VANCOUVER—When Alexander Bilodeau won Canada’s first gold medal on Canadian soil, the team at local studio Tandem Design Associates breathed a sigh of relief. This moment meant the commemorative ‘Canada’s first gold” stamp they designed for Canada Post and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics could finally be released.


Partner and creative director Naomi Broudo says the stamp, which showcases Canada’s Olympic achievements, was a top-secret project. “We had to sign documents that we wouldn’t tell anyone anything about the project,” says Broudo. “Not friends, not family. Nobody. Every e-mail was password protected and very hush-hush.”

Broudo says her and partner and art director Violet Finvers, were allowed first access to the medals and decided the gold is what they wanted to showcase on the historic stamp. “It was decided early on that the medal would be featured because we wouldn’t know who would be the winner,” she says. “We didn’t know what sport it would be and whether it would be male or female. We had to represent it in the best way possible.”

Tandem Design has been working with Canada Post since 2007, says Broudo, but the project they did for the Olympics required more approvals than most. In addition to the gold medal stamp, Tandem Design created eight other special edition stamps for the Olympics. “The Vancouver Olympic Committee and even the International Olympic Committee had to approve it,” she says. “Even with the colour scheme and image constraints it was a very creative, collaborative project.”

Canada Post is a great client to work with, says Broudo, and is proud Tandem Design was a part of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. “It was a great honour to be a part of Canada’s first Olympic gold at home,” she says. “It really felt like we were a part of Olympic history.” Contact: Tandemdesign.com, Canadapost.ca, Vancouver2010.com

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