Hi, #166 has an aluminium look for that slick yet still tradesman style.. it's sophisticated but simple enough to be quickly ledgible when seen on a vehicle driving past.
#166, I like it, can you try a few more versions of similar sophisticated logos. You have hit on the most important thing and that's how it will look on the side of a van,.
I would upload more work but the time ran out. Entries are now allowed only to the top five ranked logos/designers - sorry about that... Thanks for taking the time to envision how the logo design will look across different media. I guess you would ultimately require the logo to appear small and recognizable and yet very large also.
dam I had a new design, the paint forming a swirl around the words as if it was wind, like air.. air expands and contracts and those words "expand and contract" play on the words "ipaint and contract.." anyway good luck in the logo search... having so many choices makes it a lot more difficult to decide.. I guess you just have accept one and make the decision. :-)
one thing about a logo like this is once you decide on one idea.. you can change it slightly, down the track if need be. With a simple logo the options you have are endless, and you can add colour surrounding the logo and it won't be lost in the artwork in the background. A complex logo really is a stand alone feature and limits what you can do with the background artwork that may be applied to the brand.