Last year I had the privilege of creating my second stamp / mini sheet issue for Australia Post (the first being the 2016 traditional Christmas stamp). This time I was asked to design for one of the more ‘niche’ issues in the world of stamps – the Christmas Island Christmas stamp issue. The theme for this year was to be a musical one – Santa conducting a choir of native birds, and a not so native Rudolf leading a band of crabs and lizards. I loved researching the beautiful scenery of Christmas Island – a far cry from the usual negative press we get here in Australia. I wanted to bring some beauty and levity to what is a traditionally absurd theme, and I am really happy with the result. (First Day cover pictured above)
The team at the Australia Post Design studio also did a fantastic job with packaging the stamp booklet – gold foil stamping and varnish highlights made for a gorgeous keepsake; (I created a short video to try and capture the effects):