Technology is changing continuously and rapidly and has a direct impact on our habits. In our previous article we had highlighted how Illustration is ruling every aspect of our life and one most important facets was the way we express ourselves. So, let’s dive a little deeper into understanding how stickers today are the strongest means of communication and among the most widely used. On Line’s platform alone, users send more than 389 million stickers each day; roughly 1 in 11 messages contains a sticker. More interestingly, when compared to GIFs, users on Messenger send stickers 16 times more than GIFs (389 million stickers versus 22 million GIFs per day).
Stickers today are fully capable of communicating a nuanced range of thoughts. Many people use them as a standalone message. According to a Harris Poll survey, 36% of people aged between 18 to 34 found that they could communicate better through the use of stickers, GIFs, and emojis.
Every famous app is rolling out stickers, be it WhatsApp or iMessage. It’s not just platforms, but brands and celebrities are also realizing the value and worth of stickers; for example, the Kardashians’ sticker collection, Kimoji, reportedly grossed one million dollars within a minute of its launch.
So, what exactly are stickers? Stickers are any graphic illustrations that communicate sentences or phrases. They have gained popularity for various reasons, such as, they are convenient and do away with the need of typing, second, they are also viewed as a great conversation kick starter, for many they are like valued collectibles with an appropriate response for every situation; for artists, they’re an outlet of creativity, and for businesses they’re amazing for monetization and brand building.
Given the flourishing love for stickers, our designers created a customized set of them. These stickers aren’t just a way to communicate but also set a strong connection with our cultural roots. We have used Malayali and Kashmiri stickers, created by Pinto Shine and Ghazal Qadri respectively, that touch upon a few of our everyday emotions:
We suppose all of us can unanimously agree that we love insulting our best friends and by far none of us call them by their names. One interesting way of calling your friend in Malayalam is ‘Eda Patti’ which means ‘Hey dog’ whereas in Kashmir the classic word is ‘Phatwangun’ and this translates to ‘Big brinjal’.
There have been many instances when we think our friends have completely lost it and it is our birthright to tell it up on their face! ‘Doulmut Chukh’ basically means ‘Have you gone crazy?’ whereas ‘Enthuvade Ithokke’ means ‘What is this, bro?’
Few words and expressions are magical and can leave us with that ‘feel good’ moment for the rest of our days. ‘Waaryah Asal’ and ‘Adipoli’ mean ‘Fantastic’ and ‘Trath Ha’ and ‘Thakarthu’ means ‘Superb’.
One word that we end up using the most is ‘Thanks’, ‘Shukriya’ or ‘Nandi’.
Telling people that something is annoying is way simpler than before. Just use stickers. ‘Kar Tsop’ and ‘Onnu Nerthoo’ translate to ‘Can you stop it?’
‘Maduthu’ and ‘Kyah Goum’ translate to ‘I’m fed up’.
We did speak a little while back on how these stickers have the power to take us back to our roots and remind us of those little things that only we would know or connect to. So, let’s look at a couple of examples and do let us know if you find that connect.
In Kashmir, electricity is a major concern. People rejoice if the electricity comes back and the most commonly heard term in houses is ‘Aaaw paawar’- ‘Electricity is here’ and ‘Gow paawar’- ‘Electricity is gone’.
And, interestingly enough they have a special pot called Kangri which can be used to warm their hands during winters. The below sticker exemplifies offering kangri to someone.
Every culture has few terms that are personal and close to them. Like, in Kerala, the most commonly used terms are ‘Ayyoo’ and ‘Pani Pali’. Ayyoo is a quintessential word which can mean a plethora of emotions, all the way from surprise to regret to exclamation, you name it. And ‘Pani Pali’ is used when things go really wrong.
Stickers are not just a fad but they are a way of expressing ourselves and we are confident that they are here to stay, hence going back to our statement that this is truly the era of illustration. Hope you enjoyed this write-up and don’t forget to check out how ‘Pop Art’ is going to rule 2019.
