Custom Sticker History: The Evolution of a Top Branding Tool

Custom stickers by @crawfordandco_handmade

Stickers are an undeniable mainstay of the packaging industry. Using custom stickers in particular is a cost-effective, versatile, and convenient way to highlight your brand on almost anything. But stickers haven’t always looked or functioned how they do today! Take a tour with us through the spotty history of stickers to discover how they became the brand assets they are today.

Where We Began: The Early Years of Stickers

Stickers have existed in many iterations throughout the years, so let’s pay homage to a few stages of the sticker in history.

Ancient Egypt

Some historians attribute the first stickers to the Ancient Egyptians. It makes sense; after all, we have many things to thank them for! In this case, it’s said that Ancient Egyptian marketplace walls would be littered with pieces of paper glued to the stone to illustrate prices or products. While not strictly stickers, they are a precursor that put us on the right path.

1839 - Sir Rowland Hill

Much later, Sir Rowland Hill revolutionized the postage stamp by inventing a glutinous coating on the back. While not technically self-adhesive, as people had to lick the back of the stamps to activate the glue, this was an important step on the path to the small, self-adhesive sticker.

1935 - R. Stanton Avery

Finally, Ray Stanton Avery – founder of ‘Avery Adhesives – invented self-adhesive stickers and labels by merging his company with another manufacturing company. These stickers came to life thanks to a now-patented die-cut machine with self-adhesive capability. Though they started as simple circle labels, they were proof of concept.

From there, the self-adhesive variant of paper stickers took off, entering a new era of customization. From scratch-and-sniff sticker sheets for kids to bumper stickers for advertising, there were many ways the original idea branched into new and exciting directions.

With the evolution of digital printing and more efficient offset printing facilities, custom stickers grew into a popular branding opportunity enjoyed by companies worldwide.

Where We Are Now: Sustainable Custom Stickers

These days, stickers are widely recognized as a cost-effective branding opportunity that suits businesses of all sizes. From products and packaging to trade shows, events, and even social media giveaways, custom stickers are a powerful way to drive brand awareness and customer connection without breaking the bank. They are also a great way to help customers differentiate different products, styles, flavors through color-association.

As the years have gone on, sustainability has become more and more important. Stickers are a primarily paper product, and with their place in the packaging industry, people began to place emphasis on the need for eco-friendly stickers that both businesses and consumers could feel good about using.

Here at noissue, we pride ourselves on helping drive the sustainable-sticker movement forward, opening the door for brands both big and small to make their mark on the world while living their values.

There are three key pillars of sustainability: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Since stickers are designed to only be used once, recyclability and circularity is the best way to create sustainable stickers. That’s what we produce at noissue.

Sustainable stickers are a powerful way to lessen your business’ environmental impact while promoting your brand across a wide range of areas. The keys to a sustainable sticker lie in what it is made from and how it is disposed of.

· Material. Our stickers are produced on 100% FSC-certified, acid-free paper, meaning the trees used to make the paper for the stickers were sourced sustainably. The stickers are also lignin and sulfur-free, so they can compost without leaving any harmful residue behind.

· Disposal. Sustainable stickers require a sustainable method of disposal, which is why ours can either be composted or curb side recycled. A key aspect of business-driven sustainability is ensuring your customers can properly dispose of your products, so offering two methods of disposal is an excellent way to ensure the materials make it back into circulation.

Make your branding stick!

We offer a range of options, including recyclable and biodegradable stickers that – despite being single-use – offer customers an easy way to dispose of their packaging properly. Explore our range of custom stickers and labels to kick your branding up another notch, no matter the surface.