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FlyPosting

XR flyposting is putting up beautiful posters in public spaces to:

  • advertise upcoming events;
  • promote our name;
  • establish our symbology in the public consciousness
  • highlight our demands.

Also, you are engaging with a mildly illegal action such as flyposting is a great first step in Non-Violent Direct Action... and it’s fun!

  1. Best in small teams of 2 or 3 people (these can be part of larger groups up to 12 or so)
  2. Assign roles:
    • someone as lookout - check for authorities and deal with public complaints;
    • someone to carry the posters and rubbish bag;
    • someone to paste up the posters
  1. Each team will need:
    • posters
    • a bag for rubbish
    • a bucket half-full of paste (mix 1 part flour to 3 parts boiling water and stir thoroughly until smooth - no lumps please!)
    • a large brush or roller
  1. Paint the paste on your chosen spot (concrete, porous surfaces are ideal). Paste over a larger area than the poster. Firmly push you poster flat against the wet surface. Finally, apply a second coat of paste over your poster, brushing out any air bubbles.
  2. Choose spots with high footfall, passing traffic and busy walkways.
  3. Choose symbolic posters, bright colours and simple text. It takes a lot longer to read heavy text.
  4. Be neat. Be creative. People will subconsciously judge
  5. your brand. To have more impact, try grouping posters together covering a solid, larger area of wall. Make sure to keep it neat by having the edges match. If you have more than one design, try playing around. Alternating between different ones and creating deliberate shapes and patterns.
  6. Think about who you're affecting and try to stick to:
    • areas with a history of fly-posting;
    • derelict buildings;
    • temporary structures, like hoardings;
    • green electrical boxes;
    • lamp posts;
    • ugly concrete things.
  1. Avoid:
    • private property (houses, pubs, small businesses etc);
    • schools, hospitals, police stations (obvs);
    • billboards (depending, perhaps, on the advert in question);
    • starting a war with promoters - check the date before removing/posting over other posters
    • some pubs and clubs fly-post on their own walls. Generally avoid these areas unless it's clearly a free-for-all.
  1. Bear in mind that flyposting (generally speaking) is illegal. The good news is that the police and PCSOs have better things to be doing. Just make sure you don't create a situation that forces them to act.
  2. To get hold of some posters, see the ‘how to print’ section below

How To Print

There are several ways of printing flyers, posters, stickers for outreach and actions.

  1. Go to rebellion.earth/act-now/resources/art-group/ to download electronic copies of Extinction Rebellion flyers, stickers, posters etc. You can then modify these to suit your local needs, provided your messaging is in keeping with strategy and aims. We advise working with your media & messaging and actions group closely before producing new messaging or print materials. XRUK design group xrdesigngroup@gmail.com can also offer support and guidance on design decisions and induction into the XR Design Programme. Please note that the logo is strictly not to be used for any commercial purposes. You can then print the materials yourself, either with your friendly local print shop or online at solopress.com. We recommend bond; type paper (unfinished or natural look).
  2. Go to rebellion.earth/act-now/local-groups/ to make contact with nearby existing groups and see if they have any materials you could share.
  3. Contact: xr.printorders@protonmail.com​ to ask about ordering what you need from our central supplier. We soon hope to offer you a range of flyers, posters, stickers and booklets which you can pick from a list to suit your needs with low prices and quick delivery. If you are a small group and finding it expensive to arrange printing for yourself then this could be a good option for you. This is a work in progress.