Branded
Sticker Campaign

Creating playful stickers for memorable branding moments.

Illustration | Typography | Print Design

Challenge

Gate City Bank wanted a low-barrier, community-driven way to connect with younger audiences while increasing visibility for checking account promotions. Traditional promotional giveaways often feel disposable, so the challenge was creating branded merchandise people would genuinely want to collect, keep, and display in everyday life.

Solution

I developed a quarterly collectible sticker campaign inspired by Midwest culture, the outdoors, and regional humor. Limited-edition illustrated designs were printed on durable waterproof vinyl and distributed through branches, events, sponsorships, and community partnerships. Branding was integrated subtly into the artwork to preserve collectibility, while QR codes linked directly to checking account offers.

Results

8 new collectible designs released annually, with additional seasonal and event-exclusive designs
16,000 stickers printed per design and distributed across 45 branch locations
Extended long-term brand visibility through placement on water bottles, laptops, coolers, vehicles, and other everyday objects
Strong community engagement and social sharing, with customers actively collecting, displaying, and requesting new releases

Designed for Collectibility

Rather than treating the stickers as traditional promotional giveaways, I designed the campaign around collectible culture and everyday usability.

New sticker designs were released quarterly to create anticipation and encourage repeat engagement throughout the year.

Each illustration was intentionally designed to feel desirable enough for customers to place on water bottles, laptops, coolers, and cars — extending the campaign far beyond the bank itself.

Balancing Brand Visibility with
User Appeal

Internal stakeholders initially wanted the full bank logo prominently displayed on every sticker, but I recognized that overly branded designs would reduce appeal and limit where customers would actually use them.

To solve this, I proposed subtly embedding the Gate City Bank emblem directly into the illustrations rather than using large logo lockups. This maintained brand presence in a more thoughtful, unobtrusive way while preserving the authenticity and collectibility of the designs.

Turning Engagement Into Measurable Interaction

The sticker system was also designed to support measurable campaign performance.

The back of each sticker included product messaging and QR codes linking directly to checking account offers on the bank’s website. UTM tracking codes were incorporated to monitor engagement and measure campaign interaction across distribution channels.

Distribution
& Community Engagement

Stickers were distributed through community events, trade shows, branch giveaways, and seasonal promotions. Because the campaign was rooted in regional culture and lifestyle references, the stickers generated strong organic engagement both in-person and across social media. Customers frequently shared the designs online, displayed them publicly, and returned for future releases.