Stamp No. 146 1919

This postage stamp was designed by Leopoldo Metlicovitz in 1921 and it’s a real snapshot of its time. The stamp is a warm, orangey-peach, overlaid with bold, graphic lettering in black ink. Looking at this little square, I can just imagine Metlicovitz hunched over his drawing board, carefully sketching out the details. He was probably thinking about Italian politics and the need to create strong imagery for a country in flux. You can feel that tension in the stamp's design, which is both decorative and practical. The stamp reminds me of the work of other graphic designers who had to balance aesthetics with function. Like a good painting, the stamp has a rhythm and flow, your eye zips around looking at all the various elements. It's a little jewel, complete in itself, but also part of a larger conversation about design and visual culture.