Designer uses iconic music album covers for new stamp series

12:10pm Wednesday 11th November 2009

By Martin Lea

THEY’VE carried some iconic images by some of the most imaginative artists in the world and provided a visual soundtrack to people’s lives.

Now the record album sleeve, that historical document unheard of by the download generation, provides the theme for a set of 10 new stamps by Osmington-based designer Mike Dempsey.

He was selected by the Royal Mail to design the Class Album Covers set after a panel of experts came up with a shortlist of covers from decades beginning with the 1960s.

Some could not be included as the designs were too dark or in the case of the Beatles, have already been on stamps.

The final 10 include Pennie Smith’s famous photograph of Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar for the cover of London Calling by the Clash, and long-time Pink Floyd collaborator Storm Thorgerson’s photograph of two three-metre tall metal head sculptures for the band’s final studio album The Division Bell.

The stamps are quite different to Mr Dempsey’s last commission. Earlier this year he produced a set to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

Veteran graphic designer Mr Dempsey, who runs Studio Dempsey, said: “When you think about it you could just photograph the album covers and that would be that.

“I decided to have them photographed with a shadow so there was a dimensional aspect to it and I thought it would be great to have the vinyl projecting out from the perforation so it’s coming out of the sleeve.

Mr Dempsey admits to being a big music fan and owns some of the albums which feature in the set. He said: “In the early days I was into Eric Clapton and The Yardbirds, but I also enjoyed the American rhythm and blues artists who were popular in Britain in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“I think my favourite covers of the time are those designed by Reid Miles for the Blue Note record label.”

Mr Dempsey added: “I’ve been designing stamps since the early 1980s but I think this set will touch more people than anything else I’ve done because it affects different generations, with records from the Rolling Stones right through to Coldplay.

“Different people will have a different take on what it means to them. It reminds you of your youth and triggers memories.”

The set will be available from January 7 and each stamp will cost the same price as a first class stamp.