Three stamps issued during the past two years have been singled out for glory in the design industry.
The Kwanzaa stamp from 2020 took first place in the invitations/announcements category of the 2022 Print Awards, a competition run by Print magazine.
The judges praised artist Andrea Pippins and art director Antonio Alcalá for an approach that used “cool tones and vibrant design elements” to forge an effect that’s “both peaceful and celebratory.”
Heritage Breeds, a set of stamps from spring 2021 featuring portraits of 10 heirloom farm animals, received the 2022 Art Directors Club Bronze Cube for portraiture/series. Photographs were by Aliza Eliazarov; Zack Bryant and Greg Breeding served as art directors.
The awards are presented by the One Club for Creativity, a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to nurturing “a more vibrant and inspired global creative community.”
And fall 2021’s set of customizable Message Monsters stamps was one of only 443 entries selected out of a group of 7,000 for inclusion in American Illustration 41, a design compendium that will be released in November.
Children’s book author and illustrator Elise Gravel provided the artwork with Alcalá as art director.
“As miniature works of art, the United States Postal Service is very proud to have these works recognized and honored in this way,” Bill Gicker, Stamp Services director, said of the winners.