2008
Federal Duck Stamp Contest |
What Makes a Good Stamp
Design ? |
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Since 1934, the year of the first Federal Duck Stamp,
the stamp's design has included three components: a central vignette,
a denomination and textual inscriptions. Early Federal Duck Stamp
designs were entirely engraved and printed on a flat bed press.
Today printing technology is constantly changing and combination
printing techniques with security measures are standard. Federal
Duck Stamps are also issued in different formats such as the water-activated
(WAG) single stamp and the self-adhesive mini-sheet (PSA). See
examples
The artwork for a Federal Duck Stamp has specific
requirements to be effective as a stamp design. Not only must the
duck(s) be anatomically correct and in the appropriate habitat,
the design must also meet the following considerations:
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The
first Federal Duck Stamp, 1934 artist Jay N. Ding Darling |
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Original
artwork for the 75th Duck Stamp by Joseph Hautman |
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75th
Anniversary Duck Stamp |
Composition |
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- Is
the composition strong with sufficient color contrast to emphasize
detail and shading ?
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- Do
elements such as shape and line appear strong
enough that they do not blur together ?
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- Does the central design stand out from the background? Is it eye-catching?
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Typography |
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- Is there space for lettering and numerals without
overlapping the central featured design elements?
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- Is the background simple enough to facilitate these
additional elements?
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Reduction |
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- Is the design
simple? Avoid complicated designs that will not reduce well or
in which important details will be lost. Use a reducing
glass
to see how the design will appear when reduced to stamp size.
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Originality
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- Is the design
original? Avoid designs that are duplicates of previous Federal
Duck Stamp designs. Good sources for earlier designs and
information about duck stamps include:
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Books: |
The Duck Stamp Story by
Eric Jay Dolin and Bob Dumaine (krause Pub. 2000). |
The Federal Duck Stamps by
David P. McBride(Winchester Press, 1984). |
Brochure: |
The Federal Duck Stamp 75th Anniversary Field
Guide(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). |
Websites: |
http://www.fws.gov/duckstamps/
-Federal Duck Stamp Office |
http://arago.si.edu -Smithsonian
National Postal Museum has all federal duck stamps on-line with
descriptive text as well as the featured
collection Glorious Flight. |
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