Laptop stickers
I feel like I took “wild design” way too literally after seeing some of the other posts. I took a sneaky picture during a meeting. I truly went hunting for this wild design. If not obvious, the focus of this picture is the laptop that is layered with varying stickers. I chose to pick this wild design because I feel like I see this everywhere. Interestingly, the two laptops on either side of the decorated laptop are blank. To me, how an individual chooses to incorporate other brands into their life is interesting. Most people LOVE stickers and put them everywhere. We see it on cars, water bottles, skateboards, bicycles, etc. Without realizing it, we make ourselves walking advertisements for other companies. However, what I love about this image, is that you can sort of see what the subject is like. Stickers, through their design, have come to promote certain values and ideals. From this image, we can tell that the subject is a feminist, promotes diversity, and values voting. Beyond these we can see what class they are in, where they might be involved, and what other personal interests they have. I love seeing the collage of all these different designs, and what they come to represent. It is very cool how we can use graphic design to help to outline who we are. It allows us a literal branding to identify ourselves with something.
And to think it started with somebody who probably just got tired of endorsing Apple every time they opened their laptop.
This is an excellent post on a phenomenon that is everywhere. I have to ask: do you think there are deeper issues here? Such as the willingness to broadcast one’s values via such signs in the classroom, or just this generation’s attraction to free stuff? Is there a point where you look at that laptop and say to yourself, “well, we’ve hit the top of the curve with the technology in this package and therefore it’s now a billboard instead of a sleek, uniform, and almost characterless device?” You see the same phenomenon with cars. But they are not “bumper stickers” anymore with slogans, as was historically the case.
Are we hedging our declarations by making them more artistic? (e.g., the “Capitalism” sticker that is a mockery of the “Coexist” sticker made up of religious symbols).
I’m not going to make nearly as smart of a response as Russell 😛 but, I will point out that I love your description of ‘taking wild design literally’, that you really ‘went out on a hunt’ to capture this image. Nice touch!
I think this is a powerful way for someone to show what they value and care about without actually saying a single word. I also see this around campuses all the time, it’s become somewhat of a trend. Something I find intriguing about these stickers is that in a way it’s kind of like branding yourself. You put what you want everyone else to know about who you are as a person. Also, to add to Russell’s comment, what do you think everyone will brand themselves with next? Before it was bumper stickers, now laptops, then what?