I Wish This Was…
This project, appropriately called “I Wish This Was“, was created by New Orleans designer Candy Chang. Candy actually did her B.F.A. at the University of Michigan and created a design firm and record label called Red Antenna. The project you see above is quite a simple, but powerful, little proposition. She created a vinyl sticker design based on the famed “My Name Is…” badge with the intention that people would fill them out and stick them to anything in the city. Apparently her idea has caught the attention of quite a few concerned citizens; there is a Flickr album full of examples. I’ve included a few below. This reminds me of something that Windsor’s graphic designers could do as a sort of weekend public design project.
I wish this was…my apartment. I’d be home by now.
I wish this was…a bike rack.
An important thing to note here is that Candy’s stickers, while seemingly permanent, can be easily removed without damaging most surfaces.
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Really glad you posted this Josh! Great reminder of how such a simple action can be so empowering. I’m increasingly interested in looking at how these tactics can be used to deepen engagement and practice in changing a place … thinking about how these labels might translate into actual changes, or if it’s important for them to exist as those reminders or initial steps towards orchestrating a change. And if that’s the case, as you might say, thank you for existing.
Super cool! If there was a way to make the stickers biodegradable, that would be awesome.
Thank you for existing is right! ahah
Yeah, the fact that they are almost like a subverted or DIY survey is interesting in its own right. But it’s tough to say whether most of them are just fantasies or not. Some, like the bike rack sticker, are not too far-fetched. Hmm, I guess it leads to pretty in-depth conversations about what ‘change’ really is huh?
Lauren, I think biodegradable stickers might exist. I’m always surprised by how many biodegradable products are out there. Justin used biodegradable balloons for a project last year.