During the 2020 presidential election, the United States Postal Service came under increased scrutiny. The history of the Postal Service is actually older than the United States. In this short video we briefly explain the history of U.S. mail and why it still matters today.

The script:

In 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin the first Postmaster General. They wanted him to create an alternative to the British postal system. Within six months, the Crown’s postal service was forced to cease operations.

Today, almost half of global mail is handled by the U.S. Postal Service.

Each day 472 million pieces of mail are sorted, routed and delivered to everywhere from Lubec, Maine to Naalehu, Hawaii.

The USPS transports mail by truck, train, plane.

And delivers places that wouldn’t necessarily be viable for commercial delivery services. On Tangier Island, it’s delivered by boat. And in the Grand Canyon, it’s delivered by mule.

That’s because of something called the Universal Service Obligation.

The Postal Service is required to provide all users a minimum level of service at a reasonable price.

This access is so essential, that the foundation for the modern postal system is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

Ensuring that today, for 55 cents, anyone can send a first-class letter to anywhere in the United States.

RESPONSIBILITIES

I helped research and write a short script. I created a storyboard and a rough animatic. I explored stylistic options and decided on a mixture of vector-based and collaged illustrations. The assets were drawn in Illustrator, and then composited and synchronized with the audio track in After Effects. The animation was published on Facebook and Twitter.