{"id":4195,"date":"2019-05-30T11:38:16","date_gmt":"2019-05-30T10:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/?p=4195"},"modified":"2021-11-25T09:11:48","modified_gmt":"2021-11-25T09:11:48","slug":"how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/royal-mail\/how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed\/","title":{"rendered":"How are British postage stamps designed?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even those of us who don\u2019t have pen pals still send the occasional letter through the post \u2014 whether it\u2019s a business letter, or a birthday or Christmas card. The joy of finding a handwritten envelope on your doormat is certainly undeniable, and sending a letter to someone can be equally as enjoyable. So, how do we pay for our postage when we are sending these letters through the post? We buy postage stamps and apply them to our envelopes, and have done since May 1840.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to be a stamp collector to take notice of and enjoy the vast array of postage stamps that are issued each year in Britain \u2014 the stamps that get your letters from A to B through the Royal Mail service. While there are always the plain 1st and 2nd class stamps available, the commemorative collections are much more fun, featuring images and artistic designs. Have you ever wondered how these special stamps come to be?<\/p>\n

The progress of stamp design<\/h1>\n
\"A

The Penny Black on an envelope<\/p><\/div>\n

Prior to the 1960s, postage stamps simply followed on from the design featured on the very first stamp in the public postal system: The Penny Black<\/a>. For those not in the know, this was a black stamp featuring an image of the head of the monarchy (at the time of The Penny Black, this was Queen Victoria as a 15-year-old \u2014 which continued to be used throughout her reign) and the words “one penny”.<\/p>\n

Later designs used different colours and layouts, but most were simply an image of the monarch and the stamp\u2019s value \u2014 nothing like the exciting stamps we have access to today.<\/p>\n

In 1965, Postmaster General Tony Benn made a change that still impacts upon the stamps of today \u2014 he increased the number of special commemorative stamp issues, which mark special events and dates of British importance, alongside national achievements in the arts, sport, and sciences. Even now, there are usually around 15 new postage stamp issues annually.<\/p>\n

How are new postage stamps designed?<\/h1>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

There are just two rules for the design of postage stamps in the UK, and these are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • The value of the stamp must be present<\/li>\n
  • The monarch\u2019s head must be present \u2014 in 1964, designer David Gentleman rather controversially suggested that the Queen\u2019s head be omitted and replaced with the words \u2018Great Britain\u2019 or \u2018UK postage\u2019. This idea was soon overthrown by the Queen herself, and the monarch\u2019s head remains on our stamps to this day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The five-year stamp design process<\/h2>\n

    In a process that can take up to five years, the design of a new stamp involves these stages:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Royal Mail researchers decide on the subject matter<\/li>\n
    • Royal Mail invites proposals from Royal Mail designers for new stamp designs based on the chosen subject matter<\/li>\n
    • Designs are put before the Stamp Advisory Committee<\/li>\n
    • \u2018Essays\u2019 are produced, which are special proofs that reveal how the completed stamp will look<\/li>\n
    • Each stamp is passed to the Queen for review<\/li>\n
    • Once the stamp has royal approval, it can then be issued for sale<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"British<\/p>\n

      What is your favourite ever stamp issue? Do you keep your favourites or use them when posting letters to loved ones? Let us know in the comments below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Even those of us who don\u2019t have pen pals still send the occasional letter through the post \u2014 whether it\u2019s a business letter, or a birthday or Christmas card. The joy of finding a handwritten envelope on your doormat is certainly undeniable, and sending a letter to someone can be equally as enjoyable. So, how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[279],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow are British postage stamps designed? - The Pen Company Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Even those of us who don\u2019t have pen pals still send the occasional letter through the post \u2014 whether it\u2019s a business letter, or a birthday or Christmas\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/royal-mail\/how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How are British postage stamps designed? - The Pen Company Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Even those of us who don\u2019t have pen pals still send the occasional letter through the post \u2014 whether it\u2019s a business letter, or a birthday or Christmas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/royal-mail\/how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Pen Company Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ThePenCompany\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-05-30T10:38:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-25T09:11:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bigstock-Global-Collection-3784510-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"602\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lucy Williams\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@thepencompany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@thepencompany\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lucy Williams\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/royal-mail\/how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.thepencompany.live\/blog\/royal-mail\/how-are-british-postage-stamps-designed\/\",\"name\":\"How are British postage stamps designed? 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