Making the miniature unmistakable.
Remaining coveted and collected for over 100 years is a big deal. Small wonder Royal Mail wanted to release a set of stamps celebrating Hornby model trains, one of Britain’s most loved and enduring toys.
The challenge
Hornby trains are engineered with astonishing precision, from their early tinplate clockwork engines to today’s highly detailed electric models. Photographed well, these miniature marvels could easily pass for the real thing. But that wasn’t the point. There are already plenty of beautiful stamps celebrating iconic trains. These had to do something different. This set needed to illustrate the craftsmanship while still looking unmistakably like models.
The work
We explored a number of creative routes to make the trains feel less real, including placing a modeller’s hands in shot, using technical drawing overlays, and including the boxes they came in.
But in the end, we combined two visual treatments to firmly place the models in Hornby's world.
First, each model was staged in a setting appropriate to its era, from a simple wooden tabletop to an expertly crafted miniature environment. The inclusion of tiny figures and accessories provided an extra clue to the models’ scale. Second, a bold graphic panel was introduced, echoing the model's original packaging design and further emphasising the year of its production.
A design built on contradiction
Celebrating a toy whose entire purpose is to look as realistic as possible, by deliberately avoiding realism, might not be the most obvious approach. But making the life-like look more make-believe not only solved the problem but captured the joy and wonder of Hornby.
