This week saw the launch of Map Irish Design, a significant new research project undertaken by the 100 Archive that helps reveal the impact of design on life, culture, business and society in Ireland over the past decade.
Map Irish Design examines 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.
Speaking about Map Irish Design, Aideen McCole who led the project for 100 Archive says,“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."
"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," adds Ms McCole. "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.”
“Design in all its many iterations is integrated so firmly into our daily lives that we are often oblivious to it," said Tania Banotti, Director of the Creative Ireland Programme. "However great design always stands out. It captures our imagination, changes thinking and behaviour and sets a standard for others to follow.
Funded by the Creative Ireland Programme through its National Creativity Fund, Ms Banotti added, "Creative Ireland is delighted to support Map Irish Design. Not only does it shine a light on Ireland's extraordinary design community, it celebrates their work and will provide inspiration for future generations of designers and makers.”
The project delivers insights on the design industry in Ireland and how design is used by various sectors, as well as revealing contemporary design to be a valuable artefact of social history; by looking at design we can see changes in how we consume, what we desire, where our priorities lie and more.
“Design affects all of us, all the time," said Ms McCole, "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." Pointing to the particular relevance to the project right now McCole said, "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.
I would add that to begin interrogating our surroundings from a design perspective is fascinating, and to do this now, while we're all looking at super familiar environments non stop, can totally change how we see what's around us. Map Irish Design is a resource to help us do that and help us see just how much design permeates the everyday, Ms McCole said.
The 100 Archive is a platform for design in Ireland, founded in 2012 by the communication design community. At the core of our activity is the publication of 100 notable projects selected through an annual open call. These yearly archives contain work from the ever-broadening area of communication design (graphic, editorial, type, brand, digital, motion…) across a range of applications: from flyers for a club night to international corporate rebrands and from identities for small businesses to campaigns for major social movements. Annual archive selections from 2010 onwards are all available at 100archive.com
