How to put your business logo on your van

Before you order

Measure the flat area of the panel — not the panel, the flat part of it. Body lines, creases and panel gaps are where vinyl lifts, and a decal that crosses one will fail there first. Pick a decal width around two-thirds of that flat area.

If your logo is not a rectangle, consider a contour cut. It follows the outline of the artwork so there is no visible sticker edge, and the logo reads as painted on. It is the single change that most affects how professional the result looks.

What you need

• 01Plain soapy water and a clean cloth (no wax, no polish, no solvent-based cleaners)
• 02A squeegee, or a plastic card wrapped in a soft cloth
• 03Masking tape
• 04A tape measure
• 05Shade, and a panel between roughly 10°C and 30°C

Step 1 — clean properly

Wash the panel with soapy water, rinse, and dry completely. This step is where most failures are born. Wax, polish and road film all stop the adhesive keying to the paint, and no amount of squeegee pressure fixes that. If the vehicle has been polished recently, wash it twice.

Step 2 — position with tape, not with hope

Hold the decal in place with the backing still on and step back five metres. Check it against the body lines, not against the panel edges — a decal that is level with the ground but crooked against the swage line will look wrong to everyone who sees it.

When it is right, run a strip of masking tape along the top edge to create a hinge.

Step 3 — hinge, peel, squeegee

Lift the decal up on its tape hinge and peel the backing away from the bottom. Lower it slowly and squeegee from the centre of the top edge outward and downward in overlapping strokes. Never lay the whole thing down at once — that is how you trap air.

If you get a bubble, work it out towards the nearest edge. If it will not move, a pin prick at the edge of the bubble and a firm press will usually settle it.

Step 4 — leave it alone

Remove the application tape slowly at a sharp angle back on itself, not straight up. Then leave the vehicle 24 hours before washing it, and keep a pressure washer more than 300 mm away from the edges permanently.

Removing it later

Warm the decal with a heat gun or a hairdryer and peel slowly at a shallow angle. Adhesive residue comes off with an adhesive remover and a soft cloth. Be more careful on older or resprayed paint — the paint under a decal ages differently to the paint around it, and a long-exposed decal can leave a visible outline.