Paper Brain (ep 14)

The history of Post-It Notes begins with a glue that didn’t work.

What started as a failed aerospace adhesive at 3M became one of the most unlikely and influential inventions in creative culture. From agency war rooms to startup whiteboards to digital tools like Miro and Figma, sticky notes have shaped how we think, collaborate, and build ideas.

In this episode of Strange Coordinates, Topher Burns and Robert Balog unpack:

• How Post-It Notes were accidentally invented
• Why they became the universal language of brainstorming
• What their survival in the digital era tells us about branding and innovation

If you’ve ever stuck an idea on the wall, you’re already part of this story.

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Credits

Show art & design by Chris Allen

Editing by Steph George

Marketing by Billy Silverman

Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions

Video editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/