Call for Submissions: Black Rock City 2022 Sticker Designs

Close your eyes, open your mind, and explore your Waking Dreams, because the moment has arrived to create your designs for the 2022 Black Rock City stickers! It’s been waaaaay too long since we last got slap-happy with official BRC stickers, so I’m simply atingle to see what you all come up with.

Jump to the end of this post for design specs, submission guidelines, and the deadline (spoiler: it’s May 18, 2022).

2022 Waking Dreams theme poster (Design by DA of Black Rock)

Wait…what? You didn’t know? We don’t design all those stickers, YOU do. We just print a metric tonne of them and gift ‘em to all you lovely weirdos. So here’s your chance to share your very own self-adhesive work of art with the entire Black Rock City population. Each year we print many different designs; typically over a dozen submissions find their way to the playa. 

We like variety! So go ahead and get weird…or existential…or abstract…or whatever your heart desires—these are YOUR stickers after all. You’re going to stick them all over your camp gear, car bumpers, friends… and who knows what else.

Feel free to submit a couple different designs. Don’t forget, there is a theme (hint: it’s Waking Dreams); if your sticker has at least something to do with it, it’s more likely to get printed. 

One more thing! Before you submit your design, please read through the requirements below. As much as you want that custom cut axolotl-shaped sticker to be printed, it simply won’t be. Sad face. (But totally print them yourself and find me on playa—axolotls are rad.)

Burning Man Vault of Heaven sticker, 2004 (Photographer unknown); Peace, Love, and Burning Man sticker, 2005 (Photo by Stacie Mishcon)

Black Rock City 2022 Sticker Design Specs

  1. Your design(s) will need to be one of these die sizes:
    •  3” diameter circle
    •  2.5″ x 5.75” with a 0.125” corner radius
    •  3″x 3″ square with a 0.062” corner radius
  2. You must OUTLINE all fonts, meaning vector text is no longer a font but rather it is vector shapes. This eliminates issues for the printer not having the font, which is a dealbreaker.
  3. If using one to three colors, set up the file to print as PMS. If using four or more colors, set up the file to print as CMYK.

Designer Tips

  • Did you read the specs? Read the specs!
  • Include “Burning Man” or “Black Rock City” and the year 2022 in your design for bonus points. 
  • Incorporate the Waking Dreams theme. Or don’t. It’s your sticker. Just remember what I said above.
Perpetual Evolution Sticker, 2009 (Photo by Steven Fritz); Metamorphoses sticker by Eric Cifani, 2019 (Photo by George P. Post); BRC sticker, 2011 (Photo by Steven Fritz)

Submitting Your Art

  • Send either a PDF file OR (preferably) the original Adobe Illustrator (.ai) file to stickers@burningman.org.
    • Note: If sending your original Illustrator file, you must embed any images you may have included in your design.
  • Whether sending your design or questions, please put your first and last name in the subject header as well as the phrase “2022 Sticker Submission.”
  • DOUBLE CHECK THAT YOUR DESIGN MEETS ALL DESIGN SPEC REQUIREMENTS LISTED ABOVE. 

Sticker Art Submission Deadline:

Wednesday, May 18, 2022. No art can be accepted after this date!

P.S.
Did you read the specs? Please read the specs.
Say specs again.
Specs.


Cover image: A collection of BRC stickers over the years (Photos by Steven Fritz, Aspen Moon, David Silverman, and burnman)

About the author: Deets Shay

Deets Shay

Deets Shay is on Burning Man Project’s Communications team, overseeing social media content strategy and execution, in addition to leading print production projects. She attended her first Burn in 2012, when she quickly realized she identified with the culture, and has been going back almost every year since. Prior to joining Burning Man Project’s year-round staff, Deets volunteered for the Department of Mutant Vehicles, where she helped process Mutant Vehicle applications before the Burn, and approved vehicle licensing on playa. You can generally find her hanging out with her amazing wife Ginger Snap, their Corgi, Mini Waffles, and Shiba Inu, Jinkx.

7 Comments on “Call for Submissions: Black Rock City 2022 Sticker Designs

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  • Bill Wheeler says:

    I didn’t read the specs. This is too hard.

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  • NJ says:

    I’d like to send a bunch of virtual stickers from last year to you. How would I do that?

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  • Papa Penguin says:

    Read the specs… spectacles?… spectaculars?… spectrographs?… speculums? (Ewww)… speciational’s? {oh, wait, that was 2009, wasn’t it?)… I give up. I’ll just read something and see what I can come up with. Oh, the lack of specificity!

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  • Groundscore says:

    Hey thanks NJ for sending last year’s virtual stickers. I have the virtual stickers from the year before that. Not sure if the specs were right tho….

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  • miko says:

    Is there an archive of stickers to view as inspiration?

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  • Justjim says:

    I have submitted Timeline stickers since 2009. I use the art showing the Man and the man base design to illustrate the year’s man in the timeline sticker. I have not seen any art showing the 2022 man or man base. Is there any such art to use?

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