Stamps are miniature art pieces that tell stories; they showcase places, people, and moments through the meticulous assembly of typography, illustration, and photography, all within a tightly constrained format. We wanted to pay homage to the craft of designing and collecting stamps (philately) by bringing stamps online for a new audience to enjoy. When we started building the site, we knew we did not want a regular image gallery. The project was inspired by a real stamp album, so the website needed to retain some of that feeling too: calm, tactile, and made for inspection. The main flow is simple. Browse through a loose field of stamps, select one to bring it into focus, and inspect it with a loupe. You can also learn more about each stamp, and when you’re done, you can even send us a message in the form of a postcard. This article is a case study of how we made it: the story behind the project, the design process, the technical choices, and a few of the interactions that give the site its character.…