Swinburne graduate designs Australia Post’s Year of the Dog stamps
In Summary
- Swinburne alumna designs stamps for the Lunar New Year
- Stamps feature traditional Chinese designs and celebrate the Year of the Dog
Two Lunar New Year Stamps have been designed by a Swinburne alumna and released by Australia Post to celebrate the Year of the Dog.
Swinburne alumna and Australia Post stamp designer, Dani Poon, says the stamps feature traditional Chinese designs and customs, in the hope of giving everyone an opportunity to send wishes of good fortune and health to family and friends, both in Australia and overseas.
In her design, Ms Poon used paper cut motifs, a popular form of Chinese art, to represent the dog in the $1 stamp. The Chinese calligraphic character for the Dog is shown in the $3 stamp.
"People born under the Dog zodiac sign possess the best traits of human nature. They are intelligent, honest, loving, loyal and quick learners, who hold much of their thought process deep inside," says Ms Poon.
Paper cut motifs represent the dog in the $1 stamp and the calligraphic character for the Dog is used in the $3 stamp. | Image: Australia Post
The two stamps are part of a stamp issue set that includes a prestige book, personalised stamps and a minisheet collection.
The minisheet depicts an ancient Chinese legend of how the faithful dog risked his life to rescue some rice seeds from the Stingy God’s fields, ensuring a supply of rice for the people.
"The dog minisheet is one of my favourites because it illustrates the dog's personality traits in such a dynamic, quirky and fun way – rice seeds in the shape of a dog gliding in the sky. While the one dollar stamp portraits a loyal dog with the traditional Chinese motifs, the three dollar stamp uses a more modern approach."
The Dog is the 11th sign in the Chinese Zodiac and is a symbol of independence, sincerity, courage and intelligence, as well as loyalty and friendship.
Swinburne alumna Dani Poon has been designing Chinese Zodiac stamps for eleven years.
After completing an Honours degree in graphic design (now communication design) at Swinburne in 1998, Dani began her career as a designer.
Australia Post gave Ms Poon the responsibility of designing stamps for twelve years, the length of a Chinese Zodiac cycle. This year is her eleventh year.
In 2016, Ms Poon worked to design a series of stamps that reflected the Year of the Rooster.