Obey Giant - Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey aka Obey Giant first found fame as a young graphic artist by printing and putting up stickers of an icon he created all over town. His story has become a legend and he has a lot to say on the subject of stickers. Here is an excerpt right from the man himself - below.

“Stickers rule. When I pause to think about it, stickers have changed my life. It is hard to believe that paper and vinyl with adhesive backing can do so much. Repetition works, and stickers are a perfect medium to demonstrate this principle. As long as stickers are being put up faster than they weather or are cleaned, they are accumulating. For cities, it is a constant maintenance battle. Simple fact is, it’s a lot easier to put stickers up than to clean them off. People also seem unable to resist the urge to stick them on their belongings, car, stereo, skateboard, guitar, and the list goes on. What’s on stickers doesn’t even have to be that cool, they still manage to make their way into every nook and cranny on the planet.”

HERE IS WHAT A FEW OTHER RELATIVE AUTHORITIES HAVE TO SAY ABOUT STICKERS:

Dalek – Graffiti writer, known for his space monkeys

#1 Stickers are a great way to meet people.
#2 I like stickers because they are fun to slap all over the place.
#3 It is a great way to get your imagery out all over the world.
#4 People love stickers.
#5 I like to collect stickers. They are like toys…or trading cards.
#6 It’s like getting up.
#7 They look good in bathroom stalls.
#8 They are easier to carry about than a can of flat black.
#9 I just want to be like Shepard Fairey.
#10 Beats wheat pasting.
#11 They are great for taping up boxes.
#12 Can be used to get the lint off of my black shirts.

Giant One – Graffiti writer and tattoo artist

“I see stickers as one of the many mediums I can use to get up. The main reason I’ve always liked them is the fact that I can put them up during the day without much hassle. They’re also nice because they’re generally small and quick to apply. I certainly don’t think it’s important for writers to make stickers, but it can be a fun medium. Twist made great stickers. Bob Licky stickers are legendary. Shygirl put up a lot of nice stickers in SF. Geso used to make big stickers out of a few smaller ones, which I always thought was a great idea. I put a few hundred stickers in Japan last week. BNE was running Tokyo with his stickers. I saw lots of Andre the Giant stickers too, as expected”.

Roger Gastman – Graffiti writer and publisher of While You Were Sleeping magazine.

From a graffiti writers stand point. “Stickers are just another tool in a graffiti writer’s arsenal. Another medium that works on all most any surface. My sticker captures the eye of the average person that might not notice your tags and throw-ups.” from a marketing stand point “Branding is the most important thing for a company. It doesn’t matter if the company is a start up or has been around for 100 years. Logo and name recognition is invaluable. Stickers create a very inexpensive and easy way to get that done.”

Dave Kinsey – Artist and graphic designer, partner in BLKMRKT DESIGN.
“I like stickers because they leave a mark that can affect a persons mood, cause thought, and inspire a reaction. I like that my stickers become part of the movement of the street, absorbed by the population.”