Dezeen Magazine

Postage Stamp by The Stone Twins

Dublin UNESCO City of Literature stamp by The Stone Twins

Dutch creative agency The Stone Twins did away with the usual imagery and photos when asked to design this postage stamp, using only words to tell a short story.

Launched by Irish post office An Post, the stamp is intended to celebrate Dublin's status as a UNESCO City of Literature, but The Stone Twins wanted to promote young literary talent rather than the city's heritage.

"The design solution is quite unorthodox and avoids the usual visual cliches, such as images or quotes from the giants of Irish literature such as Joyce, Beckett, Yeats and Wilde," they explain.

The completed stamp features a competition-winning story by teenager Eoin Moore that seeks to capture the essence of Dublin. The 200-word story is printed over a fluorescent yellow background on a standard stamp measuring 40x30mm.

Other unconventional postage stamps from recent years include one that consists of a tiny eight-page book and one with braille surfaces. See more stamp design on Dezeen.