Coins

To provide anyone who still has old definitive stamps with an elegant way of using them, Swiss Post is issuing three supplementary values. Their design is wonderfully simple.

When the designer’s task is to symbolize the values of 5, 10 and 20 centimes, what could be more appropriate than depicting the relevant Swiss coins? This enables you to identify the value of the stamp quickly and clearly. The brief also called for the three stamps to be recognizable as a set, while ensuring slight di erentiation between the individual designs. While the coins are always positioned in exactly the same way, they are immediately distinguishable by their di erent colour schemes.

Designer Marc Weller was keen to make the metallic quality of the coins tangible by using a realistic photographic style. The exceptionally intricate ornamentation surrounding the numbers is also highlighted: vines for the 5-centime coin, oak leaves for 10 centimes and Alpine roses for 20 centimes.

The franking amount is not explicitly in- cluded in the design, as it is more than clear from the value of the coins. Only the word “Helvetia” has been added.