How is it that some wall stickers are able to blast their way into your subconscious and give you goosebumps and giggles while others are not?
Do you ever wonder why the rooms you walk through make you feel excited? or calm? or anxious? Why does that happen? More importantly, how can you make it happen?
The first thing you need to do, according to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in his 19th century treatise the 'Theory of Colour', is choose the right colour. Way back in 1810 van Goethe contended that we humans react emotionally to colour.
Surprised? No, neither were we when we first read it. It's one of those things you just know makes sense as soon as you hear it.
In his book, van Goethe used the wavelength theory of light and colour to posit the idea that when you see a specific colour, it triggers an associated emotion within you. To this day; modern marketers and psychologists have agreed with him. And that's despite the lack of hard scientific evidence to support his claims.
What could a 19th-century philosopher and playwright possibly know about wall stickers and how they affect you?
Quite simply, he understood how they would make you feel. And, by extension, how your guests and visitors would feel when they see them.
His theory considered the idea that before you see what the sticker is depicting (a fortnite sticker or a love island sticker, for example) you first experience it's colour on a deeper level.
According to Goethe, this first subconscious reaction you have does not materialise from the image itself, but rather from its colour. This explains, partially atleast, why when you walk into some rooms you get excited and energised while in others you feel withdrawn and oppressed.
We wouldn't dare to suggest that in some cases, in places where you're supposed to feel downtrodden and substandard, that the people who designed these buildings knew exactly what colours to use to make you feel that way. But we digress...
We've put together a simple Theory of Colour chart below that gives you a look at how von Goethe believed certain colours would make you feel. I'm pretty sure you could validate his ideas with experiences from your own life. Think of logos, TV programs, games or even your friends' rooms. Maybe your own rooms?
With this information, you can start to understand how a simple wall sticker can have such a dramatic, longlasting, positive effect on your friends and family.
Take liTTle Ginge Gaming for example. He uses the power of the energising and innovative orange to thrill us with his daily gaming streams. You can see our wall stickers in the Ginge's vault below.
See how orange wall stickers energise any room.
Another good example of how relaxed you could feel in your dining room is this great customer image of a black home sweet home sticker. The result is a sense of peace and calm. Just what you need at a family dining table!
See how a black wall sticker could be the misunderstood peaceful companion.
Understanding the power of colour and the effects it has on your feelings is the first part of the answer to the big question you'll need to figure out if you really want to level up your home with wall stickers.
That question being, "what, exactly, is a wall sticker?"
WHAT, EXACTLY, IS A WALL STICKER?
As we've just shown; before anything else, a wall sticker is first and foremost a feeling.
Beyond that, it is two things; an extension of personality and, more literally, a piece of pliable vinyl that adheres to another surface via an adhesive compound. In this case, a wall. You can, of course, get stickers for other applications too like water bottles, laptops, wheelie bins or any other number of fanciful uses.
WHERE CAN THEY BE USED?
Wall stickers come in many different types with almost infinite applications.
They can be used for signage (as attractive/fun/quirky toilet signs, for example), company logos, wall quotes, murals and designs, peel and stick packs, kids nursery stickers, whatever you can imagine.
We've even seen our stickers used in the most peculiar of places too; baby high chairs, letterboxes, toilet seats, you name it.
Even Darth Vader is not immune to the creative whims of our customers, as evidenced by one customer who ordered a picture of good ole' Darth with the word vader under it to put on his dog kennel for his pug, 'Vader'.
"It's probably a good thing our stickers are made of premium vinyl, otherwise I'm not sure they'd withstand some of the treatment they receive!"
Despite being quite thin, they are tough and durable and look like they've been painted on once applied. We've already got some videos that show you how to apply our wall stickers if you're not too sure or need some extra help.
Our wall stickers usually come in three sizes; small wall stickers, medium wall stickers and large wall stickers. And there's a massive range to choose from, in any number of colours.
That's why we're pretty confident by combining Goethe's advice and your own personality, you can create feature walls that wow your friends and give them goosebumps every time they visit.
One question you probably have though (because we get asked it a lot), is what the difference is between a wall sticker, a wall decal or a wall transfer.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WALL STICKER, WALL DECAL AND WALL TRANSFER?
Whilst you may be used to using the terms interchangeably to describe the same thing, they are in fact slightly different in their production and application.
Let's start with a bit of history! Do you know the term 'decal' is short for 'decalcomania'? A decalcomania was traditionally used to describe a more decorative and elaborate design, such as those found on pottery or other materials.
Somewhere in the recent past, we (society in general) adopted the term 'decals' to describe any decorative 'sticker' and thus the two have been intertwined ever since.
Technically speaking, decals and transfers are designs that can be transferred from one surface to another, whereas stickers are applied directly to a surface by removing the backing paper.
Stickers are most suitable for smaller designs and decals are much more suited to walls and larger surface areas. And now for the big reveal you've been waiting for.
Our designs are technically decals or, in the traditional sense, decalcomania (because all of our designs are awesome). Yet we've adopted the name Apex Stickers because in common parlance, that is what you're looking for, right?
As well as the different types of wall stickers, you'll also come across different cutting and printing methods.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CUT STICKERS AND PRINTED STICKERS?
As you scour the internet looking for your perfect custom wall sticker, you'll likely come across a few printing variations. The two most common are cut stickers vs printed stickers.
This is an important distinction because in the case of large wall stickers like our gaming wall stickers, you really want the best quality finish possible otherwise your wall will not have the effect you want.
Printed stickers are essentially designs printed onto pre-set shapes. This limits the quality and shape of the finish and is not really suitable for wall stickers. When you see a sticker with a white or clear border around the actual design, it's probably been printed. Most printing companies you come across online use this method for smaller stickers.
Precision cut stickers, on the other hand, will give you a higher quality finish and cleaner design. They are perfect for large-format wall stickers or premium quality finishes where you really need the finished design to look more like it's been painted on than stuck on.
For high-quality finishes, you can't get a better finish than a precision cut vinyl wall sticker.
To give you an idea of the kind of finish you can get and the interesting ways you can use our wall stickers to boost your personality and impress your visitors, we've put together this little collage of customer photos.
Like the look of these?
Make sure you read our article about how to apply your stickers correctly so that yours look just as good.
READY TO LEVEL-UP YOUR HOME WITH WALL STICKERS?
With all that being said, you should now be ready to level-up your home with some of the best-designed wall stickers around.
Here's the short version of everything we've just said for those of you too busy to read the whole thing.
- Colours cause emotional responses
- Choose a colour that triggers the desired effect you want your room to have on the people who use it
- The power of colour works anywhere, in any room
- Make sure you buy a high-quality vinyl wall sticker and not a poor quality printed one
- Take the time to read about how to apply your sticker properly
- Level complete!
And remember; whatever your fancy, taste, personality or desired reaction, we have the perfect custom wall sticker for you.
And don't forget to join our Stick with Us Loyalty Club and earn yourself Apex Dinero and freebies every time you buy a sticker, refer a friend or any other number of actions.
