Decal du Jour
Stickers: one must-have on Berkeley’s campus.
Not only do they reflect our students’ savvy styles, but you can find them everywhere: water bottles, laptops, bathroom stall doors, and dorm fridges. Why exactly are these decals (pun intended) so popular? Why do students favor certain designs, colors, and shapes? We asked three Berkeley students, Annika Levaggi, Amelia Cecchetto, and one who chooses to remain anonymous, to help us answer all our sticker inquiries!
Where did you get your stickers?
AL: “I actually make a point of not getting mine from an online store. I like the process of collecting over months, when you go to a new place, or join a new club, as opposed to one shopping cart.”
AC: “I get most of mine from Redbubble, and if I go to a place, I will get a sticker from there. So I have location stickers and fun ones, but I usually don’t use free ones.”
Anonymous: “All of my stickers on my laptop I found on Redbubble. My water bottle is a bit different. I get some from In-N-Out, some from Facebook. Actually none of the stickers on my water bottle are from Redbubble. They are all from different stores and companies.”
What is your favorite sticker and why?
AL: “My first favorite sticker is a glitter sticker - well I like the glittery part for the aesthetic, and it says ‘of course I’m a feminist.’ I like the unapologetic political message of the sticker. I also like having it in class and seeing people’s reactions when they see it. My other favorite sticker is in a hexagon and it’s from the running camp I’ve gone to. I like it because it reminds me of Steens [the running camp] and is a cool design.”
AC: “My favorite sticker is probably the Mammoth one, because it’s a memory from a trip with my family, and it’s a cool location, and it’s a document of where I’ve been and who I went there with. It’s cheesy.”
Anonymous: “I have two. One is ‘Terminal Velociraptor.’ Even though I am not a stem major, I really love stem puns. The other one is ‘trophy husband’ which my friend got for me as a joke.”
How long have you been adding to your sticker collection?
AL: “For a while...I like to take many months to finish decorating my Hydro Flasks. My last one probably took me five months to finish.”
AC: “A year and a half.”
Anonymous: “I actually didn’t have any stickers on anything before college. It was actually a friend who started putting stickers on my things.”
Why do you choose the stickers that you do?
AL: “They all have some significance to my life...I have a Berkeley Student Food Collective Sticker and a sticker from Squaw Valley - things that remind me of things that I love. Or that I am a part of. Or both.”
AC: “I try to get ones that embody different aspects of my personality, so I seem well rounded on my laptop screen. My water bottle is my jobs and places I’ve been and my school. The ones on my laptop are funnier, and they are more like pop culture things or my sorority. I try to portray who I am and fun things, too. But mostly trying to get a personality on a screen.”
Anonymous: “I think I choose them because I like how they look, and I think they are a good indication of my personality and what I like. And so it’s a reflection of me.”
Some Berkeley students embellish their laptops and water bottles to make political statements, express their personalities, or remind themselves of a sweet memories. Not only do they collect stickers for free, but they also buy from Redbubble, companies, or special locations. No matter the place of origin or reason for each sticker, each decal represents a unique story, just like each student at Cal, making them so well-liked.
Words By Emily Mustoe