Focus on Stamps 04/2005 - Die Schweizerische Post

Special stamp marking Stamp Day 2005
Dominique Hiestand designs 9.2 cm 2 of multiculture
Who submitted the best design in
this year’s competition “Multicultural
Meyrin”? The public has decided:
the motif created by Geneva-based
graphic artist Dominique Hiestand
will feature on the special stamp
marking “Stamp Day 2005”.
From December 2004 to mid-March
2005, Swiss Post conducted a competition
for the 85-centime special stamp
to mark Stamp Day 2005. As Meyrin,
near Geneva, is the venue for this year’s
“Stamp Day”, the subject of this sixth
edition of the competition was “Multicultural
Meyrin”. The public was able to
“This was the first time I entered a national design competition – and I was the winner!”,
says the 48-year-old graphic artist from Geneva.
16
vote on the Internet or by postcard
and choose from eight designs submitted
by artists in western Switzerland. The
motif of Geneva-based graphic artist
Dominique Hiestand won the most votes.
Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin
reveals the winning design
Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin
unveiled the motif at the opening ceremony
of the 19th International Book
and Press Fair in Geneva on 27 April
2005.
Dominique Hiestand is delighted to have
won: “This was the first time I entered
a national design competition – and I
was the winner!”, enthuses the 48-year-
Profile of Dominique Hiestand
Dominique Hiestand is 48 years old, and he and
his wife Hélène have two children. The family lives in
the Geneva municipality of Lancy. After leaving
school he completed an apprenticeship as a typographer.
From 1971 to 1987 he worked in the
pre-print processing department of Roto-Sadag SA
in Geneva, where the daily “Tribune de Genève”
was produced at that time. An enthusiastic computer
user, he trained as a polygraphic artist and later
as a graphic artist. In 1988 he decided to set up his
own business. Together with his wife he runs the
PARFAB SA communications agency in Geneva.
His hobbies include reading and everything to do
with aviation.
old graphic artist from Geneva. His
communications agency produces
brochures, flyers, posters and magazines
in all sizes, shapes and colours. And
stamps? Not stamps, the special stamp to
mark “Stamp Day” was his first such
attempt. “For me, stamps are wonderful
miniature works of art. We use them
every day, so I’m absolutely thrilled to be
able to design one myself”, says
Dominique Hiestand.
Multicultural Meyrin
He has a special relationship with Meyrin,
the municipality near Geneva, which is
the subject of the design competition.
Dominique Hiestand has worked together
with the municipality’s culture department
for several years. Whereas the
other entrants focused on the fact that
people from 105 countries and five
continents live together in Meyrin, he
chose a different approach. With his
motif he shows not only the diversity of
cultures but also that Meyrin encompasses
the aspects of town and country.
To incorporate these various forms of
multiculturalism in this smallest of
formats, he created his design in postcard
style.
The special stamp will appear on
22 November 2005
The 85-centime special stamp featuring
the design by Dominique Hiestand
will appear on 22 November 2005.
He has also designed the accompanying
special cancellation and first-day cover.
Collectors can take advantage of advance
sales from 15 November 2005. The
special stamp will be available at all post
offices in Switzerland, at the philatelic
salespoints in Basel, Berne, Lausanne,
Lugano, St. Gallen and Zurich and at
www.swisspost.ch/philashop.
The “Stamp Day 2005” exhibition –
PHILAMEYRIN ’05 – will be held from
2–4 December 2005 at the ForuMeyrin.
Swiss Post will be setting up a special
post office on site.