International design win for Jersey stamps

A commemorative set of stamps, issued by Jersey Post, has been selected as a winner in the most exclusive major design competition in the world. The stamps, which celebrate world-famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven, are a winning entry in Communication Arts magazine’s 61st annual design competition, a prestigious international competition showcasing the best in visual communications.

Of the 2,947 entries submitted for the competition, just 126 were selected as winners, including Jersey Post’s Beethoven stamps. Chosen by an international jury of creative professionals, the winning projects will be reproduced in the September / October 2020 issue of the Communication Arts Design Annual, of which more than 25,000 copies will be distributed worldwide.

The winning stamps are the result of a creative collaboration between Hat-Trick Design (London) Ltd and Jersey Post, who worked closely with Hat-Trick to bring the stamps to life, supplying a creative brief and providing art direction throughout.

“We are absolutely delighted to see Jersey Post recognised on a global stage,” comments David McGrath, Jersey Post’s Head of Marketing. “Beethoven’s 250^th birth anniversary is a major international celebration and we wanted to take the opportunity to create something contemporary and exciting that stood out from the crowd and captured the creative process. We’re always striving for new and innovative stamp designs and it’s extremely rewarding to see our stamps recognised alongside such world-class creative work.”

Jersey Post’s winning stamp designs represent some of Beethoven’s most famous compositions, with each of the designs incorporating a portrait of the composer, a letter or number signifying the name of the musical piece, an excerpt from the musical score and a key musical instrument from the piece.

“We were really excited about this project from the start,” comments Gareth Howat, Creative Director at Hat-Trick Design. “Working with the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, which houses the world's most significant Beethoven collection was great as they have an amazing archive of images and musical texts. Beethoven is often viewed as a revolutionary artist, so this was an opportunity for us to have a more contemporary take on his influence. The brief was to use portraits from the archive, but we were keen to break away from the way they have been used in the past and produce something fresh. We wanted the designs to make use of really vivid colours to reflect the richness of the music, and the stamps were printed using a six colour hexachrome process to add real punch. We really enjoyed working in a collaborative way with Jersey Post and the Museum, and we are really delighted to get international recognition for the project!”

Communication Arts magazine is a professional journal for those involved in visual communications. Now in its 61^st year, it provides a platform for the current best in design, advertising, photography, illustration, interactive and typography.

Jersey Post’s Beethoven stamps and philatelic products such as Miniature Sheets, First Day Covers and Presentation Packs are available to order at www.jerseystamps.com or by telephoning the Jersey Philatelic Bureau on: 00 44 (0)1534 616717.