About This Stamp
A familiar sight on public buildings and private homes alike, the American flag has also long been a popular subject on U.S. postage. The 2026 patriotic stamped envelope features a red, white, and blue digital image of a section of our iconic banner.
Five alternating red stripes and four white stripes run diagonally across the right side of the stamp image. At the top left, a portion of the blue field is shown with 23 white stars. The words “USA” and “FOREVER” appear at the bottom in black lettering.
Art director Bryan Duefrene designed the stamp image. “I was looking for a bolder, eye-catching way of portraying the flag, and decided to focus on the elements of the Stars and Stripes rather than the flag as a whole. I experimented with different crops of the flag before finally landing on the tilted crop you see on the envelope. I think it turned out really well.”
Diagonal U.S. Flag is being issued as a Forever® stamped envelope. Its postage will always be equal to the value of the stamped envelope rate in effect at the time of use, even if the rate changes after purchase.
Stamp Art Director
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.