Stamp Design

A postage stamp requires 3 components:

• Denomination (cost or prepayment of delivery)
• Country name
• Graphic design (image/symbol and layout)

Activity: Design a postage stamp for Ireland

Possible themes:
The seasons
Our National Identity (symbols of Ireland)
Irish animals and wildlife

Materials:
HB and 2B pencil
Ruler
T-Square
A4 or A3 paper
€1 or €2 euro coin

Process:   

•     Examine the postage stamps from a number of different countries     
•     Brainstorm your theme and create a list      
•     Source images based on your theme     
•     Make simple line drawings of these images     
•     Trace half of a coin in order to make the perforated border      
•     Draw a border      
•     Use grid lettering (block lettering) to write Eire/Ireland and the cost
      (You can change the dimensions of the lettering)      
•     Create a composition, combining image with text (you can overlap the
      image with the text, but the text must always be legible)     
•     The composition for a stamp can be portrait or landscape      
•     Paint or add colour to your stamp design