ICM - Leeds Design Agency

At the last Creative Networks talk held at Leeds College of Art and Design, Patrick Burgoyne editor of Creative Review, “Labels: and where to stick them” talk was a very informative and in part highlighted the dying art of Mumbai taxi stickers.

from Creative Review April 09
There are about 88,000 registered taxis in Mumbai, the majority of them ancient Fiats. This once lucrative business has now become highly competitive. As distances between home and work increased, fuel prices rose sharply and traffic congestion grew steadily worse, it became expensive and time consuming to travel by taxi: buses and trains provided quicker, cheaper alternatives. Taxi owners, therefore, resorted to devising ways to make taxi travel more attractive.

Colourful interiors, stereo systems and dazzling lights are all used to lure customers. But even more noticeable are the bright stickers that decorate the exteriors of most Mumbai taxis. As all cabs are customarily painted in yellow and black, these decorations help to differentiate one from the other. The designers, often working direct from the roadside, cut the graphics by hand from self-adhesive radium vinyl which reflects the light. Favourite gods, elaborate geometric patterns, portraits of film stars and the logos of luxury brands all feature on the cabs. This ‘sticker art’ has now evolved into a highly developed urban design form. Two of its most experienced and highly-skilled exponents are Manohar and Samir Manohar Mistry, who worked on this month’s cover for CR. Anand Tharaney of Grandmother India interviewed them for us (see the video here).

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