Annals of Sticktivism: Journalism Warning Labels

There has been plenty of bellyaching recently about the state of modern journalism, from the increasingly accepted use of unnamed sources to veiled (or not so veiled) political biases in ostensibly neutral publications.

Frustrated no end by this sort of thing--especially among the free publications he often found while traveling the London Underground--UK resident Tom Scott decided to take matters into his own hands.

His "Journalism Warning Labels" function like a DIY guerrilla media criticism class for travelers. They're available in both the UK and the US and formatted for print-out on standard sized Avery labels.

How do they work? Simply locate the offending article, select the most appropriate label from your sheet, stick it on or near the article, and leave the publication in the subway, bus, or coffee shop where you found it. Those who peruse the paper later will be forewarned.

Midterm Election Sticker Wars!: Road Rage Edition

As we gear up for midterm elections, campaign stickers are once again appearing on the nation's bumpers.

High dollar television ads and internet campaigns aside, nothing speaks more to a candidate's grassroots support than the number of bumper stickers and campaign lawn signs bearing his or her name.

However, amid the nation's current political climate, campaign stickers are also a heated subject. In Nashville, Tennessee, a man has claimed that he was the victim of road rage due to the Obama/Biden bumpersticker on his car. 

Curious what the assailant was most likely driving? Check out this site, which has unofficially tabulated a breakdown of political affiliations by makes and models of cars from the 2008 election.

Here at Custom Sticker Makers, we're hoping that those with strong opinions this election season will choose to express them via their bumperstickers, rather than their driving habits...

Mrs. Grossmans Stickers: the Woman Behind Stickermania

Stickermania: it's a phase most kids go through, at one point or another. (There are those of us, obviously, who never get over it.) But 'twas not always so. Once upon a time, there were more kids who collected stamps than stickers. That is, until Mrs. Grossman came along.

Andrea Grossman is a graphic designer who started her sticker business because of a printing error. In 1979, a local paper store asked her to produce a red heart sticker to decorate shopping bags for Valentine's Day. Grossman couldn't find anybody who made such a thing, so she cut a heart out of black artist's paper and sent it to a label printer. Instead of coming back on sheets of paper, as expected, the hearts came back on rolls, like ribbons.

A natural entrepreneur, Grossman created nine more designs and introduced "Stickers by the Yard" at a trade show. Retailers swamped her with orders, and within three years, stickers had become one of the hottest-selling products in the country. Grossman was featured in People Magazine as the woman who started "stickermania."

Here at Custom Sticker Makers, we tip our hats to Mrs. Grossman's Stickers--a business that operates today out of a 110,000-square-foot corporate headquarters with 90 employees, home to the world's only sticker factory tour.