Aideen leads out new research project on Map Irish Design
DROGHEDA native Aideen McCole has led the roll-out of a significant new research project for the Irish communications design sector.
Map Irish Design helps reveal the impact of design on life, culture, business and society in Ireland over the past decade by examining more than 2300 design projects gathered since 2010 for inclusion in the 100 Archive.
100 Archive is an online archive of the best in Irish communication design assembled every year from submissions by hundreds of designers across Ireland and Irish designers overseas in cities such as London, New York, Amsterdam, Oslo and other far-flung locations.
Funded by the Creative Ireland Programme, the research sought to look more closely at these projects to build a picture of communication design in Ireland: who makes it, where, with whom and why spanning a host of media, outputs and contexts - from posters for club nights to international corporate rebrands and from identities for small businesses to campaigns for major social movements.
Design for print, digital and web, typography, wayfinding and signage, packaging, identity and branding, editorial design, motion design and more are examined to show how business in Ireland continues to change, which social movements we care about and how we express ourselves creatively and culturally.
Available on map.100archive.com, the research is presented as a rich digital media resource of videos, dynamic graphics, data visualisations and stunning imagery under the four themes of building culture, changing value, shaping the everyday and expanding our horizons.
“While the 100 Archive has been gathering this material since 2012, we have never had the time or resources to really look at it and see what it says about the design industry in Ireland and the impact it has on business, culture and society in this country. Design completely surrounds us, such as the coffee cups we drink out of, the websites we visit, the shopfronts we pass by and the signs which help us navigate our towns and cities,’ Aideen says.
‘ The design process shapes a significant amount of the fabricated world and the work of communication designers contributes much of our visual landscape and material culture. From the tiny details on a postage stamp to a campaign seen on banners, billboards and buses across the country, the 100 Archive reflects just how much design affects us every day.”
Map Irish Design was funded by the Creative Ireland Programme through its National Creativity Fund.
“Design affects all of us, all the time, and I think that’s been even more clear in recent times, from how we receive vital information — or dangerous misinformation — to the design of our cities. Can we all move around safely, with enough space for social distancing for example? Even the design of our social services, needed more urgently by more of us than ever before. We are massively impacted by the decisions people make to shape what things look like and how they work. Anything that helps all of us to recognise and understand that is valuable,’ Aideen added.