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THE APPEAL OF THE LIGHT VAN BODY.
Page 88
Page 89
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Its Value as an Advertisement for the Goods it Carries. The Interior Equipment and the Exterior Form and Embellishment.
MITE. modern light &liveiy van is not
only an efficient *leans of transport for all classes of tradesmen, but it is often, designed so that its general appearance makes a special artistic appeal, part of its attractiveness depending on the colour scheme adopted and the style of writing display used. The 'external features May be considered of so much iMportance that they are often decided first, and such matters as carry'log capacity and the detailed artaingemeat of the various fittings are made to conform with whatever outlines and proportions may be decided upon.
; Although this procedure may suggest that the basic principles of design are ignored, yet all that happens is that a compromise is -made between what is severely practical and box-like and the right amount of shapeliness and embellishment which shall give pleasure to the eye and set up in the mind of the beholder • an inevitable connection between specially, designed and well-kept bodywork and selected and carefully transported goods.
It should be possible to sell the best chocolate in plain cartons, but, since competition is keen and humanity is surrounded by so many things which contend for the favour of its attention, it follows that even a light delivery van, if it is to be a travelling advertisement for its owner, must be something out of the ordinary, otherwise it will form merely a unit of the traffic.. From the artistic standpoint, the appeal to the tradesman and* his customer, whether actual or potential, is, similar ; in the first instance. it inereases the pride of possession of the vehicle, whilst in the other it arouses the desire to possess the goods carried.
The Influence of Private Body .Design.
The designer of the light delivery van is fortunate, since if he wishes to introduce a note of refinement he has a wealth of suggestion ready to hand.
CS-0 Closed types of private bodywork, although they are constructed to carry passengers, have a general form of construction which may be modified and adapted for the transport of goods. Although there is much less scope for this :practice with the larger sizes of box and tilt vans, it is a procedure which, on the whole, has been very successful for vans having a loading capacity up to id ewt, and one ton.
As an incentive to mount distinctive styles 'of .bodywork,, many Models of chassis which have been designed for private; use are also available for commercial purposes. In these instances there are a handsome radiator shell and tapered bonnet, with a rake of steering. column which provides space for the setting out of an imposing scuttle dash. With the stimulus thus provided little encouragement is needed, not only to mount. a sloping screen, but to design the. driving seat so that, if there may not be the same (1,egree of comfort as in a private car, yet the amount of •protec
tion afforded is very much the Same.
Not so very long ago, . fiat wings, sometimes with rather ineffective inside shields and often without any, and a plain steel tread to give access to the driving seat, 'were considered quite good enough for the .average delivery van. Nowadays, domed wings with inside shields form a perfect enclosure in combination with platform steps and valances. There is no need to defend the use of these items on msthetic grounds, because if the wings for private ears he more effective as mudguards and the larger steps are Safer than the old pattern, surely they should be fitted to the vehicle which does by far the great•.ir mileage, especially as no considerable extra 'cost is incurred.
Although many of the features of the private car are thus appropriated, nevertheless there is plenty of opportunitY for the evolution of characteristic styles of commercial bodywork, evidence of which may readily be found.
Making the Most of a Conventional Style.
One way of designing an attractive van body is to utilize the most .convem tional outlines and to treat each feature with the utmost care. The proportions of the areas of the various panels receive particular attention, the effect of any recessed parts is judged in its relation to the whole, whilst the roof line is regarded of much importance and has no suspicion of . a broken curve. A van built in this way and well painted and written looks 'quite different from a similar van which has "just happened" and of which there has been no preliminary .and detaikd planning of its various parts: Neither owner nor passer-by may be able to explain or describe the technical differences of these two vans, but each is aware that one vehicle has an air of distinction Which the other lacks.
Originality.
Originality need not cause increased cost. It is often possible to introduce something novel in an otherwise ordinary design which is quite inexpensive, yet which at once gives character to the vehicle. For instance, instead of having only a projecting cornice at the sides of the roof, the roof here may be made to overhang boldly, say, an inch or an inch and a half. Instead of trying to design an unusual shape of a side light by making it distinctly rococo in outline and appear in imminent danger of disintegration, the plain ellipse can be embellished with a neat ornament at the sides or top and bottom. The elimination of the middle waist moulding is also of value in this direction, for then new creas may be enclosed by mouldings or beading for decorative effect and not utilized to express the main framework of the body.
Using Bands of Colour.
The panelling may also be divided in many new ways by an arrangement of contrasting bands of colour. One may often see the top of the bonnet and scuttle of a private car painted a different .colour from the sides. The idea would look unusual without being freakish on a light delivery van, tho baud of colour being continued to form a belt at the waistline. The van is also likely to attract attention if, when panelled in one piece from roof to bottom, this feature is emphasized by painting the greater part of it in one colour, with contrasting or decorative bands at the sides. Even should the panel be joined, the moulding can he made as narrow as possible and finished in the same colour so as not to be readily discernible.
A Roll-up Driving Canopy.
A smart delivery van, suitable for an exclusive West-End house, is made by constructing the body without any fixed driving canopy. The front seat is protected by means of a flexible canopy, which is fastened at the front on top of the windscreen stanchions, and, when not in use, rolls up against the front top . rail of the body. The loading portion then stands out from the driving compartment and lends itself to well-balanced design which can be meulded or otherwise decorated on novel lines.
Partitions and Shelves. Every delivery van should have a partition behind the driving seat so as to protect the load. The near-side 'half
of it should be made to slide, unless facilities are provided for access to the load from the aide of the vehicle as well as at the back, or there is a gangway down the middle of the leading portion;• The van should have some form of shelving, however simple, and it is always an advantage if all the shelving can be removed for cleaning purposes. For the transport of a miscellaneous collection of parcels, which may vary considerably in size and shape, two rows of shelves running down each side and behind the partition will be found decidedly useful. These shelves should be sloped slightly towards the sides of the body and have a fillet or wire guard attached to the front edges and ends by the back doors. The shelves of this kind of body should be made detachable in sections, so that, when necessary. large and bulky packages can be stood on the floor. When the articles to be carried are comparatively small and of uniform dimensions, the sliding tray is really unsurpassed for convenience of handling. The tray is also a detachable unit which can be loaded up if necessary in the factory or warehouse. As it will be possible to insert more than one tray at each level, the van man's time is often saved if the forward tier of trays be accessible from the side of the body.
Writing Display.
The van proprietor usually has his own ideas regarding writing display, which may not always fulfil its object of being easily read by the thousands of passers-by who are likely to notice the vehicle daily. Bright colours have their uses for attracting attention, but they should be used sparingly, as one brilliant hue may easily reduce the effect of another or dazzle the beholder. If the colour of the writing tends to clash with its background, this may be obviated by using a third colour to outline thd letters. If green letters are painted on a. red ground the writing should he outlined in white, whilst gold letters on thet same coloured ground are more legible if they be outlined in black.
All lettering should be of an open conventional design and the message, whatever its import, should be brief. If variety of display is desired, it is much better to have different phrasing on each vehicle, although the chief feature, such as the name and address or trade-mark, and so on, should be the same for all the fleet.
A few owners of small fleets not only vary the writing display in this way, but adopt an entirely different colour scheme as well. As a rule a plain letter is to be preferred to one which is shaded.
Pictorial display is always valuable, but it should be symbolical rather than a detailed representation, after the style of poster work ; iii fact, this branch of art provides many valuable suggestions when a scheme in writing display is being planned. As an addition to the painted announcement on the panels, a bill board is useful for pasting up seasonable notices. The tendency is to restrict their use to the larger vans, where there is plenty of space for a poster to stand out against the plain ground of the tilt, but a small bill board could often be attached to the side of a light delivery van withou, spoiling its general appearance.