News
First Day Cover text
Talk about reinventing the ABC's - in Hongkong Post's new Alphabet Stamp series, A stands for clothes peg, B for scissors and C for desk lamp! And how about J for cleaning brush, N for nail clippers and O for rubber band? Twenty-six ordinary objects are turned into the letters of the alphabet through an ingenious combination of imagery and typography, making the Alphabet Stamps a celebration of the A-Z of our daily lives. The stamps are:
| A | Clothes Peg | N | Nail Clippers |
| B | Scissors | O | Rubber Band |
| C | Desk Lamp | P | Scoop Colander |
| D | White Glue Bottle | Q | Padlock |
| E | Steaming Rack | R | Sunglasses |
| F | Calliper | S | Coat Hanger |
| G | C-clamp | T | Floor Brush |
| H | Bamboo Ladder | U | Flip-flops |
| I | Torch | V | Compasses |
| J | Cleaning Brush | W | Wine Opener |
| K | Stapler | X | Faucet Handle |
| L | Sock | Y | Barbecue Fork |
| M | Set Square | Z | Paint Roller |
These 26 items represent aspects of the daily lives of Hong Kong people in an endearingly familiar and functional fashion. It is hoped that this familiarity will spread the message that stamps are not just to be kept in an album for occasional viewing, but that stamps add colour and joy to our daily lives.
Besides postage, the Alphabet Stamps can be used to personalise mail with a special message. For example, you could spell out "Happy Birthday" or "Thank You" on your envelope. Other uses abound, including commercial application by corporations looking for an eye-catching medium to convey promotional messages and recycling used stamps for use by children as 'language tools' for word games.
The stamps, all of which have a face value of $1.40, are available in two formats - self-adhesive or gummed. The First Day Cover features three imaginative trial prototypes for the letters A, B and C, set against a background of lined paper of the type commonly used in schools.
These lively and innovatively designed Alphabet Stamps score a 'first' for Hongkong Post in using humour through stamps to entertain and educate. What's more, the juxtaposition of art with useful function effectively exemplifies Hongkong Post's purpose statement of "Linking People, Delivering Business".