Travelling high altitude via a stamp to meet Class I state protected wild species

Our design partner Eric got invited to design a special stamp sheetlet of the World Heritage in China Series No. 9 — Qinghai Hoh Xil for Hongkong Post.

This is indeed an unconventional project and subject. An extreme and adventurous destination that located in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, surrounded by super dramatic yet primitive scenery, and full of state protected wild species, for instant, Tibetan antelope, Tibetan wild ass, wild yak and golden eagle.

To celebrate Qinghai Hoh Xil has inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as a natural heritage in 2017, Hongkong Post intended to issue a special stamp sheetlet, which under their World Heritage in China stamp series and that has already been issuing since 2012.

During the research and study process, Eric realized that the stamp design has to have certain cinematic sensation to reflect such atypical habitat.

He then set a clear and coherent design direction for development, three design attributes — Dramatic, Vibrant and Cinematic are the useful guidance but also very helpful for him to visualize the concept of the design.

The shape of panoramic screen delineated the core idea of the stamp, it places at the centre of the stamp sheetlet, together with those four iconic wild species in order to grab the attention and focus on a small yet spectacular scenery in the stamp.

In addition, the bespoke Chinese types “Qinghai Hoh Xil” have played a significant role here, which inspired by the character style of the Tibetan but the design is much more contemporary and elongated, which is for the purpose of creating a sense of typographic totem.

Besides the stamp sheetlet, the project also encompassed a first day cover, special postmark and presentation pack, they come together to tell an exceptional story of Qinghai Hoh Xil, and revealed such incredible terrain and ecology on our earth.

This series is in line with previous eight subjects, which all put the scenery as a predominant part of the design to manifest the uniqueness and beauty of their respective topics.

Furthermore, Eric has designed a “specimen” stamp sheetlet (imperforated version) at the same time, especially for stamp collectors who are also the most loyal customers and fans of Hongkong Post.

Qinghai Hoh Xil special stamp sheetlet is the seventh stamp series among the year 2020 and that issued on the 23rd of June.