From Post-it notes to stethoscopes, wheel weights to Scotch
tape, chances are you’ve probably used a 3M product today without even knowing
it. 3M’s slogan, “Science Applied to Life,” captures perfectly the essence of
their company— providing useful and well-thought products with an emphasis on
practicality. Their website reads, “Science… is just science. Until you make it
improve the world.”
Literally millions of people use these products in their
day to day lives.
In this article, I’ll be looking specifically at 3M’s
office products—their history, application, and some creative ways they’re
being used today. It’s worth noting that 3M prides themselves on using minimal
resources and, “enabling more to help the world thrive. “
3M was founded by five businessmen in 1902. Initially a
mining venture, the company had new ownership as early as 1905 when they
started manufacturing sandpaper. The following twenty-five years saw many
innovations and new products, including scotch and masking tape, which are still
available today. By 1950, they were named, “one of the five best-managed
companies in the United States.” The 70s saw a technological advance in a wide
variety of fields and the post-it note was introduced in 1980. Today they boast
over $30 billion in sales and employ over 88,000 people world-wide.
3M has come a long way in just over one-hundred years, today
it doesn’t take a very thorough search to find examples of their office
products used in large-format installation art or even used as clothing. What
began as a meager operation is now one of the most recognized brands in the
modern world. Check out the 3M products in our
catalogue and see what they can do for you!
An example of
post-it art at the offices of Quicken Loans.
Duct Tape art
by Max Zorn.
A
statue constructed entirely from scotch tape by Mark Jenkins of Savannah, Ga.
Lisa Kudrow
and Mira Sorvino wearing post-it note dresses to the cast reunion of Romy &
Michelle’s High School Reunion
