Emergency vehicle graphics serve important purposes beyond just helping your fleet look great. These graphics also make your vehicles identifiable by the public and help improve visibility to keep your team and the public safer on the roads. But that doesn’t mean style isn’t important too! The good news is, there’s no reason to sacrifice the aesthetic appeal of a well-designed emergency vehicle graphic while also making sure it’s functional and practical.
All too often, we hear from teams in the emergency services industry that shelled out big bucks for emergency vehicle graphics that ended up not only lacking practicality but also lacking design. We want to save you the trouble these issues can cause. That’s why today, we’re sharing the top 10 emergency vehicle graphic ideas for 2021.
Emergency Vehicle Graphic Ideas for 2021
Keep reading to get the inspiration you need for your own fleet’s graphics. And of course, Graphic Designs International is just a call away in Stuart, Florida to help you bring your vision to life.
Previous Top Designs
Before we explore the latest designs, let’s look at years past.
In 2019 and 2020, emergency vehicle graphics were commonly asymmetrical. In addition to this trend, we saw a lot of 3D decals. What many of these designs wouldn’t include is retroreflective material. Now, we understand the increasing importance of reflective material, particularly for nighttime visibility.
Top Emergency Vehicle Graphic Ideas of This Year
As the trends in emergency vehicle graphic designs change, it’s important to keep up with them. Your fleet will not only look modern, but your crew will be safer on the roads when they’re more identifiable, especially in poor conditions during storms or at night.
So, let’s explore some of the top design ideas from 2021 to help inspire your own emergency vehicle graphics.
Contour markings
Contour markings can be used to outline emergency vehicle boundaries for better visibility. Ideally, these markings are done with retroreflective material. If you operate larger vehicles like fire trucks or ambulances, they’re especially important. But it isn’t uncommon to see them on police vehicles too.
Retroreflective material placement
We mentioned that one of the trends in emergency vehicle graphic designs is more retroreflective material. Additionally, placing this material on the lower boundaries of the vehicle is particularly common. This improves the odds of the material being in a driver’s line of sight so they can identify the vehicle sooner and from further away.
Contrasting colors
For many years, it wasn’t uncommon to see a simple color palette on emergency vehicles. The problem with black font on a dark blue vehicle is how difficult it will be to identify the vehicle by its graphic—especially from far away or in poor conditions. Contrasting colors are more important than ever. Not only do they help your graphics stand out, but they’re an helpful safety feature too.
Authoritative fonts
Whimsical fonts don’t often have a place in the world of emergency vehicle graphics. First, they can be difficult to read and cause a distraction for drivers. But at the same time, they also don’t look authoritative or strong. Using bold, clear fonts is the way to go in 2021, and we suspect, for years to come.
Diagonals
Diagonal or chevron graphics are stylish, but they can also drive the eye toward important identifying information on the vehicle. Many emergency vehicles feature diagonal graphics with vinyl wraps or even retroreflective material to improve visibility.
Full versus partial wraps
It’s not unusual to see full or partial vinyl wraps on emergency vehicles. In 2021, this trend will continue as we still see a variety of options for different emergency vehicles. In many cases, smaller emergency vehicles (including golf carts of police cars) look and function best with partial wraps. But on larger vehicles or those that need to display more information, a full vinyl wrap might be the way to go.
Window decals
Another emergency vehicle graphic idea worth considering is window graphics. These don’t tend to be an option for standard four-door vehicles, but on ambulances or other large vehicles, they can be particularly beneficial. On top of being used to further identify your vehicle, they can also provide privacy for patients in the back of emergency vehicles.
Hood and trunk designs
Another trend in emergency vehicle graphics worth considering is displaying vehicle identification numbers or other important information on the hood or trunk of the vehicle as opposed to the sides.
Shield designs
Most emergency vehicles display the shield in at least one location. This is a recurring trend that’s likely to continue. The shield could be displayed on the front, side, rear, or even top of the vehicle. Because this is often a prominent part of the vehicle, it’s incredibly important to choose a design that looks great, is identifiable, and is in suitable colors.
Emergency information
Many emergency vehicles display emergency information, including phone numbers. Most often, this information is displayed in a smaller font than other information. Additionally, it’s often placed on smaller areas of the vehicle. It’s becoming more and more common to see “911” or similar information displayed on the hood or fender of an emergency vehicle rather than on the sides. Depending on how much space is available, the windows may also provide another location to display this information.
Things to Consider With Emergency Vehicle Graphic Ideas
Now that we’ve covered some of the top emergency vehicle graphic ideas for 2021, let’s talk more about what to keep in mind when selecting graphics for your fleet.
First and foremost, safety needs to be at the forefront of your mind when you make this decision. If vehicles aren’t adequately identified and highly visible, this can pose a risk to not only the general public but also to the team operating these vehicles.
Next, you will also want to carefully consider the material used for the graphics. If you opt for cheaper, low-quality material, this can come at a greater cost to you in other ways. Your vehicles will be more likely to need their graphics and decals replaced more often. They will be more prone to chipping, peeling, or damage. That being said, we know cost is still an important consideration. Before you move forward with a design, be sure to find out not only what it would cost for a single emergency vehicle, but the price of doing the work on your entire fleet.
Emergency Vehicle Graphic Design in Florida
Since 1994, the team at Graphic Designs International has been providing graphics and signage to public safety departments and doing so with pride.
In addition to emergency vehicle graphic design, we offer a number of related services, including:
- Digital Printing
- Screen Printing
- Vinyl ProcessingRecoiling
- Slitting
- Shipping And Installation
We work with police, sheriff, fire rescue, security, and public safety communities in and around Stuart, Florida, as well as throughout the United States, U.S. Territories, and the Caribbean.
If you are ready to bring these emergency vehicle graphic design ideas to life, we are here to help! Call us today to learn more about our services.
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