Stamp of approval
A stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion was unveiled Monday.
Halifax design firm Burke & Burke has created a commemorative stamp depicting the Halifax Explosion.
The stamp, which features the front page of The Halifax Herald published after the disaster, was unveiled at Government House Monday.
Creative director Larry Burke worked on the stamp’s design with designers Anna Stredulinsky and Adam Hartling, illustrator Mike Little and historians, archivists, and experts familiar with the disaster.
“The way it works is Canada Post chooses three firms based on, I guess, reputation and based on their work, that they feel are suitable for the particular subject matter,” Burke said ahead of the stamp’s unveiling. “In this case, I believe they were probably all from Halifax, but I don’t know. Those firms are all paid to come up with concepts for the subject matter… and they’re taken to an almost finished level, because they have to be, and then they’re judged by a panel in Ottawa.”
Burke & Burke also designed Canada’s Christmas stamps in 2000. The process of designing the Halifax Explosion stamp began in April of 2015, when the firm was given the commissio to do the initial presentation.
“It’s a pretty involved process. You’re given a subject matter and background, and the real challenge is that you’ve got a tiny little frame there to work with and you’ve got a big story to tell on a tiny canvas. As a designer, that’s a real challenge,” said Burke, adding that the new stamp will be available for general use.
“It comes in a package of 10, and we designed the packaging and also there’s a first-day cover, which is a specially designed envelope, like a souvenir envelope and it’s got the stamp on it. The envelope is designed to go with the stamp, of course, and it has a bit more information on it. Also, we got to design the cancellation mark… and people collect just those. Rather than just stamps, some people collect first-day covers. It comes out the first day of the issue of the stamp. And all this stuff is available at the post office, and you can absolutely use the stamp.”