We have used a scanning tunneling microscope operated under ultrahigh vacuum conditions to investigate an oxo-vanadium-salen complex V(O)salen, that has potential applications as qubits in future quantum-based technologies. The adsorption and self-assembly of V(O)salen on a range of single crystal metal surfaces and nanoislands and the influence of substrate morphology and reactivity has been measured. On the close-packed flat Ag(111) and Cu(111) surfaces, the molecules adsorb isolated or form small clusters arranged randomly on the surface, whereas structured adsorption occurs on two types of Co nanoislands; Co grown on Ag(111) and Ag capped Co islands grown on Cu(111), both forming a Moiré pattern at the surface. The adsorption configuration can by scanning tunneling spectroscopy be linked to the geometric and electronic properties of the substrates and traced back to a Co d-related surface state, illustrating how the modulated reactivity can be used to engineer a pattern of adsorbed molecules on the nanoscale.