New Dutch Design – Echo of the party

The second edition of this year's New Dutch Design issue differs significantly from that of last year in terms of imagery. In 2025, reasonably recognizable illustrations were still featured, whereas this year highly abstracted and unrecognizable images have been applied to the stamps.

Emission data: designer Nicole Uniquole in collaboration with 2nd ^- year Graphic Design students at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Zwolle, including Aron Nauta (Hellevoetsluis, 2003), Lynn Klein Bleumink (Borne, 2001), and Yael Veeningen (Swifterbant, 2006) from the academic year 2024–2025.

Issue date September 28, print run 75.000 sheets, printing house Joh. Enschedé BV, in Haarlem.

Analysis of visual workflow: visualization of time period

The stamp sheet features a graphic illustration of lines, shapes, and circles that run across the perforations as continuous lines. This pattern even continues onto the sheet margin surrounding the six stamps. The illustration depicts confetti lying on the floor left behind after a party when the revelers had just left. It captures the moment just before the cleanup of empty bottles, crumpled cups, dirty glasses, and/or confetti begins.

Essential interim period: organized mess

The confetti idea, using crepe paper that has already been cut into scraps and strands beforehand, is photographed in various colors and patterns and finally processed/edited using computer technology into an abstract and unrecognizable execution.
The end result of all these actions symbolizes the remnants of a recently concluded festive event. Immediately after this, the cleanup and cleaning crew swings into action.
The period between 'ending the party and cleaning up' is symbolized in an ordered and abstracted manner with dashes, circles, and shapes in black, white, and yellow, suggesting the colorful and multicolored confetti.

Confetti rain

All tricolor images consist of two identical images. The outline shapes feature a 'frayed-pixel style' finish. One image partially covers the other image (either diagonally below or diagonally above).

A distinctive feature here is the 'shared touch or covering surface' of both images, which is colored yellow. This depicts richly colored confetti (being shot or thrown upwards) swirling, floating, or descending high above the revelers in the blue sky.

Four multi-interpretable emissions

I have deliberately not capitalized the prefix 'new' in the emission designation 'new Dutch Design'. The reason? The concepts of 'progressive' and 'innovative' do not enhance status when combined with the word 'new', but rather impoverish it due to the strong abstraction of the stamp illustrations. In this emission design, the concepts do not come across as innovative and progressive (an emphatically executed abstraction), but rather appear to me as derailing, contrived, and alienating.

Should these four emissions be viewed and stored in an album vertically or horizontally? The abstract, unrecognizable images combined with horizontal and vertical texts provide no clarity on this.

In the 'look-and-compare study' of the four 2026 issues, only three appear to feature a continuous illustration, and one even has a yellow strip without an image. Indeed, the 'one-size-fits-all approach' customary for a stamp issue has not been implemented.

For me a question, for you a fact? Or perhaps not? not?

The PostNL press release provides information about PostNL's collaboration with ArtEZ on the production of the multi-part New Dutch Design stamp issue, with Nicole Unicole as curator / supervisor at Art EZ in Zwolle.
The PostNL press release provides further information on the production of the multi-part New Dutch Design stamp issue and on the 'fusion of education and practice' between PostNL and ArtEZ. Unicuole: “What I find most rewarding is that I can guide students of the future generation of graphic designers on a real project. Not an exercise on paper, but a PostNL stamp that will soon be in stores.”

I love taking students into design practice: with real deadlines, real choices, and real impact. You are not only a guest lecturer, but also a client for this project.
For the students, this is their portfolio and practical experience rolled into one: an official stamp on their CV. Education and practice merge here. You see the new generation of designers grow as soon as their concepts move towards production. I think it is truly fantastic that I can offer them that with PostNL.”
The collaboration between PostNL and ArtEZ students regarding the 'fusion of education and practice' is attractive to both parties and ideal for the realization of postage stamps:

* for PostNL financial design

realistic for ArtEZ studentse practical experience

Is the ideal really so ideal?

Is this ideal really so ideal? The danger of conflicts of interest (wearing two hats) is very real here, as is mutual tolerance for the benefit of both. If continued, objective dependence and/or independence of both parties may increasingly grow and come to play the leading role.

Reason for this observation? In my view, a clear shift in emphasis is taking place during the design of the New Dutch Design emissions. The still reasonably recognizable realities in the 2025 emission diminish in the abstracted references of the 2026 emission.

The multi-part New Dutch Design issues (available at only one central point) are not used for postage. Customers are now exclusively philatelists, who do not appreciate highly abstract design.