(This is my fifteenth post in a series of entries I’m using to participate in Blaugust for 2026.)
Kate Garibaldi has an article over on PetaPixel covering custom lens caps for cameras so any time the camera’s out but not in use you’re carrying around a tiny billboard.
My knee-jerk reaction was of course “Thanks, I hate it” because I don’t like the idea of tying my identity to a brand or product, but the article wasn’t about selling ad space to companies so much as it was promoting self-branding, and now there’s a company that prints custom images on lens caps.
I think this is neat, but not because I intend to use this service. (I’m on a teacher budget, after all, and I’m buying enough things for my classroom.)
Branding is, unfortunately, everywhere. Our lens caps already have manufacturer logos on them, as do the cameras, monitors, computers, keyboards, mice, and I’m going to stop the list here. This was particularly “fun” when our rules for our district level Film Festival forbade any trademarked logos from being shown on-camera.
(Things are a bit more relaxed, now, but a lot of the tech from back then still has tape over the marketing, because it was more efficient to use a bit of tape once than to apply a blur effect to each shot.)
Here’s the thing: Our classes can have their own branding. Most schools have mascots and logos already. My department has a district-wide logo used on all of our press releases and event signage. On the school level, I design a new variation each year and we silkscreen t-shirts for the students.
(I also cut a lot of vinyl stickers with my Cricut, though I won’t recommend that brand due to my experiences.)
Having branding for your classroom can help to promote a group identity, and while practice makes the act of logo creation easier, one doesn’t need a lot of skill to get started.
“But Aaron,” you say, “I’m no good at art, how could I manage to do this?”
I have students making logos as young as 3rd Grade with a simple web-based vector editor. They take an image and add some words to it. Done.
“But Aaron, it’s not going to POP without a cool graphic, and I’ve no skill with making those!”
(H&R Block couldn’t manage it either, you’ll be fine.)
Go to OpenClipArt.org and search for your school mascot or something that relates to your content area. (I’ll often look for a camera or microphone.) Grab one with high contrast that doesn’t look like slop. You lose a lot of respect if your image looks like slop.
“But Aaron, how do I get this to be ON things?”
This one’s trickier. You could go my route and use a vinyl cutter, though your image will have to be monocolor a free of floating objects. (Floating objects are parts of the design that are not physically attached to the rest of it, so they require additional effort to place correctly after you peel off the backing.)
Me, I like that challenge, but not everyone does.
If you have access to a printer, printer-friendly sticker paper has been around for decades. In a pinch you can use address labels. Being pre-cut is a bonus, though you’re stuck with those dimensions. Visit your office supply store of choice and look for “sticker paper.” You’ll find options.
Now if you don’t mind, I have some stickers to cut out.