Have you ever thought what is the most recognizable part of your food trailer business? Which part of your visual identity makes you unique and convinces new clients to choose your food concession trailer instead of the others? In most cases that is your food trailer sign.
There are so many different types of concession trailer signs. We see big signs, small signs, illuminated, with light bulbs, with vibrant colors or minimalistic designs. No matter the style, the material, or the size your sign has, all of them are serving the same purpose: they promote your mobile food trailer brand and your message!
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Why Are Signs So Important For Food Trailers?
Signs are not just important for food trailers, they are crucial for every kind of small business. There are so many options out there and signs are brief guides that help us find which of these options fit us best. Your sign is your way to introduce your business to the passer-by and catch his attention.
Food concession trailers are restaurants in wheels, just like any other restaurant the majority of their clients find them randomly, just because they happened to be at that same place. One of the easiest ways that a food cart trailer can attract new clients is to have an excellent visual identity.
In a food trailer you have limited space, therefore just a few elements define your visual identity. When it comes to brand marketing “what you see is what you get”. The part of the visual identity is extremely important in branding since it is the first contact point a costumer has with a brand.
We are driven by image; visual identity shapes our perception and creates certain emotions that affect our decision to choose one brand instead of another. The visual identity of a brand is actually what costumers physically see. In a big festival venue with dozens of food trucks and trailers you have to make sure the costumer comes to you before even tasting your food. The client has to be able to distinguish your truck in the crowd and the way to do that is by investing in the appearance of your catering trailer.
A pop of color, a unique design and a smart, eye catching sign can definitely make you stand out and attract audience in your street food trailer business.
Where To Place The Sign On Mobile Food Trailer?
Your food trailer sign is all about the name of your brand, the product you are selling, your message or your logo. The sign should be located in a place where it is visible from long distance and drives attention to your food trailer.
The majority of vending trailers place the sign on top of the food trailer, so people can still see it from far away in crowdie events or food truck festivals. However, there are owners who prefer to install it at the body of the food trailer. Keep in mind the importance of the space surrounding your mobile food trailer. If you are working in a concert you might want to place your sign in a higher spot so that people can find you, if you are working in a park or in the street you could install your sign at a lower spot left or right.
It all depends on the design of your food concession trailer and size of your sign. If you are not sure where your sign should be placed, you can always consult with your food trailer manufacturer; their expert team can definitely help you.
Food Trailer Signs Types And Materials
When choosing the materials, you are using in your concession trailer sign, you want to make sure you keep in mind a few important parameters.
Resistant Materials
Remember, your sign will be installed outdoors, so don’t forget about unpredictable weather damage.
Lightweight
You sign is coming with you wherever you take your food trailer, you don’t want it to be heavy.
Energy Efficient
If you choose a lighted sign make sure you are not wasting too much energy to light it up, especially if you need that energy for other functions of your food trailer like kitchen and indoor lights.
Neon lights are a great solution for a cool looking lighted sign! They are energy efficient, lightweight, they come in very attractive colors and they are quite inexpensive. Your sign manufacturer can help you find the best Neon LED light solution for your food trailer that is both resistant and waterproof, a great choice for an outdoor business.
Another very widely known sign type is 3D Lettering. You can create three-dimensional letters and logos and you have numerous different materials and styles to choose from.
Plastic Letters
Plastic is definitely the cheapest option in comparison to wood and metal. Plastic signs are very resistant in outside weather conditions, and they are probably the best deal you can get, considering price and quality.
Wooden Letters
Wood is a classic and sophisticated option. It is eco friendly and looks great on top of a metal food trailer. The downside of wooden signs is that they are less resistant to bad weather conditions, and you might need to get them repainted every eight to ten months.
How To Design An Amazing Food Trailer Sign?
Since your food cart sign is one of the first things costumers notice you want to make sure it is remarkable!
If you are running a professional food trailer business, you are probably hiring somebody to make a sign for you. However, if you are getting evolved in the designing process, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:
- Make sure it is comprehensible
You are placing a food trailer sign in order to put your brands name and your brands message to the public space. Avoid using fonts that are difficult to read. People will not make the effort to understand what you are saying, they will just move to the next one.
- Make it short and simple
Nobody will spend more than ten seconds of their time to read your concession trailer sign, so don’t overload it with information, just stick to the point. You can include your brand name and a call to action message. Be sure that people will come and ask you if they want to know more about your product.
- Make it pop
Your trailer sign is your best fast food business advertisement, so you want to make sure people can read it from far away and it doesn’t blend in with the background. You can try creating contrast between the letters and the backdrop. If you are planning to work at nighttime, we recommend you use light letters so that it remains legible in the dark.
- Choose the best place to install it
Take advantage of your amazing food trailer sign and install it in a place where everybody can see it. Try capturing your food truck from various angles in order to decide which is the best spot for your sign. Remember that it has to be recognizable from far away and it would also be great if it could show up in the Instagram pictures your clients take and post.
How Much Can A Custom Food Trailer Sign Cost?
The price of your food trailer sign can be as high as your budget is. To give you an idea, affordable outdoor business signs can cost around to 200 – 500 dollars and more premium ones can cost up to 2000 dollars.
However, no matter what your budget is there are so many things that you can customize in your food trailer sign. Some of those are the following:
- Wording and design
- Colors and fonts
- Backdrop color and texture
- Materials
- Lights
Get more information on the price by contacting your local sign manufacturer since each company has a different pricelist and also a list of all the custom features you can have in your sign.
Example Of Food Trailer Signs We Have Built
Many food trailers are now installing signs but there are some of those that stand out. We would like to share with you some great examples of food trailer signs we have built and the reasons we like them:
Lucky Mama’s Pasta and Pizza Truck
Lucky Mama’s has a very creative and unique food trailer sign that is their logo. It is basically the brand name written on top of a design of red lips. Simple and catchy! You can also see the logo as a sticker on the right side, whereas on the left side there is another pink sticker with the words “fresh pizza and pasta”.
The owners of Lucky Mama’s managed to describe everything you need to know about their food trailer, using a very cool sign and two stickers. The sign adds a pop of color to the black food trailer and definitely triggers the visitors to take a closer look on this cute restaurant on wheels.
Burger Bender Trailer
This vibrant red burger food trailer has also installed a sign that is their logo. The owners of Burger Bender food trailer have decided to place red neon LED lights on the second floor of the food trailer.
The sign is visible from afar and even thought the letters are the same color as the food trailer, the neon light effect makes them stand out. This bright sign even though quite simple, makes the food trailer unique and distinguishable.
Miss Bangkok
Miss Bangkok is a Thai street food trailer that has also chosen to put light in the trailers sign. In this food trailer sign we can see that they have included the brand name, the logo and a little description of the cuisine.
The big bright sign lights up the whole trailer and compliments the vibrant yellow food trailer color. There is no way somebody can pass by Miss Bangkok without taking a moment to check out this food trailer.
What Is The Perfect Sign For Your Food Cart Trailer?
The process of designing and making the perfect sign for your food trailer business can be a lot of time consuming and triggering. Having so many different options can be confusing at times, but with the help of the expert teams of your food trailer manufacturer or your local sign manufacturer you can end up with a result that can skyrocket your business.
As we have already mentioned your sign can be the most important part of your visual identity and the message that attracts clients to your food trailer. Apart from the visual part, it is crucial to be practical and adaptable to the necessities of your business. The location of your food trailer and the weather can guide you to make the right decisions and opt for a sign that will last a long time.
Creative and informative signs have the ability to bring to your business many more walk-in clients. Signs are a big part of our everyday life, they are the way to be noticed and to stay on the costumers mind.
Signs provoke certain feelings so make sure you create a food trailer sign that evokes your costumers the emotions that you want to associate your brand with.
