It is not necessary to go too far back in time to examine the development of definitive stamps. The first (definitive) stamp, was issued in Britain in 1840: the Penny Black, the first adhesive postage stamp. The chosen subject, the Queen, was represented in a formal portrait.

A further analysis of the semiotics of stamps reveals that the Queen stands for Britain and becomes on the stamp an icon and a symbol. Britain, a country with progressive design, has nevertheless always preferred a conservative representation of the monarch for their definitive issues. British definitive stamps have hardly changed since 1840.

France is another example of fine stamp design. Clearly kings or queens were banned from stamps and the choice for the first stamp fell on the allegorical figure of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture. Despite the differences in the representations from their partners across the Channel, the stamp was also highly symbolical. Ceres represented the fertile French Republic. Ceres was then replaced by other definitive designs like the Semeuse and Marianne, which currently appears on French definitive stamps.

Rational design

The Netherlands, the third example in this brief list, is the model of sound innovative and rational design. The central part of the 1946 definitive set are simply large numbers indicating the face value of each stamp. The figures were cut specially for this purpose by the typographer Jan van Krimpen. In this case, a functional approach produced a beautiful set that carries the identity of Dutch design.

As a British colony, in 1847, Mauritius followed the trend imposed by Britain displaying on its first definitive stamps a series of queen?s heads. An early Mauritian definitive set displays the Britannia motif, the representation of Imperial Britain. Obviously colonies are less independent than sovereign nations, nevertheless, the definitive issues of many colonies (and some countries) has often been the Coat of Arms and Mauritius got its badge in 1895. Some colonies used a ?visual ellipsis? selecting individual elements of the Arms that can easily be associated: like the leopard in Nyasaland definitives or the kangaroo on Australian stamps. The Mauritian equivalent, the Dodo, was only used for one value in the context of pictorial definitive sets. The examples given so far are symbolical as well as iconic.

Pictorial stamps, those which show the monarch in a corner together with a range of representative images of the colony, appear in the late nineteenth century, but it was not until the 1920s and 1930s that the trend of pictorial stamps was adopted by the majority of the colonies. The symbolical aspect of colonial stamps disappears to give way to images advertising the beauties and extent of each colonial administration. Without failing to recognize the magnificence of some of these designs, it can be said, from their connotation, that pictorial stamps of this period, show the power of the nations through the images of the empire. Pictorial designs have a strong colonial ?flavour?. Mauritius at last also adopted the pictorial designs in 1950.

After their independence, many colonies were ?accustomed? to pictorial definitives and saw their benefits as a miniature advertisement. Moreover, some newly formed nations with a weak identity could only reach out for natural themes as representations of their heritage. The thematic post-colonial pictorials had established themselves as a dull sub-genre of stamp design.

Mauritius has so far issued four definitive sets since Independence: sea life, history, protection of the environment and fish. Justifiably, apart from one occasion, the theme depicted has been nature. A definitive issue requires an original and exclusive concept rather than a theme. Looking back to the last definitive issue, the 2000 fish set, it emerges that the representations are not exclusive to Mauritius.

These stamps, which are most attractive, catch the attention of the viewer but fail to make the association with the issuing country. Another way of making the matter evident would be to imagine this set with the name of a different country on them, for example ?Maldives?. This stamp would pass unnoticed to most people, whereas a British Machin definitive with ?France? written on it would shock more than a few addressees.

In addition to the subject of the stamp there are other elements that create recognition: the rhetoric (this is what makes French stamps so ?French?), the size and shape, and printing can also play a key role.

For the next Mauritian definitive set, it might be worth exploring some alternative designs, which, like the coat of arms, fulfil the conditions to become the central part of a definitive set. Other options would be icons that can be used as a symbol without the risk of becoming a mascot and without being excessively nationalistic or self-absorbed images like the National Flag.

The new definitive issue can consciously accord with the communication objectives of the national identity through a representation that has a conventional significance for a large number of people. A functional definitive stamp design is sober and must be able to stand on its own and last for several years. It is a classic and at the same time a companion to numerous commemorative issues. Like all symbols, it is abstract and potentially ambiguous, but symbols are very powerful and always prove to be most rewarding.

A definitive issue is a large set of stamps that is used over a long period of time, usually 5 to 10 years. Commemorative stamps are issued ot celebrate anniversaries or honour important figures or events and are available for a limited period of time. According to the Universal Postal Union conventions, commemorative stamps are destroyed after being removed from sale.

Chritain Le Comte Designer and typographer