Royal Mail – Queen
Working with Royal Mail to immortalise rock’s most regal four-piece.
Royal Mail’s celebration of rock’s most regal four piece was a royal marriage we were honoured to attend.
Sector
Arts & Culture
What we did
Discovery & Definition
- Consultation
Design Development
- Creative concepts
- Packaging design
- Print design
- Art direction
Delivery
- Artwork
Context
Queen are, without doubt, one of rock’s most enduring and iconic bands. Loved by fans all over the globe, boasting the UK’s best-selling album of all time amongst their record-breaking back catalogue and responsible for some of history’s most legendary live performances, they are genuine rock royalty. Our clients Royal Mail invited us to help celebrate Queen’s meteoric career with a Special Stamp issue, only the third ever band to be honoured in this way following The Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.
It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps… we have become a national institution! And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail.
Solution
Delving into the band’s archives, we unearthed live performance photography, candid back-stage shots and fascinating ephemera. Our work included a set of live performance stamps, a definitive stamp (featuring an iconic band line-up shot in 1974 by Johnny Dewe-Matthews), Presentation Pack, First Day Cover, Coin Covers, Prestige Stamp Book and hand-stamps. All in all, a show-stopping project.
What an honour. We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us!
Impact
Given Queen’s iconic global status, it’s perhaps no surprise that the special issue stamps generated news headlines around the world. From the BBC, ITV, The Times and The Guardian here in the UK, to Good Morning America and the New York Times in the US and The Age in Australia, these perfectly formed collectibles were big news.
Rock band Queen get postage stamp of approval.
Royal Mail will rock you with new stamps to celebrate Queen.
We are the Stamp-ions!
Special Thanks
It’s not often that you’re asked to work with both rock royalty and actual royalty within a single project. So huge thanks to Catharine and Bob at Royal Mail for inviting us to work on this thrilling (and rocking) brief.