Maja Ringsäter – Scholarship recipient, Young Swedish Design 2026
Scholarship: PostNord Stamps
Three sketch assignments worth SEK 20,000 each, with the opportunity to illustrate future stamps.
The Letter Is A Rich Medium
Digital forms of communication, which are fast and versatile, have simplified our lives and changed the way we converse in writing. But how will we look back on the mediums that are soon at risk of disappearing? Letters no longer serve the same function they once did and are becoming historical objects that tell us about the past. But despite being an ancient medium, letters have always contained more than just text. They have also included images, various materials, stamps, and other graphic elements.
The Letter Is A Rich Medium is a 120-page publication in which I have collected examples that show why the letter can be seen as a "rich medium," a means of communication as expressive and multifaceted as today's digital equivalents. The publication contains letters from different periods, from contemporary examples to my family's 100-year-old letters from America. I have collected stamps and symbols that show how visual details contribute to the identity of the letter, interviewed an artist who works with letters in his art, and looked at how letters are used as important dramaturgical tools in popular culture.
The aim of the project is to encourage curiosity about the letter as a medium of communication, a slow, material, and expressive medium in an otherwise fast-paced and digital age. At the same time, I want to highlight the letter as a design object, where the combination of form and function often gives rise to visual expressions that are richer and more exciting than one might initially think.