Colorful die-cut stickers with a castle in flames, birds on a branch labeled "Better Together," and stylized "NY" letters with mice.

The creative (sticker) genius Red Halftone

"Red Halftone in one sentence? Bold graphics and language disguised as art to make you think about it."

From creative burnout to bold expression

What happens when your creative spark starts to fade, right when you’re supposed to be building a career out of it? For Lisa Champ, aka Red Halftone, that tension became the starting point for something much bigger. Originally trained in brand identity and packaging, she found herself pulled into the rise of digital design; adapting, delivering, but slowly drifting away from the kind of creativity that actually lit her up:

“I mostly struggled with feeling a lack of control over my creative direction… the desire to make and have a place for visual creativity was a void I needed to fill. It was inevitable that it was something I needed to explore on my own in some form.

Sound familiar? That gap between what you can do and what you want to do can be hard to ignore. The creation of Red Halftone wasn’t a sudden idea; it was a necessary one. An outlet and space where she could explore visual creativity on her own terms. Not as a side project, but as something she needed to build.

Display stand with colorful die-cut stickers from "Red Halftone" against a vibrant background.
Person kneeling next to colorful "OUTTA MIND" sticker on a gallery floor, surrounded by artwork.

New York, the City of Layers

Originally from Utica, NY, now based in New York City, her surroundings have become an inseparable part of her work. The city’s energy, its people, and its constant movement all feed into her perspective. It’s a place where individuality is the norm, where niche interests thrive, and where finding your people is part of the process:

“Everyone lives like they’re the main character here… whatever weird niche thing you’re into, there’s a group for it.”

But it’s not just the people, it’s the physical environment too. Walking through New York means constantly encountering layers, new on top of old, signs over signs, posters over posters, stories built up over time. That layering has become a recurring way of seeing and thinking in her work:

“You can peel something back and catch a glimpse of what was there before… it feels like time travel.”

A person reaches for a vintage sticker vending machine with colorful stickers and "Outta My Mind" text, next to a framed illustration on the wall.

Visually, Red Halftone is defined by a distinct combination of bold illustration and direct, typographic messaging. The influences are clear, tattoo culture, pop art, graphic design, propaganda, but the starting point is almost always the message itself.

Her work often draws from proverbs, sayings, and personal beliefs, turning them into something visual and shareable. It’s not just about expression, it’s about creating something that resonates, or even challenges the viewer to pause and reflect:

“For most pieces, the message is the starting place… I basically wear my opinions on my sleeve through my art.”

That clarity of purpose carries through into how she describes Red Halftone at its core, a concept that feels simple but deliberate:

“Bold graphics and language disguised as art to make you think about it.”

Die-Cut Sticker with floral design, stairs, and eyes, featuring the phrase "WHAT GOES AROUND WILL COME AROUND" on a patterned background.

Big projects and big achivements

When it comes to defining moments, one stands out. Painting her first mural on 2nd Ave and Houston in New York marked a shift, not just in scale, but in how her work lives in the world. It brought together years of skill-building into something public, permanent, and shared.

It felt like a culmination of skills that I developed over the years coming together on public display.

For Lisa, public art carries a specific kind of value. It changes how spaces feel, makes them more human, more alive, and more connected to the people moving through them. To

"After painting the mural, I released a limited edition run of prints featuring the art, which sold out."

Tip: It's still available as mini prints and stickers, check out her shop.

Stickers as a tool of expression

Working with stickers has been a natural extension of that approach, and over the years, she’s explored just about every format and material we offer. But even with that experience, there are still ideas waiting to be fully realized.

One concept she keeps coming back to is using transparent stickers in a more interactive way, layering multiple elements to reveal a complete image. It’s still in progress, more of a direction than a finished idea, but that openness is part of the process.

“Each piece would be created by two clear stickers layered together… I’m still figuring out the why.”

Some ideas are meant to stay flexible for a while, especially at the start of a new year, when experimentation tends to take the lead.

Looking ahead, that idea of impact is something she continues to think about. Not as a fixed goal with a clear endpoint, but as an ongoing direction. She’s interested in finding ways for her work to support causes she believes in, to have a broader social impact, even if the exact form that takes is still evolving.

“I want to create in a way that has more impact… I just haven’t figured out exactly how I fit into that yet.”

And maybe that’s the point. Not everything needs to be fully defined to be worth pursuing.

To keep up with Lisa, make sure to follow her on Instagram, or check out her website.

Close-up of a person holding a blue candle label featuring a hand holding a flower and the text "Good Luck" with various product details.
Hand holding a hang tag sticker of a stylized red cat with three eyes, open mouth, and floral decorations on a black background.
Hands holding a colorful sticker pack labeled "Lucky 7," featuring holographic, glitter and mirror stickers.
Person with tattoos applies vibrant, graphic wall stickers of a skull and animals on a wall.

Red Halftone's favourite sticker tips and tricks

Over the years, Lisa has been pioneering sticker-making as we know it: Material and product tryouts, mastering add-ons, and new sticker usages. From how to utilize material effects to elevate the finished sticker design, to reimagine where to put them and how to use them,.

She uses them not only for their likes and good looks (yes, we wrote that), but to tell the reader something. Sometimes it's about the product they're holding in their hands, sometimes it's about herself, her work, or to promote an event. And to be completely honest, sometimes it's because her well-designed stickers, in fact, are truly awesome.

These features and ideas are only some of Lisa's favourites:

Two hands hold floral die-cut stickers with "POST NO LIES" text, printed on vinyl and glitter materials on a vibrant red background.

Dare to try white layers

"For all you seasoned designers out there, don’t sleep on the range of shiny and glittery special sticker materials.

"One of my favorite tricks is using a white ink layer to block out certain areas of the design, letting the material effect peek through only where you want it."

Hands including a custom matte mirror sticker sheet in a customer order as free merch.

Go Pro with sticker sheets

"Sticker sheets are the ultimate self-promotion piece. Draw or fill in the surrounding areas around the stickers with your name, social handle, illustrative elements, or whatever you like!

"I recently started including sticker sheets as freebies to people who order from my shop."

Black shirt with a red and white graphic design, featuring a floral motif. A black tag with geometric patterns and "RED HALFTONE" text is attached.

Elevate with back paper print

"Printing on the back of a sticker is another opportunity to reach a customer with additional information, alternative designs, offers, contact details, etc.

"Some of my favorite items to include back printing on are hang tag stickers and sticker sheets."

Bold ideas, bold visuals, rad stickers

A lot of the messaging in my work focuses on proverbs or sayings, and things I believe. Aside from self-expression, my goal is to hopefully bring value to the viewer or challenge them to think and reflect. Stickers are a highly accessible and important tool for this purpose: easy to make, easy to hand out.

Lisa Champ, the artist behind Red Halftone

Like what you see? I'm here to help.

Your stickers deserve the best, and we don’t mess around. Premium materials, top-tier printing, and durability that laughs in the face of rain, sun, and dishwashers. Stickers from StickerApp stand the test of time as much as they stand out from the crowd, which is what your stunning designs deserve.

Questions? Wild sticker ideas? Shoot me an email at nora@stickerapp.com or smash that button below.

Other brands that stick with StickerApp

  1. Porsche

    "With Stickerapp we have found the right partner to take our storytelling to the next level."

    Porsche /endorsements/porsche
  2. Omni Pollo Logo.

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    Omnipollo omnipollo.com
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    Yamay Amakuchi Soy Sauce yamaysauce.com
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    HelloMerch www.hellomerch.com
  5. Crooked moon brewing

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    Crooked Moon Brewing crookedmoonbrewing.com/
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