Last year the Royal Mail in the UK produced a set of extremely cool design related stamps called British Design Classics, featuring amongst other things, the Tube map, the mini car, the mini skirt and penguin books.
Early next year a new set of stamps will be released featuring the covers of ten classic British albums. The albums span several decades and the stamps celebrate the work of the graphic designers, photographers and artists who created memorable covers. The album sleeve has been the scene of some fabulous design work over the years and has become an art form in itself.
Last year’s “Classic British Design” stamps.
The new stamps are slightly unusual as they are an off-square shape with the vinyl disc appearing outside the die-cut of the stamp.
Royal mail researched existing lists of “greatest album covers” as well as seeking advice from music publications and graphic designers. A final list of ten designs were chosen.
Julietta Edgar, head of special stamps, Royal Mail said:
After the success of 2009’s British Design Classics, we continue the theme by exploring the classic art of the album cover.
For decades the album sleeve has been the canvas for some of the most imaginative graphic artists in the world and this issue celebrates this unique art form and some of its greatest examples.
Here’s the stamps and the albums:
The Division Bell by Pink Floyd
A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay – design by Sølve Sundsbø
London Calling by The Clash – photograph © Pennie Smith
Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield
Parklife by Blur – design by Chris Thomson/Stylorouge, photography by Bob Thomas
Power, Corruption and Lies by New Order – Factory 1983, design by Peter Saville, A Basket of Roses by Henri Fantin-Latour, 1890
Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
Screamadelica by Primal Scream – Artist: Paul Cannell
Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones – original cover and liner design by Robert Brownjohn, photo by Don McAllester, cake by Delia Smith
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie.
You can read more about the stamps at Norvic Philatelics.
Would these be your choices of “classic british” album design? What classic album cover design would you like to see immortalised on a stamp?
Jennifer FarleyJennifer Farley is a designer, illustrator and design instructor based in Ireland. She writes about design and illustration on her blog at Laughing Lion Design.
