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. All of the celebrated designers listed to the left have 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 hundreds 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.
This collection was started in 1999 after I came across the stamps of Jan Van Krimpen in A Record in Honor of His Sixtieth Birthday. There are about 1000 stamps in the collection, and I'm pretty sure I've identified every stamp by anyone who has ever designed a typeface. Think there's someone I've missed? Let me know.
Although I've catalogued all of the stamps, there are still some very expensive early Van Krimpens I've yet to acquire, and there are about 600 more pages to build. Care to help out with that? Why not donate $5 to the cause? By making a small contribution, we'll be able to finish building pages for the forthcoming designers listed to the left. As a small token of appreciation, we'll include a note of thanks on the page you help to make possible, and include a link from our site to yours. Want to be the first to sponsor a page that's already built? Donate $5 to get your name and link on a page with a stamp by Hermann Zapf, Erik Spiekermann or your favorite designer listed above. There are presently over 400 pages to choose from. Make a $5 donation here:
Has someone already sponsored a page you wanted to sponsor? Donate $1 to get your name listed after theirs.
Or, better yet, why not buy a copy of Lance Hidy's Designing the Mentoring Stamp, the first book in a planned series which will celebrate this overlooked collection of work. Reference this collection when you order your book, and we'll gladly name five of the stamp pages in your honor.
Want to know even more about these stamps? A 45-minute lecture on the subject of stamps by type designers has been delivered to The Typophiles, The Baxter Society, Smith College, The Caxton Club, The Guild of Bookworkers, Rare Book School, and the Society of Printers. To learn how this lecture might be given to your class or organization, contact the Press.
Thanks for your interest.
Michael Russem