About This Stamp
Kwanzaa is a non-religious African-American holiday that takes place over seven days from December 26 to January 1. Art director Derry Noyes and stamp artist Daniel Minter strove to create a design that appropriately balances formality with a celebratory, festive mood. The seven days of Kwanzaa, and the seven principles they signify, are represented by seven figures.
Minter created his illustration from a linoleum block print and then added vibrant, carefully chosen colors using computer software. "I wanted to incorporate the colors of the pan-African flag: black, red, and green," he explains. "To bring a more festive flavor to the image, I added the colors gold, yellow, and blue to the robes."
Art Director
Derry Noyes
For more than 40 years Derry Noyes has designed and provided art direction for close to 800 United States postage stamps and stamp products. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hampshire College and a master of fine arts degree from Yale University.
Noyes worked as a graphics designer at Beveridge and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm, until 1979 when she established her own design firm, Derry Noyes Graphics. Her clients have included museums, corporations, foundations, and architectural and educational institutions. Her work has been honored by American Illustration, the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Communication Arts, Critique magazine, Graphis, Creativity International, and the Society of Illustrators.
Before becoming an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, she served as a member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 1981 to 1983.
Noyes is a resident of Washington, D.C.