Sir Paul Smith - Stamp Designer

The Japan Times features an article about Sir Paul Smith whose "creations are more commonly found paraded on fashion catwalks or on hangers in boutiques around the world" rather than on postage stamps.

The British designer has now added to his portfolio the seven stamps shown above which he created for the Isle of Man Post Office to mark this summer's London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Smith is quoted in a recent interview as saying, ""l looked at posters and artwork from previous Olympics and realized I wanted the stamps to be positive, powerful, colorful and, above all, optimistic."

Reporter Danielle Demetriou points out, "The apparent simplicity of the diminutive designs, however, belies a string of challenges posed by the fact that stamp design is strictly governed by rules and regulations."

"Actually the job was quite huge and I worked on the project for about a year," Smith explained. "Because stamps are governed by law, you have to incorporate certain things: the Queen's head in certain size, the Olympic logo, the price. And then, in addition to those restrains (rules), stamps are very collectable, so I had to design gift sets and collectors' items."

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