door On 14 July 2005, Postcrossing.com went live. The aim of this project is to give everyone the opportunity to send and receive postcards from all over the world. The initiative by Paulo Magalhães from Portugal has grown into a great success over the past 20 years. During that time, hundreds of thousands of participants have sent each other tens of millions of postcards via the platform. On 14 July 2025, PostNL will mark the anniversary with the release of the Postcrossing stamp sheet. Each of the 6 identical stamps bears the denomination “international 1” for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. The price for a sheet of 6 stamps is €12.00. The design is by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda.
SUBJECT
Postcrossing.com is an initiative by Paulo Magalhães from Portugal, an enthusiast of sending and receiving postcards. In 2005, during his student years, Magalhães developed a website through which participants receive random addresses to send postcards to other mail fans anywhere in the world. The recipient of a postcard registers its delivery on the website, after which the system makes the sender’s address available to others who want to send cards. In this way, a Postcrosser only receives cards if they also send them. The appeal of Postcrossing lies partly in the surprising connections with other Postcrossers around the world. There are no costs associated with Postcrossing, apart from the cards and stamps that the Postcrosser purchases themselves. Since 2005, more than 800,000 postcard enthusiasts from 210 countries have registered on the website. Over the past 20 years, these Postcrossers have sent each other more than 81 million cards. In 2020, Postcrossing declared 1 October as World Postcard Day, which has been celebrated annually ever since. Most Postcrossers live in Russia, Taiwan, the United States, China, and Germany. The Netherlands ranks sixth, with over 35,000 Postcrossers.
DESIGN
On the Postcrossing stamp sheet, graphic designer Sandra Smulders has visualised the sending and receiving of postcards through Postcrossing using geometric shapes and lines. On the left and right sides of the sheet are parallel red and blue lines that lead into a pattern of interconnected zigzag lines, triangles, and other shapes. Each stamp is composed of 2 red triangles, 2 white-grey triangles, and 1 blue rectangle. A small triangle is cut out of the blue rectangle, with perforation along its slanted edge. In the upper red triangle is a garland of paper figures, symbolising the participants of Postcrossing. In the central grey triangle, the parallel lines continue, and in the white triangle, the address side of several postcards is visible. The blue rectangle at the bottom of the stamp contains a world map. On the stamp sheet, the red and blue shapes together form a distinctive quadrilateral in the shape of a parallelogram. From top to bottom, zigzagging red lines run across the sheet, connecting the stamps with the blue Priority logos. All stamps and Priority logos are self-adhesive and can be removed individually. The Priority logo also features perforation in the same style as the stamps.
TYPOGRAPHY
The typography uses Jeff Script, a typeface by font designer Gennady Fridman from Malibu, California (USA). This typeface is based on the original handwriting of Russian type designer Vladimir Yefimov. Jeff Script was created to mark Yefimov’s 60th birthday and was released by ParaType in 2009. The denomination “1” was derived by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from the sorting hook..
DESIGNER
The Postcrossing stamp sheet was designed by graphic designer Sandra Smulders from Gouda. Her design reflects the characteristics and core values of Postcrossing in various ways. “Postcrossing is a wonderful initiative defined by reciprocity,” says Smulders. “After all, you only receive cards if you send them yourself. I quickly knew how I wanted to visualise that principle graphically, using the zigzag lines that now run from top to bottom across the stamp sheet. That was my first sketch, even before I had a clear design in mind. The points of the lines face left and right, symbolising the cards travelling back and forth. This is how I design: I always come up with a suitable base shape for a subject, something I can build everything around. With the arrow points, I immediately thought: this can be my guiding thread.”
Dutch flag
Smulders looked for a layout that would allow a balanced distribution of the geometric shapes she wanted to combine with the arrow points. “International issues usually follow a fixed layout, with landscape-format stamps on one side and a large margin on the other. I asked PostNL if I could use an alternative layout, placing the stamps in the centre for a more balanced overall look. They agreed. The assignment was to create 6 identical stamps, so with the same design. Within the layout, I achieved this by rotating the bottom 3 stamps 180 degrees relative to the top 3. Across the stamp sheet, I added 5 horizontal colour bands: red-white-blue-white-red. This makes the Dutch flag visible on each stamp, with the central blue band spanning both rows of stamps.”
Core values
The pointed shape of the zigzag lines formed the basis for all the shapes and lines that make up the geometric design on the stamp sheet. “I explored all kinds of variations,” says Smulders. “The blue and red colour bands now end in a point, but I also tried extending them to the edge of the sheet. That turned out too heavy—it needed to be lighter. Now that they end in a point, the overall image is more airy. The core values of Postcrossing are reflected in the shapes on the stamps. In the upper red triangle, friendship and connection are symbolised by a paper garland of figures. The blue area features a world map, representing the international nature of Postcrossing, with participants from over 200 countries. In the centre of the stamp, I show that it’s about mail and writing, with the address side of the postcards sent via Postcrossing. All these thematic elements are subtly depicted so that the geometric forms remain the focal point.”
Script typeface
Because of the personal nature of the contact through mail, Smulders chose a script typeface for the typography. “Cards are still handwritten, right? Normally I prefer geometric, clean shapes and matching typography. But a subject like this called for a script font. I even tried my own handwriting first, but it was too messy. So I opted for a real font—in this case, Jeff Script, a neat script typeface with narrow, elegant lines. For the text itself, I tried various versions until I achieved a balanced layout of 2 x 3 lines. This filled both triangles nicely—right down to the tips, literally. You see the same balance in the denomination ‘1’. The ‘1’ is derived from the sorting hook and was given the same thickness, while the hook and the ‘1’ are placed opposite each other—one in black, the other in white.”
Colours and gradients
Smulders took the red from the top stripe of the Dutch flag, and the blue was derived from the colour of the Priority logo. The grey postcards in the centre of the stamp may look like illustrations, but they are based on a photo. Smulders: “It was originally a photo of an envelope, but I later edited it on the computer to show the address side of a postcard. By using a photo, the grey contains a texture that reveals the structure of the paper—very different from the grey tone of the triangle opposite. In all the coloured areas and surrounding lines, I added various gradients and shadows to bring more depth and subtlety to the image. And everything has to align, of course. The lines on the left and right match exactly with the vertical zigzag lines. They also run perfectly parallel to the cut-out corner in the blue area. The lines at the top and bottom have the same angle as the flag in the denomination ‘1’. As I said, it all has to fit.”
From gummed to self-adhesive
Initially, the stamp sheet featured perforations. “The orientation of the stamps is vertical,” says Smulders. “And as we progressed with the design, we realised they were quite large to fit on a postcard, especially with the Priority logo included. The best solution turned out to be making the stamps self-adhesive, with all stamps and Priority logos as separate stickers. This preserved the design concept and allows the sender to place the Priority logo elsewhere on the card. Once the stamps were allowed to be self-adhesive, I immediately knew there had to be a perforation to break up the rectangular area. There was a perfect spot for it: the empty corner of the stamp in the blue area. That brought everything together—especially when I added a similar perforation to the Priority logo.”
Putting the puzzle together
What began with a few zigzag lines evolved into a balanced graphic design that captures the essence of Postcrossing. “That’s always how I work,” Smulders explains. “I start with a basic idea and, during the process, piece together a puzzle without knowing the final result. I have various elements in my head or worked out on the computer. With those, I gradually build the design. Much of what you see emerges during the process and isn’t planned in advance. For example, I added the colour gradients because I found the result too flat at one point. Then I look for solutions. These come naturally by constantly asking yourself: does it work? Are the colours too dull? Does it work better if I let lines run under a shape or over it? Is the text still legible if I add something? I document all those changes meticulously. You never know when you might want to take a step back.”
About the designer
Sandra Smulders (The Hague, 1974) studied advertising and presentation design at Nimeto Utrecht from 1991 to 1995, specialising in graphic design. After graduating, she worked as a graphic designer and art director at the B2B agency Admix, the communications agency FPW, Manten Graphic Design Studio, and VDM Reklame, all in Rotterdam. In 2007, she founded the agency Vormgoed in Gouda, where she works as a graphic designer and art director. Smulders specialises in designing logos and visual identities, as well as developing the associated communication materials. She primarily works for the corporate sector. Her recent clients include engineering firm ABT, travel organisation All for Nature, Groundwater Technology, Overeijnder Van den Dool Communications, and publisher DAVO. For PostNL, Smulders previously designed the stamp sheets Dutch Railway Stations (2025), André van Duin — 60 Years of Great Entertainment and The design language of nature (2024), the NL Crypto Stamp Gold Edition, the NL Crypto Stamp 2 – Lion and its Luxembourg and Austrian variants (2023), the World Animal Day stamps (2022), and the Stamp Day issues (2020–2024), as well as the series Back to the 20th Century and Trains & Routes (2019), the Children’s Stamps 2018, the 50 Years of Fabeltjeskrant series (2018), and the Fokke & Sukke – 25 Years series (2018).
SALES/VALIDITY
The stamps are available while stocks last at the post office in Bruna stores and via www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service at 088 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
VALUE
The Postcrossing stamps bear the denomination 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The price per sheet of 6 stamps is €12.00.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Stamp size: approx. 23 x 34 mm
Sheet size: 150 x 108 mm
Paper: standard with phosphor coating
Gumming: self-adhesive
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black
Print run: 100,000 sheets
Format: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Denomination: international 1 for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
Printer: Koninklijke Joh. Enschedé B.V., Haarlem
Item number: 450662
SUMMARY
Issue: Postcrossing
Issue date: 14 July 2025
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs, with denomination international 1 for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination
Artikelnummer: 450662
Design: Sandra Smulders, Vormgoed, Gouda
COPYRIGHT © 2025 Koninklijke PostNL BV
