door The World Post Day is an annual international event. In most countries, the day is celebrated on the first Sunday after October 9th, the founding date of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The UPU, also known as the Universal Postal Union, sets the rules for international postal traffic between member states. PostNL is highlighting the World Post Day with the issuance of the stamp sheet “Dag van de Postzegel 2024” on October 14, 2024. The stamps bear the denomination “1” for mail up to 20 grams destined within the Netherlands. The design of the stamp sheet was created by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda, inspired by the definitive stamps of Queen Wilhelmina from 1931-1933. The price for a sheet of 10 stamps for the World Post Day 2024 is €11.40.
PERSONALIZED STAMPS
In addition to the official issuance program, PostNL has an annual issuance program for personalized stamps. This program is flexible, allowing PostNL to release stamp sheets ad hoc that tie into current developments or events, such as this issue about the World Post Day 2024. Each issuance is designed based on a fixed layout, with a fixed number of personalized stamps. The stamps are available, while supplies last, exclusively through the webshop and via the Collect Club customer service at telephone number 088 – 868 99 00.
SUBJECT
Since 2009, PostNL has annually issued a stamp sheet for the World Post Day, whose design is inspired by a notable Dutch stamp from the past. For the 2024 issuance, the choice fell on the definitive stamps of Queen Wilhelmina from 1931-1933, designed by Piet Zwart. The special aspect of his design was that photomontages were used for the first time. For the World Post Day 2024 issuance, graphic designer Sandra Smulders created a contemporary design based on these definitive stamps. Smulders also updated the visual elements by replacing examples of economic sectors from 1931-1933 with those of the future.
Energy of the Future
Hydrogen is a gas that can be converted into energy through electrolysis. Hydrogen is crucial for the sustainability of industry and electricity production. Hydrogen plants depend on the variable supply of electricity from wind and solar, while the industry requires a constant supply. To balance supply and demand in the future, large-scale storage of hydrogen is necessary. In the Netherlands, research is being conducted in various places, including underground storage in salt caverns in the northern Netherlands. There are also empty gas fields in the North Sea where hydrogen can be stored.
Airplanes of the Future
The Flying-V is a design for a highly energy-efficient type of aircraft for long distances. TU Delft has been researching this aircraft design for seven years using computer models, wind tunnel experiments, a flying scale model, and simulations in a flight simulator. In the Flying-V, the passenger cabin, cargo hold, and fuel tanks are integrated into the wing. Due to the better aerodynamic shape and lower weight, the Flying-V uses 20 percent less fuel than the most modern aircraft today. Moreover, the shape of the aircraft seems well-suited for flying on hydrogen.
Ships of the Future
One of the main challenges for the shipping industry is to reduce fuel consumption and the associated CO2 emissions. TU Delft is closely involved in research to use wind power for ships using rotating cylinders (Flettner rotor). Vertically rotating cylinders are placed on the ship’s deck, where incoming wind creates pressure differences in the rotors. This aerodynamic effect exerts a propelling force on the ship, resulting in significant savings in fuel consumption.
DEFINITIVE STAMPS QUEEN WILHELMINA 1931-1933
The series Queen Wilhelmina 1931-1933 consists of three definitive stamps featuring a photographic portrait of the queen within a circle. The background images are different on each stamp: Fokker airplanes (aircraft industry) on the 36-cent stamp, the Hoogovens steel factory in IJmuiden (industry and manufacturing) on the 70-cent stamp, and the motor ships Baloeran and Christiaan Huygens (trade and transport) on the 80-cent stamp. The issuance of the new definitive stamps in 1931-1933 was the result of the introduction of new rates for different destinations. For example, the 36-cent stamp was intended for the new airmail rate for letters up to 5 grams to the Dutch East Indies. The 70-cent and 80-cent stamps were intended for domestic parcels of 7-9 kilos and 9-10 kilos, respectively.
Initially, painter and designer Jan Sluijters, known for the 1928 Children’s Stamps and the 1930 Rembrandt stamps, was asked to create designs. However, these were not well-received, and photographer, typographer, and industrial designer Piet Zwart was approached. Zwart had previously designed posters and brochures for the PTT. For his design of the new definitive stamps, Zwart used photomontages. This technique had not yet been applied to stamp designs anywhere in the world, making the Dutch PTT a pioneer. Joh. Enschedé printed the stamps using copper gravure (rotogravure). Another innovation was the previously unused format of 21 x 30 mm. For the portrait of Queen Wilhelmina, Zwart used a recent photo by court photographer Franz Ziegler. Zwart combined this portrait of the then 50-year-old queen with photos of various economic sectors. The design is characterized by an asymmetrical composition against a white background, using the colors red, blue, and green. Decorations are absent, and Zwart did not use lines to frame the photomontage. The three definitive stamps Queen Wilhelmina 1931-1933, along with the two 1931 Gouda stained glass window stamps, are the only stamps Zwart designed.
Sales of the 36-cent stamp ceased in June 1938. Sales of the 70-cent and 80-cent stamps continued until October 1940. In that month, the German occupier ordered all stamps bearing the queen’s portrait to be replaced by the “bar stamps” featuring the flying dove, designed by Jan van Krimpen.
Source: Gert Holstege, Handbook of Dutch Postal Values
DESIGN
For the images on the two stamp designs for the ten stamps of the World Post Day 2024, graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda used photomontages, just as her predecessor Piet Zwart did for the definitive stamp series Queen Wilhelmina 1931-1933. In the design of the new stamps, the diagonal line from the 36-cent stamp of 1931 returns. The blue-green colors of the photos and the red of the year 2024 are also derived from the old definitive stamps. On the World Post Day 2024 stamps, the diagonal line divides the stamp into image areas of unequal sizes. In the large area, a photo of King Willem-Alexander is interwoven in various ways with a future image of underground hydrogen storage. In the small image area, one stamp design features an image of the prototype of an energy-efficient airplane, and the other stamp design shows an example of a cargo ship propelled by wind power. The two stamp designs are alternately placed on the stamp sheet. On the tabs at the top left and bottom right, there is a brief explanation of the depicted airplane and ship. The title of the issuance and the year are placed against the diagonal line, and the subtitle “Industry of the Future” is alternately at the top right and bottom left. On the sheet edge, beneath the stamps, blue-gray bands in five different shades with a color gradient run, aligned with the diagonal line in the stamp design, and their colors match those used in the stamps.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typeface for the denomination “1” and “Nederland” is a 2018 design by type designer Martin Majoor from Arnhem. For the rest of the typography, the Fira Sans Ultra Light and Fira Sans Book from 2013 were used. These letters were designed by Erik Spiekermann, Ralph du Carrois, Anja Meiners, and Botio Nikoltchev of Carrois Type Design, and Patryk Adamczyk of Mozilla Corporation.
DESIGNER
The design of the stamp sheet World Post Day 2024 was created by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda, inspired by the definitive stamps Queen Wilhelmina 1931-1933. “Remarkable about these three definitive stamps is that the PTT used photomontages for the first time,” says Smulders. “For that time, it was a revolution. It’s really a design from that era. For example, the typography on the 80-cent stamp runs over the image of the ship. We wouldn’t do that now. Today, of course, we have many more technical possibilities at our disposal, both for printing and design. In my design, I applied different layers so that, for example, the clouds subtly overlap the king’s face. That wasn’t possible in Piet Zwart’s time, the designer of the definitive stamps.”
Comparable Examples
For the new stamp sheet World Post Day 2024, Smulders, like her predecessor Piet Zwart, used photomontages. She replaced the image of Queen Wilhelmina with a portrait of King Willem-Alexander. For the images of Dutch industrial showpieces, she first looked for comparable examples. “On the definitive stamps are airplanes from Fokker, the Hoogovens steel factory, and motor ships. Back then, they were the showpieces of the Dutch industry. But are there comparable examples now? I found that a difficult question because which ones do you choose? Moreover, they are far from the most energy-efficient sectors of our country. Then I thought: why don’t we look to the future? And that future, even for industry, is of course about sustainability. This gives the stamps a positive appearance.”
Drawing Board and Prototypes
On the new stamps, Smulders featured projects that mainly exist on the drawing board or as prototypes. She chose a hydrogen plant as the successor to the Hoogovens steel factory on the definitive stamps. “Hydrogen plants are being developed worldwide, including in the Netherlands,” says Smulders. “On a large scale, that’s still futuristic, so I chose a stock image of a possible setup. The search for sustainable developments in aviation and shipping took longer until I came across the Flying-V, a super cool thing that TU Delft is helping to develop for cleaner aviation. They collaborated enthusiastically. For shipping, I had already come across the technique of rotating cylinders using wind power. But it was difficult to find good images. When I brought this issue to TU Delft, it turned out they are also researching this area. For the stamps, they specially created an image of what a rotor ship might look like. That was very helpful, especially since they considered my wishes for the color scheme and the position of the image on the stamp.”
Diagonal Line
The two stamp designs for the World Post Day 2024 are divided into different image areas. In the large area is the portrait of King Willem-Alexander, with the hydrogen plant continuing across the two stamp designs. Smulders says, “In my initial sketches, I played with the diagonal line from the 36-cent definitive stamp to divide the stamps into different areas. The line continues to connect the stamp designs, which is reinforced by the strips on the sheet edge. On the old 36-cent definitive stamp, there is a circle around the portrait of the head of state. Initially, I also applied such a circle on the new stamps, but it disappeared along the way because the round shape became too dominant.”
Colors
The blue-green shades of the stamp sheet are derived from the 80-cent definitive stamp. The orange-red of the year 2024 comes from the 36-cent definitive stamp and is used as an accent color in the same way. “The blue-green colors fit well with the sustainability theme,” says Smulders. “I adjusted them until an aesthetically responsible overall image emerged that also logically made sense. For example, the background color for the airplane was lightened because the image of the Flying-V is dominated by blue. For the rotor ship, the background is darker because there is more white in that image. The ground at the hydrogen plant received a sand color, and the clouds were also adjusted to bring out both the typography and the king’s face. The blue color of the airplane and the ship closely resembles the blue of the fixed denomination ‘1’ for personalized stamps. That was a nice coincidence.”
Elegant Typeface
For the typography, Smulders chose Fira Sans, a typeface as elegant as the font in the original design from 1931-1933. Moreover, she wanted the typography to really be part of the design in this assignment. “That’s why the title is placed against the diagonal line, just like the year 2024. The ‘d’ and the ‘l’ even extend off the stamps. I applied a similar approach to the subtitle ‘Industry of the Future’ added to the stamps. I found this addition necessary because from the images alone, you cannot deduce what you’re looking at.”
About the Designer
Sandra Smulders (The Hague, 1974) studied advertising and presentation design at Nimeto Utrecht from 1991 to 1995, specializing in graphic design. After graduating, she worked as a graphic designer and art director at the B2B agency Admix, the communication agency FPW, Manten Graphic Design Agency, and VDM Reklame, all in Rotterdam. In 2007, she started the agency Vormgoed in Gouda as a graphic designer and art director. Smulders specializes in designing logos and corporate identities and developing the associated communication tools. She mainly works for the business sector. Her recent clients include engineering firm ABT, travel organization All for Nature, Groundwater Technology, Overeijnder Van den Dool communication, and DAVO Publishing. For PostNL, Smulders previously designed the stamp sheets “André van Duin 60 Years Public Favorite” and “The Visual Language of Nature” (2024), the NL crypto stamp Gold Edition, the NL crypto stamp 2 – Lion and its Luxembourg and Austrian variants (2023), the stamps for World Animal Day (2022) and for the World Post Day (2020-2023), the stamp series “Back to the 20th Century” and “Trains & Trajectories” (2019), the Children’s Stamps 2018, the stamp series on the occasion of 50 years of “Fabeltjeskrant” (2018), and the stamp series “Fokke & Sukke 25 Years” (2018).
SALE/VALIDITY
The stamps are available, while supplies last, exclusively through the webshop and via the Collect Club customer service at telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
VALUE
These stamps bear the denomination “1,” intended for mail up to 20 grams destined within the Netherlands. The price per sheet of 10 stamps is €11.40.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Stamp Format: 30 x 40 mm (w x h)
Sheet Format: 170 x 122 mm (w x h)
Paper: Normal with phosphor coating
Gumming: Gummed
Printing Technique: Offset
Printing Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black
Print Run: 10,000 sheets
Appearance: Sheet of 10 stamps in 2 different designs
Denomination: 1 for mail up to 20 grams destined within the Netherlands
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
Imagery: TU Delft, photo of King Willem-Alexander © RVD – Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk
Article Number: 840061
SUMMARY
Issuance: World Post Day 2024
Issue Date: October 14, 2024
Appearance: Sheet with 10 personalized stamps in 2 different designs, with denomination “1” for mail up to 20 grams destined within the Netherlands
Article Number: 840061
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
Imagery: TU Delft, photo of King Willem-Alexander © RVD – Gemmy Woud-Binnendijk
COPYRIGHT © 2024 Royal PostNL BV
Note: This is an unofficial translation of the official press release originally drafted in Dutch.
