. Then ask someone who has never seen it to tell you, within a few seconds, what the company does and how to call it. If they hesitate, simplify.
Why the rear doors matter most
The sides of a van are seen in passing. The rear doors are seen for minutes at a time, by people stopped behind you in traffic or walking past while you are parked on a job.
On the rear:
- Repeat the service line and phone number at a large size.
- Keep the logo modest; the information matters more here.
- If you want a QR code anywhere, this is the only sensible place.
- Watch for the door split, handles, the licence plate and windows. Do not let the split cut through your phone number.
Full wrap or partial graphics
Both work. The choice depends on your vehicles and budget.
| Factor | Full wrap | Partial graphics on a white van |
|---|---|---|
| Visual impact | Highest | Strong, if contrast is good |
| Cost per vehicle | Higher | Lower |
| Damage repair | A panel replacement may need reprinting to match | Usually simpler and cheaper |
| Mixed fleet consistency | Harder across different models | Easier |
| Resale | Wrap is removed | Graphics are removed |
For many boiler companies with several makes and ages of van, partial graphics on white vehicles give the most consistent fleet for the money. A full wrap makes sense for a flagship vehicle or a uniform new fleet.
Design rules that hold up on the road
- Design on the real vehicle template. Sliding doors, ribs, handles and fuel caps distort flat artwork. Your installer can supply the template for each make and model.
- Contrast before colour. Dark on light or light on dark. Mid-grey on mid-blue disappears under winter road grime.
- Bold, simple type. Thin and script fonts vanish at distance.
- Phone numbers big enough to read in a passing glance. If it looks a little too large on screen, it is probably right on the road.
- Leave space. Empty panel space makes the important lines easier to read.
- Regulatory details. Some regulators and insurers expect licence numbers or other details on work vehicles. Confirm the requirement with them and place the details cleanly, usually near the rear or on the doors.
Keep expiring things off the vehicle
Prices, seasonal offers and rebate programs do not belong on a vehicle. They change long before the vinyl wears out.
Home energy programs show why. Natural Resources Canada's Oil to Heat Pump Affordability page shows the program's application window closed on 2026-07-31 in several provinces and territories, and many provincial programs changed their terms during 2026. A van advertising an incentive that no longer exists is at best embarrassing. The Competition Bureau's guidance on misleading representations is a reminder that advertising claims need to be accurate. Put program details on a dated page of your website, which you can update in minutes.
A worked cost-per-view calculation
Vans are hard to measure, but a simple calculation tells you whether the spend is reasonable. Replace every number below with your own.
Suppose:
- design and installation for one van cost $5,000 in total
- you keep the graphics for five years
- the van is on the road or parked visibly at jobs 240 days a year
- on an average day, it is clearly seen by 300 people
Views over five years: 5 × 240 × 300 = 360,000. Cost per view: $5,000 ÷ 360,000 ≈ $0.014, or about $14 per thousand views.
You cannot know the daily views exactly, so try a cautious figure and a generous one. Even at a third of the estimate, the cost per thousand views stays low compared with most paid media. The more useful question is whether one extra boiler replacement over five years covers the cost, and for most companies, it easily does.
Measuring whether the fleet is working
- A dedicated tracking number used only on vehicles, so calls from the fleet are counted separately.
- A booking question: "How did you hear about us?" with "saw your van" as an option your staff actually select.
- Branded searches in your area before and after the fleet changes.
Taken together, these show whether the fleet is pulling its weight.
The written specification
Without a specification, every installer improvises, and your fleet slowly drifts into several slightly different brands. A good spec includes:
- vehicle make, model and year for each layout
- final artwork files on the correct templates
- colour references for each vinyl or print colour
- minimum letter heights for the service line and phone number
- placement measurements from fixed points such as door edges
- laminate and film requirements, and a request for the film manufacturer's rated life in writing
- what the installer may adjust (for example, small shifts around a handle) and what they may not
Ask every installer to quote against the same spec so you compare like with like.
Common mistakes
- A list of services instead of one clear service line.
- Small phone numbers that look fine on a laptop.
- Designing the side first and treating the rear as an afterthought.
- Wrapping all vans at once without living with one first.
- No spec, so the next van looks different.
What to do next
If your logo is not ready for large-format use, start with logo and visual identity. If it is, our vehicle wrap service follows this guide step by step, and the brand rollout plan times the fleet with your website and profiles. The results page shows what consistent boiler brands have achieved.
Frequently asked questions
What colour should a boiler company van be?
Whatever gives the strongest contrast with your lettering and suits your identity. White vans with bold dark graphics are common because they are affordable and easy to resell, which is a perfectly good reason.
Should I list all my services on the van?
No. One service line ('Boiler installation and service' or similar) is read; a list of eight services is not. Keep the full list for your website.
Is a QR code worth adding?
Only on the rear doors, where people may see the van parked or stopped in traffic. On the sides it will almost never be scanned.
Should each van have a different phone number?
One shared tracking number for the whole fleet is usually enough to measure vehicle calls separately. Per-vehicle numbers add complexity for little gain.