From a simple labeling technique to an art form, stenciling has become a branding trend in this last decade: How is that this happened?
I think much of it has to do with the use of this technique for political propaganda. In all societies reactionary individuals go out in the dark printing messages in public places that they feel need to be read to generate a change in a system they feel oppresses them.
But what happens when those individuals take a step forward in the use of a technique and create an iconography with a message that goes beyond practical uses. Then the technique becomes a way of self-expression in many cases intimate and disconnected of any cause or function. The technique becomes an art form.
Many times an art form is appreciated by a select group of people to whom that individual expression mean something. But in this case, being the result of the evolution of a propaganda technique, the art form by nature is able to transcend art communities and appeal to masses, evolving once more into a branding tool.
Retailers like Virgin Megastore have proven how an art expression like “the urban stenciling culture” can be successfully translated into a marketing tool that helps position its brand as a leader in an industry in danger of extinction. Virgin Megastore is now considered more than a record store, a lifestyle shop where consumers go to find much more than just a CD.I believe the secret behind the success of brands that use art as a marketing platform lays in the ability to identify the Artistic expressions/Trends that better represent their values and better reflect where they want to go. For me is exiting to see brands with aspirations, as a young professional and consumer, I like brands that are continuously looking to evolve and l love to see them using art to promote their business.