Tail-gate on a merry message

Have you ever been stuck in a nasty snarl in Bengaluru, looking at the back of automobiles, hoping to spot something,  anything really, that can brighten your mood? Of course you’re not alone. Cherian Kunnath and Neetu Varma are proof enough that even that traffic, can have you’re your creative juices flowing.

These city-based youngsters are starting a revolution by customising vinyl bumper stickers for your vehicles, inspired by your own quirky families. Calling it The Indian Family Sticker, these characters are making an appearance on everything from a Mustang to a Mercedes across the world. We catch up with the young creators of our own Fido Didos.

While on a break after his master’s degree in automobile engineering, 28-year-old Cherian let the travel bug steer him across Hardiwar and Rishikesh through Goa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “Through these journeys, I was fascinated by the stickers at the back of cars and trucks – the sheer diversity of messaging, the amount of personalisation and the sheer enthusiasm of automobile owners in India was amazing,” says Cherian who had earlier restored a number of old bikes as part of the Bangalore Yezdi Club and whose design sensibilities wouldn’t stop prickling.

It was at his brother’s wedding that he quickly had on board his schoolmate, 27-year-old Neetu Varma to start a small but scalable venture – something that started with a caricature on the back of a tissue paper. Now, over 2,000 vehicles across India are embracing their trademark characters that can be customised based on Indian families by region or their occupations, for instance.
“We have an interactive interface on our website where one can pick and choose characters from the range or create a unique family sticker, dragging and dropping it on a virtual car wind shield,” explains Neetu, who doubles as a media strategist and planner.

The stickers are inspired by the concept of the big, fat Indian family, all of them researched thoroughly to steer clear of how the ‘others’ see a typical Marwari family, and inviting an ‘insider’s view’ for the stickers that range from '49 to '99 a pop. “My Facebook friends include 90-year-old grand uncles to nephews in their teens. I drive elderly aunts around the city, listening to their stories and swapping family gossip. Family always came first and I love being a part of it. It was only a matter of time before I combined my love for design and family,” says Cherian.