How to Design an Inspiring High-End Print Product

In 1869, the landscape of the United States was figuratively and literally transformed with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. 

A journey that could take upwards of six months was condensed to a week. Every aspect of the nation’s social and economic infrastructure was touched by this engineering achievement. The geographic accessibility created by the railroad gave access to new economic opportunities, attributed to the rise of new towns and agricultural enterprise. 

It was nothing short of remarkable.

Of course, the historical complexities of this “race” between the east and west come with both inspiring and grim narratives—not unlike the breadth of this country’s story. The unsung heroes were essentially unpaid minority laborers; the human and animal bodies native to the land were collateral damage as the railroad cut through centuries-old tribal territories. 

Reflecting on this historic moment, United States Postal Service released the Transcontinental Railroad Forever® stamp and called upon long-standing design partner Journey Group to create a meaningful, honest, and beautiful commemorative piece in recognition of this stamp issuance. 

Assembling a Design Team Ready to Tackle Any Challenge 

Greg Breeding, Journey Group president and studio director of the product studio, serves as one of three art directors for the Postal Service. He began a relationship with the USPS team around 15 years ago. 

When approached to design a commemorative product for the release Transcontinental Railroad stamp, Breeding recognized the immense value of such a product to the USPS brand, collectors, history buffs, and to the nation at large. The challenge: Could a product of museum quality and unprecedented detail be mass produced in less than three months? 

It would have to; the product needed to be ready for the stamp’s first day of issuance, when the 150th anniversary of the railroad would be celebrated at the location of the Golden Spike Ceremony in Utah—along with this product’s debut.

An all-hands-on-deck occasion, the Journey Group team answered the call. 

Crafting an immaculate and engaging keepsake was the goal. However, as the brainstorming process unfolded, questions emerged beyond making aesthetically driven choices. Themes of innovation, bravery, and perseverance were equally met with themes of exploitation and devastation. Quickly this product evolved into more than beautifully illustrated stamps with gold foil to attract train enthusiasts and stamp collectors. The product moved toward being contained in a box that told the railroad’s bigger story.

Intent to make each element of the box as refined, truthful, and period-appropriate as possible—from the copy, to the illustrations, to the type design—Journey Group enlisted trusted creatives to help bring it to life. Collaborating with New Orleans-based painter Michael Deas, typographer Kevin Cantrell, and the print innovators at John Roberts Company, the team raised the bar on the level of quality and creativity that can be achieved in a short period of time. 

The result? A collectible masterpiece.

Creating a Museum-Quality Keepsake

On the resulting product, the tasteful gold foil type and ornamentation is enough to impress even the least discerning eye. But the accompanying details woven into each element of the commemorative box point to the impressive level of thought and skill that contributed to its construction. 

The product design drew on all facets of the train motif: handbills, vintage train tickets, stamps, punch-cards, and railway company logos. The two-piece box was created in a rich cobalt blue, with sepia-toned railroad maps and illustrations obtained from museums lining the inside.

For the book detailing the intricacies of the railroad construction and the stamp art direction, the team opted for a yellow stock paper and a fold-out map, as well as photographs and drawings taken during that period. A striking red envelope held a custom cancellation letter with a gold-foil emboss of the Golden Spike, as well as the stamps themselves.

The complete, museum-quality keepsake was finished just shy of the three-month deadline and released to broad acclaim at the First Day of Issue Ceremony in Utah.

Journey Group’s Adaptive, Innovative Design Work

As a team, Journey Group restlessly pursues ways to uniquely and honestly tell clients’ visual stories.

They are unafraid of a creative challenge. Designing the “unprecedented” is their goal. They readily bring other creative minds into their process in order to make the best possible product, because they recognize that it is not about them; it is about the story that is being told. 

The USPS story is about more than flowers and flag stamps. As one of the oldest public institutions in the country, the Postal Service captures American culture through stamp art and daily serves more households than almost any other federal branch. For its small part, Journey Group endeavors to upend expectations through creating the highest-quality print products.

In an impressive timeframe of just under three months, Journey Group delivered an unbelievably detailed and high-end product that not only showcased the tragedies and triumphs of the Transcontinental Railroad but also demonstrated their prowess and artistry as a design team. 

Regardless of time or scope, Journey Group thoughtfully infuses truth, beauty, and excellence into each design choice—right down to the ornate gold foil emblazoned on a 1x1 inch stamp.