"I've always been fascinated by his ability to be an interpreter and icon of his time, not only in music, and to do so by constantly renewing himself, always in a different way, but remaining true to himself." These are the words with which Gianni Sinni, professor of the Master's Degree in Design at the University of the Republic of San Marino and president of the Technical-Artistic Committee of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office of San Marino, describes the 'White Duke', David Bowie, the singer-songwriter who passed away in 2016 and to whom the Republic recently dedicated three stamps commemorating the 70th anniversary of his birth, registered in 1947.
Sinni was at the forefront of the design and development of the stamp series, as he provided the input that led to the involvement of British designer Jonathan Barnbrook, the stamps' designer: "I've known him for a long time and have collaborated with him on several projects," Sinni explains. "He's one of the most renowned contemporary British graphic designers, as well as the creator of the covers for Bowie's latest albums, including Blackstar. For that work, he won the 2017 Grammy for Best Cover of the Year a few days ago. So, it was an immediate decision to hire him to create this tribute to Bowie."
The academic acknowledges that the San Marino initiative isn't the only one worldwide dedicated to the "White Duke," but the way it was implemented sets it apart from all the others: "Even the British Post Office recently released a series dedicated to Bowie, but with a format familiar from tributes to other singers, using images from album covers. The San Marino series, on the other hand, features an original design, specifically created by Bowie's own designer."
