Literally, a sticky piece of paper we place carefully on our beloved belongings. In early 2018 I started selling stickers online and here, I’ll share some lessons I learned about making a product that people want to stick. This is not a business story or a startup journey; it’s the meaning of stickers, why they matter so much, and how to make a really good design that creates an impact.
Why we like stickers
Lassiq started because like everybody else I just really liked stickers, I used to trade and collect them in school as a kid and I never grew out of the liking. Two years ago, laptop stickers weren’t as available as they are these days and I decided to change that. The simplicity of a sticker makes it feel like it can’t have any significant value let alone generate revenue.
Yet, a sticker is not merely an adhesive piece of paper that you rip off of a paper bag or a box. It holds so much significance for its owner, besides being a seal, it is also symbolic and self-expressing. It’s decorative and experience-enhancing. It connects and delights and it tells us little amusing stories about total strangers. It is by far the simplest and lightest form of art you can carry around effortlessly to show people parts of who you are.
Stickers can also be beautifully and simply used by businesses for branding, marketing, labeling, packaging, and gifting. You don’t need a big budget for that. Design impactful stickers and people will willingly put your brand on display.
Types of stickers
Here I attempt dividing stickers into different categories according to what values they present to their holder and what distinguishes a good sticker from an okay sticker (there is no bad sticker in my opinion). The categories overlap heavily and the more they do in a design the stronger the impact.
The Sentimental: sentimental stickers are memories or things we liked very much in the past but are no longer part of our daily life. Things like an old Gameboy or a mixtape or a quote from an old feel-good TV-show or even a painting. Anything that makes you think of an older time or a nice memory or triggers nostalgia. Examples of this type on Lassiq are Aku Aku (known as بردقا from Crash), old monitor, and the Friends’ collection. Sentimental stickers are the most popular type of sticker and most of our bestsellers fall under this category.
The Symbolic: symbolic stickers are the most interesting type in my opinion because they are obscure and have the least direct meaning.
The simplest example I can think of is the Japanese word Tsudzuku (つづく) which may directly look familiar to you if you grew up watching old Japanese cartoons and it’s likely more sentimental than symbolic. The way it is pronounced on the other hand is not very familiar unless you can read Japanese. An opposite example and a more symbolic one is the word Sugoi (すごい) which you would not likely recognize in Japanese letters even if you watch anime but would possibly know what it means once you hear it or read it in English letters.
The Worlds Best Boss mug is just a mug sticker if you haven’t watched The Office and the stapler inside jello is just confusing honestly (I obviously never watched The Office). Pretty much any design that makes you pause for a second and think about what it means could fall under this type. The downside here is if you didn’t understand it you’ll probably hate it and it won’t have any positive impact whatsoever. So knowing if it’s too obscure or just right and memorable for the average watcher takes time and experience. Sometimes watching a series becomes work for me (the dream huh?).
I once showed my mom a few stickers and asked what she thinks and she said that’s a nice chicken I want it on my laptop. She was referring to Monica’s Turkey from Friends.
The Humorous: or witty, the most lovable category and the one that gains the highest engagement especially when it overlaps with sentimental. It includes memes, funny TV-show/movie/anime references, wordplay and metaphors, and anything that makes you smile or feel amused. It is my personal mission to contribute the most to this category because stickers should spread happiness. Emo stickers are so 2002, on the other hand expressing misery through memes, that’s the 2020 spirit.
The Personality: this includes artistic stickers, aesthetic, techie, coffee, beauty, music, places, words, causes, logos, inspirational, meaningful. Anything could pretty much fall under that category and it’s mostly about self-expression and showcasing your personality and taste.
The Universal Stickers Foundation (fictional) dictates that there is no such thing as a bad sticker design, only bad sticker quality. A great design and one that usually makes an impact is a design that belongs to at least 2 or more of the mentioned categories. A humble example of this is the كيف الخروج من أين الطريق sticker which is a sentimental phrase from Digimon a famous 90s anime and it’s humorous because it displays the exit sign–which could also be symbolic — without an actual exit.
Simplicity in design is also key. Stickers are relatively small in size so better focus on the concept or message, make it clear, and choose a good contrast between 1 to 3 colors especially given that CMYK (standard mode for printing) usually butchers efforts in making colors rich and harmonious (glow, gradients, texture, shadows… etc.) not essential and better skipped when working on printable goods.
In short, a really good sticker is catchy, relatable, meaningful, indirect, and representative. I don’t claim to be an expert in stickerology (that was a name idea before I came up with Lassiq *phew thank god*) or design or business, I am just fortunate enough to have a platform and a generous audience that guides my creative process and engages with me to help Lassiq develop and improve one step at a time.
Leave any thoughts or comments or questions below or reach me directly through Twitter (@rammalian, @Lassiq_) or via email (ruba@lassiq.com) to keep the conversation going. Remember that our main goal is to spread joy, we chose stickers as our medium but the options are limitless.
