The Urban America Collection

When was the last time you kept a postcard? You can’t remember? There’s a reason for that. Postcards were invented over 150 years ago. They were first used only to send short messages to one another. Just one or two sentences and they were sent off. Next people started drawing on one side then including their message on the other. Eventually postcards turned into what you see today, mostly pictures on the front and a space for your message on the back. After researching something that was one of the first ways people had long distance communication, I thought it was time they got a refresh.

For my capstone project I took it upon myself to turn these postcards into something more. These postcards are part of a collection. You find yourself traveling not only to enjoy a new place but to collect another piece of your uniquely illustrated collection. Each state offers a shaped postcard that you can fit together to form the country or how ever you please. The postcards show some of the most popular places in each state as well as some that are off the beaten path. They can feature anything from wildlife and nature to cityscapes and tourist attractions but no matter what they all have their unique illustrations to make them so different from other postcards.

By creating these postcards, I want it make you think twice when you’re in the touristy gift shop looking at the postcards. Maybe you too should draw your own interpretation of this new city you’re in to share with your loved ones. Postcards should have more meaning that just being a picture that most likely gets forgotten about and thrown away. That is what I strive for here. These postcards are unlike any postcards you ever seen so get out there and collect them!