Methods of cataloguing2

After the previous feedback, I racked my brains about what to do with the final outcome.

I found interesting the perspective given by my tutor, Houman, that stamps are not only objects, but also a communication tool, whereby a letter is sent to someone by putting a stamp on it, so I thought I would proceed in that context.
However, I felt that simply designing new stamps using the collected sets would not reconstruct the meaning of the stamps as a communication tool.

I was not sure what I could do for my final outcome but I decided to take some actions in order to move on to the next step. First, I borrowed some books on stamps from the library to know about stamps more.

I also went to The British Library and looked at their collection of past British stamps and contemplated.

What I found interesting was the section on what constitutes good design in British stamp design. It showed that a lot of thought had gone into the symbolic design of stamps before they were issued, and how important the symbols were.

Then again, when I looked at the research I had done on my collection last week, I realised that pre-war stamp designs used political and religious symbols such as war, emperors and shrines, and that there were restrictions on the designs.

On the other hand, When I send a letter, I think about who I am writing to and choose the stamps thinking about that person.

However, I thought that if I lived in this era, I would not be able to choose stamp designs linked to such personal feelings.

So I asked myself one question.

Then, based on pre-war stamp designs, I came up with a stamp that would function as a ‘communication tool’.

First, I did visual research of my collection again.

And as for the symbols, since pre-war designs could not be used, I considered what symbols I could use.I found that the pre-war stamp designs were derived from traditional Japanese patterns, so I wondered if I could use traditional Japanese patterns for the symbols as well.

After researching, I found that each pattern has its own meaning, so it was decided to select and design a stamp symbol in line with the person to whom the stamps would be sent.

The completed stamp design is shown here.

Stamps for family members

Stamps for friends
*In my case, I don’t often have the opportunity to write to friends who live nearby, so I assumed that I would send a letter to a friend who lives abroad.

Stamps to your partner

I used the Digital Printing Service to print on a sheet of stickers to make it look more like a real postage stamp.

Although it was regrettable that the colour palette could not be brought closer to the pre-war stamp design, I was pleased with myself that I was able to reconstruct the stamps in the context of stamps as a communication tool.

What is working well

• The successful element in the project is finding the meaning in the visual elements of the stamps and using them to make a new one
• Bringing my personal drawings to communicate audience the stamps intended for
• The Japanese symbols and patterns were used as references and assembled in a way that give meaning to the project
• It connects the past and the present using an object that represents love, friendship, homesickness and memory
• The transformation of bureaucratic stamps into personal communication tools
• Digital Printing service helped me to produce a similar visual quality to a real stamp

What is not working

• More trial and error about the quality of colour which I was not satisfied with
• Try other methods such as processing image of Mt Fuji using Photoshop as well as illustrator
• It would be really interesting to see these stamps literally stamped, as they would be when you send a letter