http://www.designweek.co.uk/news/magpie ... 31.article" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?
Magpie Studio has created the Royal Mail’s 2012 stamp yearpack, basing the designs around a collage pillar box.
The yearpack is a concertina-folded booklet which contains all of Royal Mail’s special stamp issues from 2012, such as the British comic stamps and the Britons of distinction collection.
The concept for the yearpack is based around a Royal Mail pillar box, which features images from all the stamp ranges issues in 2012.
Royal Mail supplied a fibre-glass pillar box, and artist James Taylor created and installed the stamp collage.
The pillar box was then photographed and formed the centrepiece of the yearpack designs.
Magpie Studio creative partner Jamie Ellul says, ‘The tricky thing with an editorial project like this is how to bring so many varied subjects together visually, and with a much smaller canvas than something like the yearbook we’d already tackled.
‘The idea of commissioning an artist to collage a pillar box came quite early, but it wasn’t until we found the work of illustrator James Taylor that the idea came to life.’
Ellul adds, ‘We wanted the pack to feel quintessentially British; as 2012 was a big year for the country and a chance to be overtly patriotic. We chose James as his style is very much a modern take on British Pop Art – with a style that uses old Victorian decoupage paired with modern graphic shapes.’
The collage pillar box was created by Taylor over three days, and then photographed by John Ross. Copywriter Jim Davies also worked on the yearpack.
Ellul says the pillar box is being kept by Royal Mail to be used for exhibitions, roadshows and other installations.
The collage pillar box
Magpie was appointed to the 2012 yearpack project following its work on the 2011 Royal Mail yearbook.