Postage Stamp Design: Heroes of PBS

Heroes of PBS

In response to the creative brief of creating a set of four portrait postage stamps, through the means of vector illustration, with the theme of ‘Iconic American Entertainers,’ this series honors the legacies of these beloved heroes of PBS. These four iconic American entertainers (Mister Rogers, LeVar Burton, Julia Child, & Bob Ross) have inspired me and countless others in finding joy and value within socio-emotional learning, literacy, cooking, and painting, respectively.

Mister Rogers

On Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred Rogers taught generations of children how to cope with emotions, social issues, and to play. In this illustration, Mister Rogers smiles holding the Daniel Tiger puppet from his program and donning his iconic red cardigan, knitted by his own mom!

LeVar Burton

On Reading Rainbow, LeVar Burton taught so many people the joy of reading a good book, the importance of literarcy, and bringing stories to life through the power of imagination. In this illustration, LeVar smiles and reads a book from which a reading rainbow emerges from the pages, giving the feeling of magic from reading,

Julia Child

On the PBS program The French Chef, Julia Child taught people nationwide how to cook delicious food in a way that anyone could follow, while having fun throughout the process. In this illustration, Julia Child smiles while holding a wooden spoon, as if to invite you to a delicious meal.

Bob Ross

On The Joy of Painting, Bob Ross taught the nation how to paint beautiful landscapes in an approachable and soothing manner, as he also gave meaningful talks on his own life experiences. In this illustration, Bob Ross smiles while holding a paintbrush as he paints the landscape behind him.

Ideation

As per the representation of individuals on postage stamps, the depicted individuals need to appeal to the general public nationwide and generally have a wholesome character.

I researched our national treasures and iconic American entertainers to narrow down four of them to create a cohesive set of wholesome individuals.

I decided to dedicate my set to the heroes of PBS who inspired me and countless others in personal growth and learning.

Reference

Next, I researched reference photos of each individual that were relatively good quality, well lit, approachable, representative of their personalities.

I also decided to mostly use images including a prop that speaks to the nature of each of their respective programs on PBS, such as Mister Rogers with the Daniel the Striped Tiger puppet or LeVar Burton reading from a book.

Fig. 1.1 Fig. 1.2

FOREVERFOREVER

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

FOREVERFOREVER

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

FOREVERFOREVER

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

Lorem ipsum Lorem ipsum

FOREVERFOREVER

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

ICONIC AMERICAN ENTERTAINERS

Sketches

In this stage, I worked on composing the portraits within the correct dimensions and with the necessary elements of the ‘Forever’ mark, as well as the “Iconic American Entertainers” mark in the corners. I also experimented with adding each individual’s signature, as well as the PBS logo in the bottom corners, to add a sense of unity and a personal touch from each of the PBS heroes.

Rough Draft

In this first iteration of the stamps, I focused on blocking out major areas of color in the forms of each individual and their props. I experimented with setting appropriate skin tones for each individual, as well as worked with the background color. I also experimented with a sans serif for the typography, which I ultimately abandoned for something friendlier feeling, as per the PBS brand. Next I would take a deep dive into the PBS brand, to make sure I followed their brand guidelines as described on the PBS website.

Brand Guidelines

I then researched the PBS brand guidelines as per their brand kit. Finally, I consulted with the PBS Brand Strategy Manager to ensure my designs fit their brand identity guidelines,

This included using the copyright mark, the correct colors, and increasing the contrast between the logo and its background.

I also was granted permission by PBS to use the logo for this project and to share it on social media with the #ilovepbs.

Typography

I chose friendly typefaces for this project, with a good amount of contrast to catch your attention and provide a visual hierarchy. For ‘Forever’, I used the slab serif Phoreus Cherokee as it has a soft, friendly, but official feeling. For ‘Iconic American Entertainers’, I used Parisine Plus, a sans serif, providing contrast to and complementing Phoreus Cherokee’s serifs with its friendliness. This typeface is an alternate design from Parisine, used in French public signage.