A stamp signed Lemon
A stamp signed Lemon
- Lemon
May 20, 2022
It's quite rare for our work to end up in collectors' albums. And yet, we recently created a stamp for Swiss Post. It was an unusual project, both in terms of format and end use. It was the first time we'd ever had such a small surface area with so much to say!
This stamp is part of the "My Canton – Our Switzerland" sheet, a joint project of the Conference of Cantonal Governments and Swiss Post. The sheet includes all 26 cantonal stamps as well as a stamp dedicated to the House of Cantons, the conference's headquarters in Bern.
We were chosen by the Swiss Post Office to design the Neuchâtel stamp. It was an assignment that filled us with pride, but also with a little apprehension at first. Although we had carte blanche, we still had to comply with a few basic conditions: our design had to feature the words "Helvetia" and "Neuchâtel" as well as the price of 110 centimes. So far, so good. But the theme imposed on us was "Microtechnology and nanotechnology." Not really our area of expertise... a bit of a challenge 🙂
So we familiarized ourselves with the world of the infinitely small, with what the micro and nanotechnology industry produces in our canton. We discovered a world of wonders, where technology has advanced so far that it has become almost poetic. We tried to extract a universe of shapes and tones to shape our creation.
We decided to involve the entire agency in the adventure. That's right! Everyone took part in the brainstorming session and gave their opinion on what a stamp related to microtechnology and nanotechnology should look like. This gave us the guidelines for our final design.
We deliberately chose to work with an abstract visual, as the underlying theme is not immediately apparent. We didn't want to leave anyone out either. Representing these technologies with a simple microscope, for example, would not have been representative. The chosen design features a gradient from pink to purple, colors that often symbolize technology and innovation. The central shape of the graphic design can evoke both an eye, representing a canton looking toward the future, and a wheel from a clock mechanism, typical of the canton's DNA. It can also be seen as a microscope lens, representing a canton focused on research and innovation. The outer ring can symbolize both the atoms of a molecule and the winding paths of a printed circuit board. Finally, the numbers on the right of the stamp indicate the nanometer and micrometer scales. This is a small clue to understanding the field in which this stamp is used.
At the official presentation of the project in Bern last March, the 27 winning stamps were projected in large format onto the facade of the Federal Palace at night. It was quite thrilling! We are now very proud to see our work commercialized and ready to travel, preferably on love letters rather than bills! 🙂
