Irish Dog Breeds Stamps

An Post commissioned us to design a series of stamps celebrating four uniquely Irish dog breeds. We were huge fans of photographer Carli Davidson’s work especially her brilliantly original and funny series ‘Shake’ and asked her to collaborate on the project. The aim was to capture quieter, more contemplative portraits, with a focus on the expression as well the differing tones and textures within the coats of these four distinct dogs. The combination of side profile shots and extreme cropping helped emphasise these qualities as well as add a rhythm and balance to the stacked sequence. In addition, we designed a first day cover and miniature sheet featuring an alternative more illustrative portrait of the wolfhound as well as a graphic version of the red setter.