This news comes as a welcome surprise to many, as the USPS typically comes out with a new Christmas stamp each year, but they don’t release designs for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa as often. Many of the stamps in the upcoming release were also created by female artists and designers of color. We chatted with artist Jing Jing Tsong, who designed the new Hanukkah stamp, about the importance of having a diverse set of designers create the stamps for holidays that don’t always receive the same level of recognition as Christmas. “I’m excited to be part of a time where people recognize the need to make space for more diverse voices. Our stories are inextricably linked—recognizing this, helps us understand ourselves and our world with more clarity," she says. “I believe that helping people celebrate their holidays is a powerful way to say, ‘I see you and I celebrate you.’” The USPS released preliminary images of the new stamp designs but hasn’t said yet when the new collection will be available for purchase.
How New USPS Stamps Are Designed
We chatted with Ethel Kessler, one of the four art directors for stamps for USPS, to find out more about the design process. When creating new stamp designs, Kessler’s team takes recommendations from the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. The CSAC is a group of about 15 people with a diverse set of backgrounds and interests that comes together to make quarterly recommendations on new stamp designs. When ideas are chosen, the art directors get to work to bring the themes to life with the help of independent artists and designers. Kessler said the design process varies based on the subject of the new stamp: All of the designs require an extensive amount of research, and the art director has to decide whether an illustration, designed image, or photograph fits the small stamp size best. In the case of a repeating theme or event (like a holiday), the designer also needs to consider how to put a fresh take on the new image. “Stamps such as Hanukkah, which are repeated in the subject but not in visual approach, need to be recreated time after time instilling new energy into the subject,” Kessler says. “This year’s Hanukkah stamp is the first time we are showing kids lighting the menorah. It is very much of a family holiday and I am amazed that I never pursued this direction before.”
