About This Stamp
Celebrate the beauty and wonder of coral reefs with four postcard stamps from the U.S. Postal Service®.
Featuring highly stylized digital portraits, the stamp art depicts four types of stony corals with associated reef fish: elkhorn coral, shown with two French angelfish; brain coral, with a spotted moray eel; staghorn coral, with blue striped grunts; pillar coral, with a coney grouper and neon gobies. Coral reefs are formed over thousands of years mainly by colonies of animals called polyps. Polyps make stony corals, the foundation for most coral reefs, by secreting protective skeletons of calcium carbonate, or limestone. As these limestone skeletons accumulate over time — with new colonies of polyps growing on top of the skeletons of older ones — they build up the base of coral reefs. Coral reefs are one of the world’s most marvelous ecosystems, sheltering and sustaining about a quarter of all ocean species. Anyone who has snorkeled in tropical environments has witnessed the sea come alive when approaching a coral reef. Suddenly an abundance of fish of all types and colors appear, along with a variety of other animals and plants, including sea urchins, seagrass, octopuses, and lobsters. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps. Tyler Lang created the stamp art. The word “POSTCARD” on the stamps indicates their usage value. Like a Forever® stamp, these stamps will always be valid for the rate printed on them.
Stamp Art Director
Ethel Kessler
Ethel Kessler is an award-winning designer and art director who has worked with corporations, museums, public and private institutions, professional service organizations, and now, the United States Postal Service.
After earning a B.F.A. in visual communications from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Kessler worked as a graphic designer and project manager for the exhibits division of the United States Information Agency. Her work was distributed internationally on subjects such as Immigration, Entrepreneurship, Renovation of American Cities, and the Bicentennial of 1976. She was also responsible for exhibits in Morocco, Botswana, and El Salvador.
In 1981, she established Kessler Design, Inc., for which she is creative director and designer. Clients have included the Clinton Government reorganization, the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic Television, the National Park Service, and the American Institute of Architects.
She has been an art director for the U.S. Postal Service’s stamp development program for more than 25 years. As an art director for USPS, Kessler has been responsible for creating more than 500 stamp designs, including the Breast Cancer Research stamp illustrated by Whitney Sherman. Issued in 1998, the stamp is still on sale and has raised more $98 million for breast cancer research. Other Kessler projects include the popular and highly regarded Nature of America 120 stamp series, a collaboration with nationally acclaimed nature illustrator John Dawson, the 12-year Lunar New Year series with Kam Mak, the American Filmmaking: Behind the Scenes 10 stamps issued in 2003, a 2016 pane of stamps celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and the 2023 stamp honoring Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And many, many others.
Stamp Designer, Stamp Artist
Tyler Lang
Born and raised in St. Albans, Vermont, Tyler Lang studied graphic design at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. After graduating in 2007, he moved to New York City to begin his professional art career, gaining skills at various design studios.
In 2009, Lang and his wife, Elsa, relocated to Portland, Oregon, and opened their own studio, Always With Honor. Their clients have included The New York Times, Toyota, Microsoft, WIRED, The Nature Conservancy, and Nike. Bold colors and simplified details characterize Lang’s work, which he describes as “communicating a sense of optimism and wonderment.” His personal interests in science and nature are apparent in many of his designs.
On the weekends, Lang can often be found exploring Oregon’s back roads with his wife and their Basset hound, Waldo. Despite his love of the Pacific Northwest, Lang will still only accept pure Vermont maple syrup on his pancakes.
Lang lives and works in Portland. His projects for the U.S. Postal Service® include Coastal Birds (2015), Coral Reefs (2019), and Spooky Silhouettes (2019).