08.07

Stickers

What it is

Stickers are isolated illustrated objects from the ICP's world, rendered in the brand's editorial illustration style. Transparent SVG, full brand palette, editorial linework. Each sticker depicts a single object: a garment, a piece of furniture, a tool, a lifestyle object. No figures, no scenes, no text.

Stickers are fragments of the illustration world made portable. They live in the same visual register as the illustration system but without the compositional requirements: no figure, no metaphorical claim, no activated object world. A sticker simply is the object, rendered with editorial quality and brand character.

Stickers at Visualist

Stickers are an underactivated asset type with real potential across marketing. Their portability is what makes them useful: a single illustrated object can anchor a social post, punctuate an email layout, add texture to a slide, or appear as a physical object in the ICP's hands.

Physical sticker sheets

The original context. A sheet of brand stickers given to clients, partners, or at events. The objects on the sheet reflect the ICP's world: a dress, a chair, a bag, a measuring tape. The sheet works as a gift and as a conversation piece. Objects should be chosen to resonate with the recipient's vertical.

Marketing layouts

Stickers add editorial warmth and specificity to marketing surfaces where photography is not available or an illustration would be too heavy. A single sticker object on a color field can carry a social post. One to three stickers can punctuate an email header or presentation slide. They bring the ICP's world into contexts that would otherwise feel purely typographic.

Compositional elements

Individual stickers can be composed together to build scenes without commissioning a full illustration. A chair, a lamp, a coffee table arranged on a brand color field creates an interior moment. A dress, a bag, and earrings create a styling moment. This is faster than a full illustration and extensible: the same sticker objects can be recombined into many compositions.

Character
Editorial illustration style. Stickers share the visual register of the illustration system: editorial linework, brand palette fills, expressive but not cartoonish. They should feel like they could have been extracted from one of the brand illustrations. The line quality is confident and specific, not generic.
Single object, clean silhouette. One object per sticker. The silhouette must read clearly at small sizes and at the scale of a physical sticker. If an object cannot be identified from its outline alone, it is too complex or the wrong object has been chosen.
Any brand color. Neutrals, soft, core, and strong: the full palette is available. Charcoal is used extensively. The palette choice should feel considered: a dress in Soft Picardy, a chair in Charcoal, a bag in Soft Brew. Color is part of the editorial decision, not a default.
Transparent background. Always. Stickers are placed on surfaces by whoever is using them. The SVG must have no background fill so it can sit on any color or photographic ground.
Objects from the ICP's world. Fashion, interiors, events, lifestyle. The object must be something the ICP encounters, uses, or aspires to. Objects like a laptop or smartphone are permitted when what is shown on the screen makes them specific to the ICP's context.
Where it appears
Surface
Notes
Physical sticker sheets
One output context. Objects chosen to reflect the recipient's vertical. Printed on vinyl or paper stock. The SVG is the production file.
Social media
One to three stickers on a brand color field or as accents on photography. Can carry a post without copy. Most expressive channel for sticker use.
Email
Header or accent position. One sticker per email layout. Adds editorial warmth without the weight of an illustration.
Presentations
Slide accents or section dividers. One to two per slide. Never competing with content.
Illustrations
Individual sticker objects can be incorporated into illustration compositions as part of the object world surrounding the figure.
Never
With a filled background in the SVG file. As a substitute for an illustration where a figure and compositional claim are needed. Combined with soft icons in the same frame. More than three in a single marketing layout.
Do / Don't
Do
  • Choose objects specific to the ICP's world and vertical
  • Keep silhouettes clean and readable at small sizes
  • Use the full brand palette with editorial intention
  • Compose multiple stickers together to create scenes without a full illustration
  • Match the editorial linework quality of the existing library
  • Check the library before generating a new sticker
Don't
  • Include text in stickers: text-based stickers are out of scope
  • Use generic objects that could belong to any brand
  • Add a background fill to the SVG file
  • Use more than three stickers in a single marketing layout
  • Combine stickers with soft icons in the same frame
  • Use where an illustration with a figure and compositional claim is the right register
Right / Wrong

Two tests before a new sticker enters the library.

The silhouette test

Can the object be identified from its outline alone at sticker size? If not, it is too complex. Simplify the form or choose a different object. The silhouette is what makes a sticker work on a sheet, on vinyl, and at a glance.

The specificity test

Does this object feel like it belongs in the ICP's world, or could it belong to any brand? A vintage camera, a silk blouse, a fluted vase passes. A generic mug, a plain chair, a basic envelope does not. The object must earn its place in the library.

Generation brief

Stickers are generated using Gemini or OpenAI image generation. The brief has one variable: the object. Everything else is fixed. Name the object specifically. The more specific the object, the better the output.

Step 1 · Line drawing

Generate the outline first. Evaluate the form, proportion, and silhouette before committing to color. If the form is wrong, nothing else matters. Attach a reference photograph of the object.

Step 1 prompt · copy, fill in [object], attach reference photo

Illustrated line drawing of [object]. Single isolated object on a transparent background. Clean, confident editorial linework, stroke weight approximately 2px, color #43424A (Charcoal). No fills. No color. No gradients. No shadows. No background. The object is depicted with editorial specificity: enough detail to be recognizable and characterful, proportions true to the reference image. The silhouette reads clearly at small sizes. SVG output, transparent background, line drawing only.

Step 2 · Color fill

Once the line drawing is approved, pass it back to the AI with the SVG attached and hex values specified for each fill area. All colors must be from the brand palette. Strokes remain #43424A.

Step 2 prompt · copy, fill in fill instructions, attach approved SVG

Fill the attached SVG line drawing with flat colors. No gradients. No shadows. Strokes remain #43424A at their current weight. Fill each area as follows: [describe each fill area and its hex value, e.g. "body of the dress: #FFE2B5 (Soft Picardy)", "collar: #FBFBFA (Cotton)", "buttons: #43424A (Charcoal)"]. Transparent background. SVG output.

Brand palette hex values for reference:

#FBFBFA Cotton
#F3F1EE Parchment
#43424A Charcoal
#1F1F1F Leather
#8A7251 Brew
#DCD5CB Soft Brew
#FF9D09 Picardy
#FFE2B5 Soft Picardy
#CC6A00 Strong Picardy
#9E4BBB Wolfe
#E2C9EB Soft Wolfe
#6B1888 Strong Wolfe
#016F2F Gretna
#B3D4C1 Soft Gretna
#003C00 Strong Gretna
Check the library before generating. If an approved sticker already depicts the object you need, use it. A new sticker is only warranted when the object does not exist in the library.
All new stickers require Founder review before entering the library. Do not use a generated sticker in any context until it has been reviewed and approved.
Filename convention. sticker-[sequence]-[slug].svg, for example: sticker-001-barcelona-chair.svg
The library

All approved stickers. Sequential order by asset number.

Check the library before generating new work. All new stickers require Founder review. Assets live at assets/stickers/.

Library coming soon

Stickers will display here once assets are renamed and uploaded to assets/stickers/.