Big Picture - January/February 2020 - 15

P

Equipment and
Supplies Used
Equipment
HP 570 latex printer
GFP 563TH laminator
Media
3M Ij180c V3
3M 8518 gloss laminate
Software
2020 Photoshop
SAi Flexi RIP
Square feet of Material
620

BIGPICTURE.NET

almer Signs (palmersigns.com) is no
stranger to designing, printing, and
installing food trucks. At the time of this
interview, the Roseville, California, shop
had just completed their 100th mobile
restaurant wrap.
"Everyone in the food truck business wants to
compete, and they always want to one-up their neighbor
with a unique design," says Tony Palmer, owner, Palmer
Signs. "It's fun competition between the food trucks."
The shop recently completed a wrap for a customer in
Hawaii, but their usual customers are in Northern and
Southern California, a haven for meals on wheels.
Palmer Signs is competing, too. In order to stand out
from other PSPs, the shop places their own logo on the
back of the wrapped food truck. "If you let us place our 2 x
2-foot logo, we will discount the overall price by $250," says
Palmer. "So, most of them do that because they're on a
shoestring budget." Out of 100 food trucks, maybe 10 have
said "no" to having the shop's logo on their vehicle, says
Palmer, and those are typically corporate companies with

specific rules for the overall design. "All of the local trucks
have the logo on the back," he continues.
But it's not all street tacos and barbecue slider
designs for the print shop. Designing for food trucks
requires the whole enchilada. Palmer Signs, made up of
15 employees, also offers electrical signs, vehicle wraps,
logo and brand design, embroidery and screen printing,
and business collateral. Their customers range from
business owners to car enthusiasts.
"There's a knack to putting the design together," says
Palmer. He suggests becoming educated in the food
truck business before diving in. His go-to guru? Paul
Somerhausen of Sacramento Mobile Food (SactoMoFo),
a full-service gourmet mobile food catering and event
planning company that has produced more than 5000
events in Northern California since 2011. Somerhausen
is known for leading seminars for the food truck industry.
He covers what it takes to get into the market including
the specific speed that's necessary for the truck,
insurance needs, and health department regulations.
Palmer Signs is then brought in to share the importance
of design. "You could have the best food in the world, but
unless you have a cool wrap, you won't have customers,"
says Palmer.
The main challenge with designing a food truck is
the owner's emotional investment in the business. "They
come with this dream," Palmer says. "We have to take
what their essence is and translate it into a design that's
functional. They say, 'I want to do this, this, and this,'
and we have to tell them, 'OK, easy killer.' We have to
have them slow down."
The Cali Shore Surf and Turf wrap Palmer completed
last December was even more daunting than usual. The
eatery is owned by Edgar Gomez, owner of Gomez
Repairs, a local food truck and trailer repair shop. "This
is his own food truck, his own prized possession, and he
let us do it, which means a lot," says Palmer.

15
http://www.palmersigns.com http://www.BIGPICTURE.NET
Big Picture - January/February 2020

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