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WorkGraphic Design

To Thine Own Self Be True: Classic Shakespeare quotes brought bang up-to-date by The Chase

William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the history of the English language. And with 2016 marking the 400th anniversary of his death, the Royal Mail invited award-winning design agency The Chase to design a set of stamps and accompanying presentation pack to commemorate his lasting legacy.

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Ten Royal Mail stamps featuring black and white typographic interpretations of Shakespeare quotations with red circular postage marks

Each stamp features a typographic interpretation of quotations taken from some of the Bard's most famous works, including "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" and "I wasted time, and now doth time waste me" – still highly relevant and applicable to the contemporary world.

Steve Royle, creative director at The Chase explains: “The project was always going to be very type-led and that was the brief we had from Royal Mail.

“They decided on which quotes to use – but the idea was not to use the ones we all know. We wanted to use other key quotes to give a slightly different perspective.”

Explore more from The Chase on www.thechase.co.uk.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of The Chase

Royal Mail stamp featuring the Hamlet quote "to thine own self be true" in decorative black lettering, with a silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II in magenta on the right and a 1st class postage marking
Royal Mail commemorative stamp featuring a Shakespeare quote from Julius Caesar in black serif type on cream background with a maroon silhouette profile and 1st class postage marking
Royal Mail stamp featuring a Shakespeare quote from Much Ado About Nothing in large black typography with a silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II in the top right corner
Royal Mail stamp featuring a Shakespeare quotation from The Tempest in black text on cream background with a silhouette profile and 1st class postage marking
Royal Mail stamp featuring a quote from Richard II by Shakespeare in bold black lettering on cream background with a 1st class postage mark
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