How did you settle on a final design for the stamp?
There was a lot of trial and error. I hired Whitney Sherman, an illustrator from Baltimore, Md., whose work I admired. We discussed different concepts, such as courage, victory, success. She sketched and faxed. We went back and forth a lot. We talked about color. We didn’t want the face on the stamp to be pale or the features to be Caucasian. I got some feedback from post office colleagues.
Finally, Whitney came up with a clear image of Everywoman: Diana, the goddess of the hunt, with a quiver of arrows, standing with her hand in a self-exam stance, with the words “FUND THE FIGHT, FIND A CURE” in a circle, in the form of a breast. It was a powerful image. We knew this was the one.
Any new developments with the stamp?
Yes. Just last week Hungary issued the same stamp. The U.S. Postal Service gave the Hungarian Post Office permission to use the design. They printed 1 million of them and it sold out in three days — and it sells for 24 cents above the postage value. So, $240,000 has already been raised in Hungary. Other countries are considering issuing the stamp, too.
How did your experience with breast cancer affect you?
It led me to reinvent my life. I had early stage breast cancer. My treatment was lumpectomy and radiation. At the time, I had a staff of five at my design firm. It was very difficult to be the engine that brings the work in, to be in charge of the creative work as it goes out, and go to radiation treatment. It zaps your energy. So I had to reevaluate how to use my available energy. The disease is not just physical; it has psychological ramifications, too. After three months, when the treatments ended, I began questioning the wisdom of going to the office every day and taking care of other people. It was a time of reflection. I realized I couldn’t do it anymore. As a result, I downsized my business to no employees, just me. I became a consultant to some of my clients and to the U.S. Postal Service. I shifted from doing design production to doing strategy work.
