Stamp Design 2012
Design competition «Wertzeichen Europa» (Stamps for Europe): organized by Liquid Frontiers, initiated by the Austrian daily newspaper «Die Presse» and supported by the Austrian Postal Service.

Design: Elvira Barriga

«Diversity in Unity» is the winning submission in the design competition «Stamps for Europe». Printed in an edition of 640,002 copies and distributed by the Austrian Postal Service. Twenty designers were invited for submissions under the theme «20 reasons to love Europe». The competition was looking for design solutions that convey a contemporary image of Europe on the limited space of a stamp.

For me, Europe is, above all, vibrant diversity in a small space. Historically evolved, intermingled, rooted. Freedom, democracy, solidarity. Education and culture. Humanism as a basis or, at least, as an ideal worth pursuing.
Diversity in unity – the humanistic maxim as the contentual anchor of the composition. Historic and contemporary typographic modules combine with the colours of the national flags of Europe. The convoluted, dense arrangement takes conscious precedence over instant legibility. The design wants to aesthetically entice before being discovered and deciphered.
The design needs time. Just like the project Europe.

www.wertzeicheneuropa.at
www.liquidfrontiers.com