Challenge

Design a set of stamps inspired by an impactful artist, and write a press kit for the USPS stamp launch.

Team:
Rachel Vasquez, Art Direction
Valeria Figueroa, Art Direction
Victoria Rosenthal, Copywriting and Art Direction

The veggie post

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FIU graduate students design Vladimir Lebedev stamp set for USPS 

MIAMI, FL, April 8, 2018 - Rachel Vasquez, Valeria Figueroa and Victoria Rosenthal, a group of graduate students in Florida International University, designed a stamp set for USPS inspired by the Russian artist Vladimir Lebedev. The stamps were designed as a project for their Trends in Graphic Design class. 

"We were fascinated by Lebedev's illustrations in his book, The Circus and Other Stories," said Ms. Rosenthal of their inspiration for the stamps. Ms. Vasquez commented, "We saw the bright colors and simple designs and thought they would work perfectly for stamps, since they are such a small canvas."

Ms. Figueroa expressed her affinity for Lebedev's technique of telling stories through images in sequence. "We placed our veggies—as we like to call them—around the salad plate to convey that each one is a part of a recipe," she explained. 

Ms. Vasquez remarked that Lebedev was famous for creating propaganda, illustrating Marxist parables in children's picture books. She explained, "We wanted to use his techniques, so we gave the propaganda bit our own twist by using the stamps to advertise healthy eating."

USPS got wind of the healthy-eating stamp set through a friend of Ms. Rosenthal's family, who works for the Postal Service, and they reached out to the group about the designs. The stamps will be printed this April of 2018 for Mother's Day.

You can read more about the Vladimir Lebedev Stamp Set on usps.com/vladimir-lebedev-stamps.

Press/Media Contact:
Victoria Rosenthal
(305) 934-2407
vrose011@fiu.edu

About the designers

Valeria Figueroa was born and raised in El Salvador. When she graduated high school, she moved to Boca Raton, FL to attend Lynn University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Digital Art and Design. From Boca Raton, she moved to Miami to work at a small agency where she worked as a graphic designer. After a year, she was accepted to graduate school at Miami Ad School and Florida International University. She is currently enrolled in her second semester. Valeria likes to spend afternoons watching Real Housewives. 

Rachel Vasquez was born in Canada, and in her early teenage years, moved with her family to South Florida. She attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications. Three months after she graduated, she enrolled in the master's program at Miami Ad School and Florida International University, where she is currently in her second semester. Rachel is a big fan of converse sneakers and boba tea. You can find more of Rachel's work on her website, rachelvasquez.me

Victoria Rosenthal Madrid grew up in Honduras. After graduating high school, she relocated to Boston, MA in order to attend Boston University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. After graduating, Victoria moved to Miami to begin working at a bilingual creative agency. In the fall of 2017, she began graduate school at Miami Ad School and Florida International University. She is currently in her second semester. Victoria lives on sandwiches and soup because she can't cook. You can find more of Victoria's work on her website, vickynovictoria.com

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