2016 Vehicle Graphics Contest Readers’ Choice: Rust Rules

For the fourth year, ST proudly opened the floor to our www.signweb.com readers and social-media followers for our annual Vehicle Graphics Readers’ Choice Survey. The field features 10 nominees, which are gleaned from the highest scorers from the regular contest’s scoresheets. However, the judges undertake an additional layer of deliberation for the regular contest; they discuss the merits of the projects that have advanced to the second round. As a result of this reevaluation, not every project that initially scores highly joins the juried competition’s winner’s circle. However, they have the opportunity to shine here.
The Readers’ Choice Survey transcends categories, so having food trucks, shop trucks and service vans competing head-to-head enhances its intrigue. Survey respondents were allowed to vote once per electronic device (which, in today’s world, allows approximately 24 polling opportunities), and nominees were invited to spread the word among customers and friends.
The vote remained close through-out; Jeff Chudoff, proprietor of a Fastsigns franchise that’s also known as Arizona Designs (it’s located in Maple Shade, NJ, but the name conveys his appreciation for creative, colorful Western design sensibilities), won a slim victory with approximately 25.1% of the vote. His shop truck, which was designed with a rusty patina that resembles a 30-year-old paint job (Chudoff first opened his shop in 1985), will hopefully entice customers to invest in wraps for their vehicles.
The runner-up, azpro’s wrap of a 1954 Dodge Ram pickup truck for a shop open house, garnered approx-imately 22% of tallies. Palmer Signs’ Cowtown Creamery took third, receiving the nod from slightly more than 12% of respondents.
The Readers’ Choice Survey includes a comments section, where respondents are allowed to elaborate on their favorite projects. Here are a few of their musings:
“I can only read the lettering clearly the first time I viewed it on the [Winfrey Plumbing] truck.”
“Outstanding! I can see [Cow-town Creamery] a block away.”
“I think [Arizona Designs’ ‘rusty’ truck wrap] looks really authentic and is my favorite of the choices.”
“I thought the Arizona [Designs] shop truck was real! When you think your eyes are playing tricks on you and you have to do a double-take (in a good way), then that is a winner!”
“They’re all awesome, but the Ram Lodge truck is something anyone could drive.”
“I almost had a three-way tie, but the Ram Lodge truck provides [the most suitable] graphics for the purpose. [Cowtown Creamery and Baldy’s BBQ] came in close behind.”

READERS’ CHOICE CONTEST FINALISTS:
• Graphic D-Signs (Washington, NJ) and azpro (Avondale, AZ), Winfrey Plumbing
• Madison Graphics (Sun Prairie, WI), Prairie Land Towing
• Arizona Designs/Fastsigns #2115 (Maple Shade, NJ), Shop Truck
• Surf City Graphics (Huntington Beach, CA), Sailor Jerry (also the regular contest’s Best of Show winner)
• Azpro, Ram Lodge
• Creative Color Studio (Burnsville, MN), Driven
• Creative Color Studio, Baldy’s BBQ
• Palmer Signs (Roseville, CA), Cowtown Creamery
• Absolute Perfection (Sykesville, MD), Diamondplate MINI Cooper
• Absolute Perfection, Tactical Command Center