Commemorative Stamp Design For Canada Post's Diwali Celebration
How do you fit 3,000 years of visual tradition into three centimetres?
Underline Studio created a commemorative stamp for Canada Post to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The design draws from vernacular Indian typography and the intricate patterns of rangoli, symbolizing light, culture, and community across Canada’s diverse population.
Insights
- Designed by Underline Studio for Canada Post to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights observed by Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain communities across Canada.
- The artwork draws on vernacular Indian typography and rangoli — the ephemeral floor art made at thresholds and swept away once the festival ends.
- The core tension: an art form built to be erased, fixed forever on a stamp, something people collect and keep.
- Designer Ritu Kanal rooted it in lived experience — she was around seven when she first helped her mother make rangoli by the door.
- "Diwali" is set in both English and Hindi, a quiet act of diaspora representation.
- Released 15 October 2025 in a booklet of six and on an Official First Day Cover; photography by Daniel Ehrenworth.
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