Also called: Stamp Artist, Stamp Illustrator
Creates the art for U.S. postage stamps, working with USPS art directors to fit an image and lettering into a one-inch space.
A stamp designer gets a subject, like a national park or a famous poet, and researches it for weeks. They make sketches that must read clearly at about one inch wide, then refine the art and type with a USPS art director before hundreds of millions are printed.
Approximate; USPS uses a handful of contract art directors who commission artists per stamp; stamp artists also do other work.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in illustration or graphic design, plus years as a working pro.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Illustration, Graphic Design, Fine Arts.
Growing slowly. Less mail is sent, but new stamps are still issued every year.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI image tools speed sketching, but USPS hires human artists and every tiny design goes through long review.
Classes: Art, Graphic design CTE, U.S. History.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-1024.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.