“Design is an expression of the purpose, and it may (if it is good enough) later be judged as art; design depends largely on constraints and it is a method of action.”

— Charles Eames

Is graphic design art? The debate, for me, started in art school and now lives on in the office. Although there are convincing arguments for yes and no, the argument for me revolves around the idea of constraints.

As design director at Journey Group, I have had the good fortune of designing a wide variety of projects for many clients — magazines for international relief agencies, wine bottle labels for wineries, stamp-cancellations for the U.S. Postal Service.

In my off-hours, sometimes I try my hand at art. When I start an art project, I have the luxury of determining my own constraints: the size of the canvas, the colors I will use, even the message (or lack thereof). When I start a design project, on the other hand, I am confronted with a host of predetermined constraints.

In and of itself, working for a client is a large constraint. My work must respond to what is appropriate for a message and be consistent with an established brand. The physical form is often the most obvious constraint: A wine label must wrap around a bottle, and a magazine has its rectangular bounds. Designing stamp cancellations comes with the longest list of limitations.

What is a cancellation, anyway? It is a postal marking applied on a postage stamp or postal stationery to deface the stamp and prevent its re-use. We’ve all seen cancellations in their most common form (date, city, state and ZIP with squiggly lines that overlay the stamp). What you may not know is that every stamp release has a special cancellation designed for its first day of issue ceremony. For years now, Journey Group has been commissioned to design these cancellations. This is a great privilege. Philatelists clamor for these keepsakes.

The designs come in two primary forms: black and white, and color. Both of which are loaded with constraints. Here are just a few:

• The design must contain the following words: “First Day of Issue”; the full name of the stamp release (often including a series title, i.e. “Celebrating Black Heritage”); the city, state and ZIP code of the ceremony host; the full date of the first day of issue.
• The design also must contain a striking element (the part that overlaps the stamp and effectively cancels the stamp) that is dark in tone. The striking element cannot be type.
• The design must include a graphic element that complements and honors the stamp subject.
• And — here’s the kicker — all of these essentials must be crammed into a miniature scale: 1.25 inches tall by 2.66 inches wide.

You might think a designer would run in the opposite direction from such a challenge. Quite the contrary. The designer revels in the challenge. While the artist strives to escape the box, the designer enjoys its coziness.

Case in point: I enjoy designing black-and-white cancellations even more than color because of the additional constraint. Above are a few of my favorite cancellations, including Negro Leagues Baseball, for which the design process was featured on Beyond the Perf.

I doubt that any of the cancellations Journey Group creates will ever line the halls of the MOMA. I am confident, however, that each will achieve its purpose — commemorating a noteworthy American or an American passion— and therefore be recognized as a great work of miniature design.