About This Stamp
The U.S. Postal Service celebrates four beloved animals with the issuance of Winter Woodland Animals. Each stamp features a whimsical, graphic image of one of four different woodland animals: a deer, fox, rabbit, and owl. The animals appear with details of their habitat in winter such as a full or crescent moon, snow-covered trees, holly branches with berries, and delicate snowflakes. The illustrations were created digitally.
White-tailed deer are one of the most plentiful species of deer in North America. On crisp autumn days, woodland bucks use their lofty antlers to establish dominance over other males competing for female attention. The advent of winter and the end of the mating season bring new priorities — finding food and conserving energy until spring returns anew. Admired for their classic beauty and agility, woodland deer grace everything from holiday cards to warm woolen sweaters in celebration of the winter season.
The resilient and adaptable fox has learned to survive and flourish in almost every environment in the world including deserts and arctic tundra. To protect themselves from winter’s bitter cold, foxes use their thick, shaggy tails much like a fluffy scarf to cover their noses and feet.
Woodland rabbits often live near the forest’s edge so that they can easily find food from gardens, yards, and meadows. This habitat provides good protection from predators as well as ample vegetation for these hungry herbivores. When winter comes, woodland rabbits forage for tree bark and woody plants while waiting out the winter chill in cozy hollows built with grass, fur, and twigs.
Dense conifers are ideal places for woodland owls to roost. They rarely build their own nests, preferring to make use of natural tree hollows or abandoned nests built by other birds. In winter, these fascinating birds of prey can be easier to spot due to darker days and less tree foliage.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps with Katie Kirk who illustrated the stamps.
The Winter Woodland Animals stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Stamp Designer
Antonio Alcalá
Antonio Alcalá served on the Postmaster General’s Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 2010 until 2011, when he left to become an art director for the U.S. Postal Service's stamp development program.
He is founder and co-owner of Studio A, a design practice working with museums and arts institutions. His clients include: the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, National Portrait Gallery, National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Phillips Collection, and Smithsonian Institution. He also lectures at colleges including the Corcoran College of Art + Design, SVA, Pratt, and MICA.
In 2008, his work and contributions to the field of graphic design were recognized with his selection as an AIGA Fellow. He has judged international competitions for the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, AIGA, and Graphis. Alcalá also serves on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Poster House Museum’s advisory councils. His designs are represented in the AIGA Design Archives, the National Postal Museum, and the Library of Congress Permanent Collection of Graphic Design.
Alcalá graduated from Yale University with a BA in history and from the Yale School of Art with an MFA in graphic design. He lives with his wife in Alexandria, Virginia.
Stamp Designer, Stamp Artist
Katie Kirk
Katie Kirk grew up in rural Wisconsin and was drawn to animals and wildlife from an early age. Her parents passed down their creativity along with a love of nature and science, so she was fairly sure she would end up doing something artistic – it was just a matter of what.
While studying graphic design at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Katie realized that she wanted to be an illustrator/designer and make a living doing something she loved. Specializing in bold colors and playful geometry, she works in a minimalist style in which she aspires to convey a great deal using very little. Katie is often inspired by folk art and midcentury design, and cooking and nature are repeated themes in her work.
Katie is a co-founder of Eight Hour Day, a creative studio she founded with her husband, Nathan Strandberg, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2005. Their clients have included Target, Google, Facebook, Apple, The New York Times, and Netflix. In her free time, you can find her baking a new cookie recipe, sipping coffee at a local coffee shop, or playing Pokémon with her son.
Katie Kirk's first project for the U.S. Postal Service was to design and illustrate four stamps for the 2023 Winter Woodland Animals issuance. In 2024, her graphic illustration was featured on the Love stamp.