Designing the Mentoring Stamp. Although a field that is often overlooked by bibliophiles and historians of printing and typography, several of the most important contributors to twentieth century book and letter arts have made significant contributions to the design of the seemingly modest postage stamp. Eric Gill, Reynolds Stone, Jan van Krimpen, S.L. Hartz, S.H. DeRoos, Georg Trump, Walter Brudi, and Hermann Zapf—designers who have been celebrated for their masterful accomplishments in the field of type design—have all considered the specific concerns of philatelic design. Eric Gill, although only responsible for one design marking the reign of George VI, had (as one might expect) exacting and pointed opinions about stamp design, and carried out a lengthy public debate on the matter in the pages of the Times. Jan van Krimpen and his Enschedé colleague S.L. Hartz, designed hundreds of stamps for the Netherlands and her colonies. These, and the dozens of examples by the above designers, are an unexplored resource of tremendous lettering and calligraphy which also provide exceptional insights into how these designers worked and solved problems. Designing the Mentoring Stamp is the first in a series of books to explore these heretofore forgotten bodies of work.

Lance Hidy, the accomplished designer of books, posters, types, and stamps, takes us through the process of designing a postage stamp while explaining how the small Mentoring stamp relates to his larger body of work. Thirty-eight full-color reproductions illustrate the photographs, designs, and drawings which were part of the design process, as well as related posters and illustrations from the last thirty years of Hidy's work. The 64-pages were printed at Stinehour Press and bound at Acme Bookbinding. Preview two pages from the book here.

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Deluxe edition. $155 postpaid. Thirty-five hand-bound and signed copies. Contact the Press for availability.

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A note on Designing the Mentoring Stamp. Museums10, a consortium of historical and art museums in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, has declared 2008 "The Year of the Book." In response to this declaration, the Smith College Mortimer Rare Book Room is hosting the New England Chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers exhibition of Inspired Design: The Mentoring Stamp. Bookbinders, book artists, calligraphers, paper decorators, and other book workers have been invited to create a work inspired by the book. The exhibition will run from August through December 2008 at Smith College.

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. . . every graphic designer, be he or she young or old, experienced or novice, traditional or experimental; every illustrator, professional or student; and every typographer, regardless of training, allegiances, persoanl tastes, preferences, or inclininations, needs to read this little book. Seriously. No excuses.

Barry Moser
Illustrator and typographer
Download Barry's review here.

 

Lance Hidy [is] one of the finest graphic artists active today—and one of the most intelligent.
[. . .] As an interesting and thorough examination of a specific design project, as well as a useful text on other levels and an attractive book in its own right, this volume is well worth adding to one's design library.

Jerry Kelly
typographer and type designer
Download Jerry's review here.