By Rick Panna

March 23 2002

I used to loath driving in traffic, but because I have a bumper sticker promoting space for peace--which fellow commuters can see--I do not mind it so much. In fact, I sometimes look forward to traffic.

The idea of making my own bumper sticker was prompted by my deep concern about the militarization of space, President Bush's missile "shield," which I regard as dubious, and the woefully deficient public debate on these issues.

In designing the stickers, I found that by simply writing this site's address, "http://www.space4peace.org,/" I could both convey a message in a simple way and have a call to action (i.e., encouraging people to visit this site).

THE FIRST BUMPER STICKER - BLACK AND WHITE

I designed and made two stickers. The first one was simple both in execution and from an aesthetic standpoint. The whole project was done in one morning and cost about $2. I started by drawing a negative image of a star field (i.e., I drew black dots for stars on white paper) and used black lettering rendered on my home computer. I then took the graphic to a local print shop and had them make a negative image so that it became white stars and white lettering against black. There were some imperfections in the black space (e.g., unwanted white lines and blemishes), which I fixed with a black pencil. I then had the print shop laminate the graphic to weatherproof it.

The final step was to adhere the message to my bumper. I took transparent wall covering, which I had already purchased at Target for another project, and cut out a shape somewhat larger than my image. This adhesive both attached the message to my bumper and protected it from fading by the sun's rays. (I am not sure why this covering protects artwork from fading, but my bumper stickers have outlasted some cars.) I then rubbed the covering with my fingernail, eliminating air bubbles and sharpening the image.

THE SECOND BUMPER STICKER -- COLOR

After several months I decided make a new bumper sticker, one that would be more eye-catching and which would impart a sense of optimism and inspiration. (The bumper stickers I had done in years past were pessimistic and probably less appealing.) This project was a bit more time-consuming and cost about $8.

I began by looking at a lot of space art and eventually found something that was eye-catching, inspiring, and somewhat simple.  Because my sticker would be used for non-profit purposes, I had no problem with reproducing the art (also, the artist is against weapons in space). My goal was to get people to visit this site, become more informed, and perhaps sign the petition and take other action.

The rest of the task simply involved color copying the image, affixing the letters, which the print shop outlined in blue, lamination, and attaching it to my car. Instead of using transparent wall covering, this time I bought an adhesive at an auto supply store, which an employee claimed was not permanent. Indeed, when the image began to seriously fade six months later, the graphic could be peeled off and replaced. Depending on the climate in which you live, fading by the sun may or may not be a serious a problem.

A lot of people notice my color bumper sticker, and although I expected to receive at least some nasty remarks about it, that has not happened. These bumper stickers have been a considerable source of satisfaction for me since I am drawing some attention to space for peace, a cause that definitely needs more attention.

Contact: Rick Panna (VonPooka@Yahoo.com)