Silk Pearce designs exhibition on history of the UK postal service at Guildhall Art Gallery

Empire Mail: George V and the GPO will explore the development of the postal service during the reign of King George V, who was an enthusiastic stamp collector. The exhibition will feature posters, vehicles, wartime memorabilia and rare stamps from The British Postal Museum & Archive and the Royal Philatelic Collection.

The BPMA appointed Silk Pearce more than a year ago to design the show and exhibition graphics, and to help develop the show’s narrative. Silk Pearce won the contract following a credentials pitch.

Silk Pearce has created a series of themed, interconnecting rooms that will cover subjects including airmail and transport, making use of a palette of colours intended to be sympathetic to the theme and the era. A central display area will chronicle the role played by the General Post Office during an era when the organisation handled all UK telecoms.

’We have tried to deal with this historic subject matter in a modern and approachable way,’ says Silk Pearce creative director Peter Silk. The group has also created marketing materials for the show, including a poster (pictured).

Silk Pearce is also designing a number of items for Royal Mail associated with the festival, including a prestige stamp book with expert commentary on King George V and an exhibition sheet of 20 first class stamps depicting London landmarks.

Empire Mail: George V and the GPO opens tomorrow and runs until 25 July.