Art director Antonio Alcalá worked with graphic designer Gail Anderson of New York City to produce the stamp. To evoke the look of broadsides from the Civil War era, they employed Hatch Show Print of Nashville, Tennessee, one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America. Courtesy of USPS.com.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards nominations were announced early this morning. Leading the pack with 12 nominations — including for best picture — was Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg. I saw Lincoln last weekend and thought it was excellent — definitely my choice for this year’s best picture. I also predict that Daniel Day-Lewis (Abraham Lincoln), Sally Field (Mary Todd Lincoln) and Tommy Lee Jones (Thaddeus Stevens) will win for best actor and supporting actress/actor for their performances in the film.

On a related design note, the 2013 Emancipation Proclamation (Forever®)stamp was issued by the U.S. Postal Service on January 1 and commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation stamp is one of a civil rights set being issued in 2013.