U.S. Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) needs no introduction. I’ll continue by saying that I dreamt of designing a stamp for them for about eight years prior to receiving this opportunity in 2019. Starting in college, I named my design practice “Studio Seals,” and my tagline was “Designed, Sealed, and Delivered.” I carried around a vintage leather mailbag to interviews and treated each case study like a letter starting with “Dear Reader.” In short, I was ready for this. Or so I thought. ¶ As this was my first time designing a stamp for the USPS, I was caught off guard when I was told that the stamp would be round. Keep in mind, the USPS had only produced a series of round stamps, I believe, five times in their existence. ¶
Press Release
Since their appearance in 1896, pinback buttons have expressed viewpoints, made statements, and shown off the interests of those who wear them. A novel medium, these buttons quickly came into popular use as advertising tools and for political campaigns. For more than 120 years, pinback buttons of various sizes have helped spread ideas and broadcast opinions on a wide variety of topics. ¶ The designs and slogans adorning buttons reflect the era and values of the time in which they were created, like any other piece of pop culture ephemera. In this way, pinback buttons become historical tools providing insight into the moods, sentiments, and worldviews of people living in a particular time and place. ¶ Pinback Buttons is a pane of 20 stamps featuring 10 typographic designs by various artists in their own signature style. Each design imparts a single upbeat message: smile (Don Clark), hello! (Tré Seals), peace (Jay Fletcher), love (Juan Carlos Pagan), fun (Gia Graham), sweet (Jeff Rogers), yes! (Ryan Feerer), cheers! (Lisa Congdon), kudos! (DKNG Studios) and happy (Gina Triplett). The round shape of the stamps and the shadowing and reflection effects used give the appearance of three-dimensional pinback buttons. The pane verso features an illustration of a round silver button back with a pin fastener repeated 20 times, one for each pinback button shown on the front of the pane. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps. ¶ Because Pinback Buttons are Forever stamps, they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. ¶
Designing the Stamp
Designing a stamp around the word “hello” was definitely a challenge. The word carries so much weight with it, depending on how it’s spoken and in what context. Because of that, I started off exploring various phrases using the word: “hello world,” “hello sunshine,” and more. I explored different ways of saying “hello,” from elbow bumps and fist bumps to hand waves and more. ¶ In the end, my design is based on the idea that a simple “hello” can bring a smile to anyone’s face. ¶
Beyond the Stamp
Once the design was approved, it became much more than a stamp. There’s a mini-print, a set of actual pinback buttons, notebooks, and much more available through the USPS shop. ¶
-
Partner(s)
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Journey Group
-
Timeline
Start: 2019
End: 2020
Launch: 08.2024 -
Service(s)
Product Design
Typography -
Note(s)
Featured on Stamps Forever.