Ed Fella: 1995 correspondence envelope

Ed Fella—correspondence with Rick Valicenti, number 10 envelope, 1995;
Ink and Prisma color. The artwork is published with permission.

One of the most delightful and whimsical pieces in Rick Valicenti’s art and graphic design collection at Thirst is this framed envelope art by Ed Fella, postmarked June 6, 1995, Royal Oak, Michigan. As with much of Fella's work he is able to give significance to the ordinary.

To fully appreciate Ed Fella’s artful graphic design one needs to be open to the possibilities and inspiration of graphic design from all sides. Mainly there’s sincerity in Fella’s hand-drawn sketchbook style that’s free from ulterior motives and thus seems ironic—contradicting, in a way, what graphic design should be. This piece conveys Fella’s personality and as someone said, “Ed Fella explored typography beyond what the computer provided.”

Envelope art is interesting because in spite of its unconventionality to postal regulations, the mail carrier can still decipher the address and return address, thus fulfilling delivery to the addressee.