How to Make Band Stickers

Publicize your local band and upcoming gigs with band stickers. You can make your own band stickers with some basic at-home office supplies and equipment. The band sticker will display the band's name, so now is a good time to tweak the name if you are not happy with it. If you are unsure about using extra words---including "the" or other words in the name---write out the name different ways to see which name looks the best. Set up a website or a band page on MySpace to further promote your band. The MySpace address will be used on the stickers.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Logo
• Band colors
• Printer
• Label paper
• Roll of clear laminate
• Scissors
• Photo scanner (optional)
• Pencil
• Paper
• Word processing program

1. 
    
   Two sample band logos in Brillo font

   Choose a font that represents the band's genre and musical style. Download free fonts from 1001Freefonts.com or Dafont.com (see Resources). Type the name of the band into a word processing document. Highlight the name, and then try out different fonts to see which ones you like the best.

2. 
    
   Vertical sticker, Brillo font

   Once you have a font picked out, play with the spacing of the letters, For band names with more than one word, see how the name looks with all of the words on one line, or give each word its own line. How you want the band name to look---as one line or as a vertical pile---will help you choose the shape of the sticker.

3. Add a shape around the name of the band. The shape should complement the shape of the words. Choose an oval, a square, a star or a rectangle. The band name should fit into the shape. Play with the shape and the letter layout until you like the look.

4. 
    
   Logo with Retro colors

   Choose band colors. The colors, like the font, should reflect the band's style. Retro bands may use colors reminiscent of the decade they are representing. Rock bands should incorporate powerful colors including reds and silvers, and bold combinations of black and white. Country bands can stick with earthy tones. Cover bands can use the colors of the original band. Choose a color based on the emotion you would like to convey. Read about the meaning of colors at Color-wheel-pro.com (see Resources).

5. 
    

   Add the band's website address. The website address should be a top-level domain name (for example, yourband.com), or add the band's MySpace website page. The band stickers should be evergreen, meaning they will not become dated. By adding the website address, fans and potential fans will know where to go to read news about the band, including upcoming gigs.

6. Consider adding an image, including a graphic or a band photo, to your sticker. Find free music and band clip art at Ace-clipart.com and Clipartguide.com (see Resources). Use only one image, or repeat one small image two times. The design should remain simple.

7. Copy and paste the final design into a new document. Fit the sticker design onto the page as many times as possible, leaving at least a half-inch margin around the entire page. Print out the stickers on adhesive-label paper and let the ink dry.

8. Cover the entire sheet with a piece of clear laminate. Place the sticker sheet face up on a table, and carefully place the laminate on top, without creating wrinkles. Press down on the laminate to secure it. Cut out the stickers.

Tips & Warnings

• Work with a graphic designer to come up with a logo, and pay the designer back in trade, with music and free concert tickets. If you want to make band stickers for your favorite band, you can also use these directions if you have an existing logo for the band. Save your design, as you are creating it.
• Do not imitate the font and designs of famous bands when making your own band stickers. Do not overwhelm the design of the sticker with too many elements.

Resources

• Free Fonts
• More Free Fonts
• Color-wheel-pro: Color Meaning
• Music Clip Art
• Clip Art Guide: Music