A design project delivered by the team at Isle of Man Advertising & PR has received the royal stamp of approval from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Island’s longest-established advertising and PR agency was entrusted with a very important job by Isle of Man Post Office – to create a stamp issue to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. Following royal protocol, the finished set of eight stamps was sent to Buckingham Palace where Her Majesty approved the design before the stamps went on sale on 6th February.

Throughout the design process for the Long to Reign Over Us issue, the team worked closely with Arthur Edwards MBE, who has been royal photographer at The Sun for almost 40 years. Eight of the celebrated snapper’s personal favourite photos of the Queen were chosen for the stamps, including some never previously published. Each image showcases the Queen at a series of public engagements including marking the day she became Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

A splash of regal purple and a hint of gold form the stunning colour scheme for the stamps, with the selected text font a nod to the famous masthead of The Sun newspaper.

The stamps are available on eight separate sheets, each with an individual colour treatment, as well as mounted on the front of a special First Day Cover envelope and inside a collectable presentation pack, which includes Arthur’s memories of each photo used on the stamps. Isle of Man Advertising & PR created the look of every element of the issue.

Isle of Man Advertising & PR Managing Director Helen Summerscales said: ‘We have been proud to have been invited to create a number of stamp issues for Isle of Man Post Office before, with subjects as diverse as Sir Winston Churchill, Manx artist Bryan Kneale and the Women’s Institute, but it was a great honour to be asked to design this prestigious set.

‘Working with Arthur was an absolute pleasure; he has such a passion for his photography and seemed genuinely overwhelmed his pictures were to feature on stamps celebrating the 90th birthday of the Queen.

‘It takes exceptional skill to deliver outstanding creative flair within the limited confines of a stamp, in this case measuring just 40mm by 40mm, and we are delighted with the result, which we think is a perfect celebration of Her Majesty’s milestone birthday, and a fitting way to share Arthur’s photos.

‘The whole team was very excited to be told the Queen had approved the designs; a real royal stamp of approval!’

Maxine Cannon, General Manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins, added: ‘The Isle of Man Post Office is delighted to have worked with royal photographer Arthur Edwards MBE and Isle of Man Advertising & PR to create a set of stunning stamps that mark Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.

‘The stamps, titled “Long to Reign Over Us” use a selection of eight of Arthur’s personal favourite portraits of the Queen as taken by himself, including some not previously shared with the public. We were thrilled when Arthur agreed to work with us on the issue; the images used are such a fitting tribute to HM the Queen on the occasion of her landmark birthday.’

Isle of Man Advertising & PR, based in Quay House, South Quay, Douglas, is one of the Island’s leading names in press and broadcast advertising, marketing strategy and management, social media, graphic and website design, press and public relations and e-commerce.

Photo -  (from left) Isle of Man Advertising and PR Managing Director Helen Summerscales, Lieutenant Governor Adam Wood and General Manager of Isle of Man Stamps and Coins Maxine Cannon.