Canada Post

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION

The Halifax explosion is an event that is forever etched in the minds of all haligonians, many of whom first learned about this epic disaster in grade school. Anyone who has lived in Halifax for any amount of time is familiar with the event, as are the people of Boston, who sent aid in the aftermath. Bostonians are reminded of this every year when Nova Scotia sends the city’s giant Christmas tree as a thank-you to the people of Boston. Our design team is honored to help commemorate this event which has played such a profound role in the history of our city.     

We see the challenges of stamp design mirror many of the considerations for designing a poster or a book cover. In these cases, the designer is limited to a single “window” which must somehow visually convey the essence of a story or event in a way which is succinct, yet engaging. 

There are so many noteworthy aspects to this disaster and its aftermath, that we knew choosing a single image to represent all of its facets would be extremely difficult.  

The aha! Moment presented itself during our first research session for background on the Halifax explosion. 

It happened when we encountered the iconic post-disaster front page of the Halifax herald newspaper. To us, that single image portrayed the enormity, the devastation, the human tragedy, and even the era of the disaster. Mike little’s historically accurate depiction of the moments just before the explosion added balance to illustrate the cause and effect of what was essentially a marine tragedy that instantly shattered our city in 1917.        

Our hope with this design is that we have captured the essence of the event’s enormity, and the human tragedy in a way that faithfully and respectfully chronicles this historic and devastating event. We hope that those familiar or unfamiliar with the Halifax explosion and its aftermath are compelled to learn more. 

• STAMP DESIGN
• OFFICIAL FIRST DAY COVER

• CANCELLATION STAMP
• STAMP BOOKLETS