Dundalk design studio has three projects included in national archive

A Dundalk graphic design studio has had three of its works added to an annual archive of the best 100 examples of Irish contemporary communication.

The 100 Archive for 2018 has included three pieces by studio Grandson, run by Killian Walsh, in this year’s selection which showcases the best in Irish graphic design.

Killian and his colleague Jake Heavey collaborated on all archive selected projects in their studio on Jocelyn Street, Dundalk.

The pieces being added are campaign identities for Louth Science Festival, music festival Arcadian Field, and a conference entitled ‘Do Borders Matter?’ held in County Museum Dundalk in October 2018.

Founded by a group of design studios, 100 Archive has created archive selections since 2010 showcasing the best in Irish graphic design, digital design, design for print, branding, wayfinding, motion design and typography.

The 100 Archive for 2018 features iconic graphics such as the Together For Yes campaign, and diverse work from the microscopic detail on Irish postage stamps to towering supergraphics which were displayed at the Venice Biennale.

This year’s application process saw a record number of 414 individual submissions from Irish designers and studios based all over Ireland and internationally in cities such as New York, London, Oslo and Amsterdam.

A two-stage selection process by ten Irish and international design experts resulted in the 2018 Archive Selection, which can be viewed on 100archive.com.

2018 was the year of Repeal and Time’s Up, and their marks on graphic design are represented in this year’s archive selection.

The identity for Together for Yes by Language is featured, along with Women’s Health Ireland by Jennifer Leahy, Women’s Aid’s campaign relating to dating abuse Too Into You, designed by Language, and the NWCI’s campaign It Stops Now, regarding sexual violence and consent, designed by Piquant Media.

A number of civic, cultural, and political national institutions engaged designers to refresh their identity in 2018, as well as small businesses all over Ireland working with designers to differentiate themselves from the pack, and these are reflected throughout this year’s selection.

“What I found most encouraging this year is the energy around the country, with studios like Grandson and TrueOutput raising standards and expectations outside of the capital and engaging with local issues and the communities they impact,” said selection panelist Noelle Cooper, designer, educator and co-founder of Unthink design studio.