Royal Mail deserves credit for stamp job

With reference to the piece about CDT’s involvement with Royal Mail on the Millennium Stamp Programme for 1999 (DW 4 September), I would love to take the credit for coming up with the overall theme of the stamps – the last 1000 years of British achievement. However, I must put the record straight.

The theme was very much the Royal Mail’s. Indeed, it had spent the best part of two years researching and taking advice from various historians on the make-up of the programme.

Our involvement started in mid-1997 when we were commissioned to create a generic styling structure within which 12 designers/ illustrators would create a set of four stamps each.

In the process of creating the styling, it occurred to me that the programme could be made more exciting if we used 48 different image-makers, rather than just 12. We put a proposal together to demonstrate this idea. It was approved by Barry Robinson and the stamp advisory committee.

CDT has been retained by the Royal Mail to help it bring this complicated project to fruition. I believe that these stamps will be a remarkable memento to mark the passing of the last 1000 years.

By 31 December 1999 everyone will be able to judge for themselves.

Mike Dempsey

CDT Design

London WC1