2011

Wolfgang Weingart to give 2nd public lecture in the series Graphic Design Discourse: Thinking About Design, 12 April 2011, Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, 7.30pm.

Following on from the huge success of Rick Poynor’s lecture in February, Visual Communication Design are delighted to announce “My Way To Typography”, a public lecture by the eminent graphic designer, Wolfgang Weingart. The lecture, based on Weingart’s biographical text from 2000, will explore his career in graphic design and his working processes. Admission is free and seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Early arrival is recommended. For further details please email Linda King or David Smith: Linda.King@iadt.ie; David.Smith@iadt.ie

Linda King and Elaine Sisson, Ireland, Design and Visual Culture published April 2011
The School of Creative Arts at IADT and Cork University Press, have just published Ireland, Design and Visual Culture: Negotiating Modernity, 1922-1992. Edited by Linda King and Elaine Sisson and designed by David Smith, it examines the shaping of Irish modernity within examples of architecture, advertising, currency, engineering, illustration, industrial design, print ephemera, public spectacle and theatre design. The volume is richly illustrated and will be formally launched in May. See also: www.corkuniversitypress.com.

Adrian Shaughnessy makes first visit as External Examiner, 24 March, 2011
Staff and students of the course are delighted to welcome designer, writer and critic Adrian Shaughnessy (RCA / Unit Editions / Design Observer) as the new studio extern to the course. Adrian made his first mid‐year visit, March 24-25.

Linda King speaks at DCrit, the MFA in Design Criticism, School of Visual Arts, New York, 22 March, 2011.
The MFA in Design Criticism at the School of Visual Arts is a groundbreaking two-year program established by Steven Heller and Alice Twemlow in 2008. Linda’s contribution to the programme “Fly Irish: US and Dutch Influences on Aer Lingus Advertising” was a lecture based on her on-going research into the design strategies of Aer Lingus, the former national airline. The evening was attended by recent Vis Com graduates Anna Kealey (2009), who is studying on the DCrit programme; Blathnaid Conroy (2010) who is working for marketing agency Soubriet Byrne & Associates; and Rob Hanley (2009) who is working for the e-zine UrbanDaddy and marketing company TH Productions. See also: http://dcrit.sva.edu/.

Jennifer Goff, gives talk on Eileen Gray, 8 March 2011.
The Critical and Contextual Studies programme in Year 3 was greatly enriched by the generous input of Jennifer Goff, Curator of Furniture and Eileen Gray Collections at the National Museum of Ireland. Jennifer presented a detailed critique of how the Gray and new furniture exhibitions were authored and designed.

Visiting IADT Alumni, March 2011
As part of both the Professional Practice and Critical and Contextual Studies modules in Year 3, Vis Comm staff and students were delighted to welcome back recent graduates Tom Cunningham and Holly Brennan (2010) and alumni Paddy Mullen and Kay McKeon to speak about their careers and research topics.

Rick Poynor launches the public lecture series Graphic Design Discourse: Thinking About Design, 24 February 2011, 7pm, IADT, 7pm.

Graphic Design Discourse began with a fascinating talk by the renowned design critic, writer and curator Rick Poynor. Speaking to a full house, his talk “Redesigning Design” provided an in-depth and thought-provoking analysis of the role of designers and design practice in contemporary society. Earlier in the day Rick discussed his career with IADT Vis Comm students, which revealed the enormous breadth and richness of his writing and curating practices.

Sarah Schroeder finishes Erasmus Exchange, January 2011
Sarah Schroeder from the Merz Akademie: Hochschule für Gestaltung Stuttgart, completed her Erasmus exchange (Year 3). Her consistent high level of academic performance and professional input to the group provided an invaluable perspective to Vis Comm students. We wish Sarah every success as she returns to study in Germany and she will be sorely missed by her peers.

Linda King speaks at Heroes and Anti-Heroes of 20th Century Irish Architecture, IMMA, 29 January, 2011.
To coincide with The Moderns exhibition, Linda participated in a one-day symposium convened by the Irish chapter of DoCoMoMo, the international organisation committed to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods of the modern movement. Her talk: “Pragmatic Patriotism: State-sponsored initiatives and the emergence of Irish corporate identities”
 explored state interventions into the evolution of Irish design practice. Focusing on the graphic design work produced for semi-state companies, including Aer Lingus, Bord Fáilte and Kilkenny Design Workshops, it examined the professionalisation of Irish design activity and analysed corporate identity strategies as signifiers of Irish modernisation.

Linda King and David Smith contribute to Pivot, Dublin’s bid for World Design Capital, 2014, January - February 2011.
World Design Capital is a biennial designation awarded on foot of a competition held by The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). Pivot is the title of Dublin’s bid documentation for WDC designation and has been led by the architectural department of Dublin City Council. As part of the final bid document and website, Linda was commissioned to write an essay and accompanying timeline charting the evolution of Irish design while David participated in the short film ‘Place’. See also: www.pivotdublin.com.

2010

Linda King speaks at Ireland and Modernity, Queen’s University Belfast, 11-13 November 2010.
This interdisciplinary conference sought to further the remit of current debates within Irish Studies on the subject of modernity. Linda’s paper was entitled “Visual Modernity: Aer Lingus, John Hinde and the Iconography of Irish Tourism.”

Linda King: public interview with Lance Wyman and David Smith on portfolio presentations, at Offset, Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, 2 October 2010.

Designer of the iconic 1968 Mexico Olympics identity system, Lance Wyman spoke to Linda about a career spanning four decades from industrial designer to doyen of wayfinding systems and environmental graphics. Lance provided a fascinating insight into the politics surrounding the Mexico bid and the processes of negotiation involved in such a monumental project. David, in collaboration with Brian Nolan of Detail, ran a seminar on the effective presentation of portfolio for recent graduates.

Conor Lumsden Culture Night Identity launched September 2010
Conor Lumsden’s (Year 3) winning designs for the National Culture Night Identity competition have been launched. Culture Night will take place on Friday September 24th and provide a night of entertainment, discovery and adventure in Dublin and across 20 towns, cities and counties in Ireland. Arts and cultural organisations will open their doors until late with hundreds of free events, tours, talks and performances.

Linda King and Hilary Kenna present research at ATypI Conference September 2010
The recent Atypi conference, held at Dublin Castle, attracted a large international audience of type designers, historians, educators, writers and graphic design practitioners. Linda presented a paper on the typographic strategies used by Aer Lingus while Hilary presented a paper, and ran a workshop, exploring methodologies for designing screen typography. David moderated the Friday afternoon presentations on the historical context of Irish typographic forms.

Linda King and Elaine Sisson, Ireland, Design and Visual Culture August 2010

This edited volume is the first comprehensive collection of essays on Irish design and visual culture and draws from interdisciplinary fields to address design history as an emergent field in Irish Studies. This volume explores the contribution of visual and cultural analyses to an understanding of Irish historiography and adds to the broader contextualisation of Irish modernity within an international context. Designed by colleague David Smith, it will be published by Cork University Press in March 2011. Further details can be found at: http://corkuniversitypress.com/forthcomingbooks/ and available for pre-order from Cork University Press.

Brian Williams, accolades at Galway, London and selection for Sundance 2011 July 2010
Brian, an associate lecturer on the course, previewed his first short film Dummy at the Galway Film Festival. The film has also been selected for the Sundance Festival, Utah, and will be screened there in January 2011. One of Brian’s idents for TG4, Warrior Woman, and his opening titles for the Irish language drama Na Cloigne were also selected for the Rushes Soho Shorts festival in London.

Erasmus Exchanges June 2010
Gerard Byrne & Emma English (Year 2) and Vera Reshto (Year 3) were the first Visual Communication Design students to participate in the School of Creative Arts, Erasmus Exchange programme. Gerard and Emma studied at IPAC, Geneva, while Vera studied in Berlin at Weissensee Kunsthochschule. Marion Zwerner was our first exchange student into Vis Com and has returned to continue her studies in IPAC.

Lynzie Richie receives commendation at Young Creatives Network (YCN) International Student Competition June 2010
Lynzie (Year 3) has received a commendation for her submission to the YCN International Student awards. The YCN are amongst the most highly regarded student awards and are unique in that they set "live" project briefs authored by organisations as diverse as Action Aid, Google, HMV, UK Office of Information, amongst others. 
Lynzie's commendation was for her response to a project brief set by Italian paper company Fedrigoni. Lynzie was the only student outside of the UK to receive a commendation with many of the commendations going to "established centre's of excellence" in the UK. The project was set as part of the extended Professional Practice module and it was the first time IADT design students participated in the competition.

Graduate Exhibition May 2010
The School of Creative Arts graduate exhibition was opened by Minister Mary Hanafin and took place between 28 May and 4 June.

Linda King presents paper at Limerick conference on advertising and consumerism May 2010
In May, Linda was invited by the History Department of the University of Limerick to present part of her on-going research into the design and advertising strategies of Aer Lingus. The conference: Inventing and Reinventing the Gendered Consumer, was part of larger project funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), to explore the history and social context of advertising in Ireland. The conference included delegates from Britain and North America.

Conor Lumsden wins Culture Night National Student Competition May 2010
Conor Lumsden (Year 3), has won the National Culture Night Identity competition. The competition, run by Temple Bar Cultural Trust, was open to all third level design students in Ireland. Conor’s winning design will be used for Culture Night in Dublin and in 11 participating towns and cities around the country. This was the first time IADT design students participated in the competition and all of their submissions will be exhibited at the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre during Sept and October, 2010.

IADT Seed Funding for Linda King and David Smith January 2010
Linda and David have successfully secured IADT Seed Funding to run a lecture series on contemporary graphic design practice. Contemporary Design Discourse will feature internationally renowned graphic design practitioners, educators and writers who have pushed the boundaries of interdisciplinary research.

David Smith, ICAD Awards April 2010
David received two gold and two bronze awards at the recent ICAD awards ceremony. The winning work wil be exhibited at the Best of Irish Advertising and Design showcase in September 2010.

Student successes at the ISTD Awards April 2010
Six Year 4 students entered the ISTD International Assessment project held at NCAD. Candidates Holly Brennan and Simon Tierney were both awarded Merits and Ruza Leko and Aisling Flynn passed the rigorous professional assessment. Course tutors Oran and Gerard were invited assessors and David was a moderator.

Linda King, appointed to Artefact March 2010
Linda was recently appointed to the editorial board of Artefact, the peer-reviewed journal of the Irish Association of Art Historians (IAAH). Artefact was established 2007 to promote Irish art historical scholarship, but more recently has embraced a broader, interdisciplinary approach.

Vero Reshto wins Climate Change conference competition February 2010
Vera (Year 3) recently received her prize for producing an exhibition design and visual identity for the inaugural Climate Change conference, run by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Classmates Artur Scheunert, Emma Fenlon, Stephen Browne and Richard Collier received runner-up prizes. Cathaoirleach Councillor Marie Baker of DLRCoCo presented the awards and DLRCoCo were generous in their praise of the students’ entries and the management of the project.

2009

Alastair Keady joins course team September 2009
Alastair has recently joined the Visual Communication Design course team, replacing Hilary who is on secondment to the NDRC. Alastair has a background in design for print, multimedia and web and he jointly runs Hexhibit, a small Dublin graphic design practice focusing on design solutions for non-government organisations (NGOs), advocacy groups, cultural institutions and arts bodies. He was previously design director of X Communications and senior designer in Oniva.

Graduate Exhibition June 2009
The School of Creative Arts graduate exhibition took place between 4 and 11 June.

Additional NDRC funding for Hilary Kenna March 2009
Hilary has been awarded additional research funding from the National Digital Research Project (NDRC). The project SeeSearch will develop a search user interface visualisation tool, initially for application to online library catalogues, and to test its viability in the context of other information access technologies. Hilary will partner with Irish company Interleaf, as the commercial development partner, for the duration of feasibility project and TCD may also become involved. The aim of an NDRC feasibility project is to prove the project idea from a research, technology, and market perspective and to compete for additional NDRC funding to bring the project to full commercialisation potential.

Anna Kealey, Design History Society Award August 2009
Anna won the Design History Society for academic excellence for her undergraduate thesis: Innovation and Exploitation: a critique of American Apparel. The competition is open to all design students studying in the UK and Ireland and it is the third time in recent years that the award has gone to a student of the Vis Com programme.

Linda King writes for Eye Magazine Blog May 2009
Eye Magazine have just recently launched a blogsite and Linda has written a piece about the exciting upcoming conference Offset 2009 which will be held at Liberty Hall in Dubin in November 2009.

ISTD Student Assessment in Belfast April 2009
This year the International Society of Typographic Designers annual student assessment was held at the University of Ulster. A number of third and fourth year students at IADT entered and eight students successfully passed. These students will become members of the Society in July 2009.

NDRC Funding for Hilary Kenna February 2009
Hilary in partnership with Gabrielle Stafford of Twelve Horses and Dr. Aaron Quigley of UCD, have been successfully awarded funding for a digital media research project with the National Digital Media Research Centre (NDRC). The project called Dviz encompasses the design and development of an online platform for data and information visualisation. Hilary will be seconded part-time from February 2009 to February 2011 to work as Design Lead on the project.

Gerard Fox works on EI Innovation Voucher Project January 2009
Gerard is working with Andy Clarke (PT Lecturer in Animation) on a motion graphics project with a company called Flexitimers under the Enterprise Ireland Innovation Voucher Scheme. The outcome will be an online viral advertising campaign.

ISTD at IADT April 2008
The Visual Communications programme recently hosted the International Society of Typographic Designers annual student assessment at IADT.
The assessment paired design lecturers and professionals from across Ireland to review and assess close to a hundred submissions over two days in April. Eight IADT students successfully passed this rigorous assessment with Kelly Mackenzie achieving the only Merit awarded during the Irish Assessment. The successful students will become full-members of the Society in June 2008.

David Smith ICAD Awards November 2007
Atelier the studio practice of lecturer David achieved further success in the annual Institute of Creative Advertising + Design awards. Six Atelier projects were nominated and exhibited at the ICAD Best of Irish Advertising and Design show. Of the nominated projects a Gold award was received for PALLAS Heights, a book recording the activities, exhibitions and curation of an independent arts collective; further to what was the only Gold award for design a Silver and two Bronzes were also received.

Linda King, Conferred with PhD November 2007
In November 2007 Linda, course lecturer in Design History and Theory, was conferred with her PhD from Dublin City University. Her thesis Traditions and Modernities: Aer Lingus and the Visualisation of Irish Identities 1951-1961, provides an analysis of the airline’s pioneering graphic design and advertising strategies of the mid-20th century period. Linda is currently co-editing a volume on Irish Design and Material Culture for Cork University Press.

David Smith IDI Awards October 2007
The Biennial IDI all Ireland Design Awards were held recently in Dublin. Atelier the studio practice of lecturer David featured prominently. The international jury recognised seven Atelier projects on a night of significant success for the studio. Along with a number of commendations the studio received the overall category winner and recipient of the prestigious EYE Award for best annual report for their design of the Fingal County Council Arts Plan.

Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholarship Trust September 2007
In September 2007 recent graduate JP Hartnett received a bursary from the Bank of Ireland Millennium Scholarship Trust. This award has enabled him to pursue a two-year MA in Communication Design at Central St. Martin’s, London. In July 2006 JP also received a Design History Society award for his undergraduate thesis: Derrida by Default: Wolfgang Weingart and the Accidental Deconstruction of Swiss Typography.

Marcus Swan, Design History Society Award July 2007
In July 2007 Marcus Swan won the prestigious Design History Society Award for academic excellence with his under graduate thesis: The Medium is the Text Message: the Social and Aesthetic Impact of Text Messages. The competition is open to all design students studying in the UK and Ireland and Marcus’ thesis is currently under consideration for publication in the Society’s internationally-renowned Journal of Design History.

Distinction for Claire Lynch from ISTD April 2007
Fourth year student, Clare Lynch submission for the 2007 ISTD annual assessment received a commendation from the Society. Clare was one of only two students internationally to achieve this standard. Recognised as a model of academic thoroughness and professionalism, the assessment considers the holistic project achievements and not just the final proposal. This rigour is demanded to ensure that the standards for ISTD membership are maintained. Clare’s received her certificate of commendation and offer of full-membership from Wim Crouwel at a ceremony in London. Studio tutor David Smith also received a certificate of excellence in recognition of IADT student’s typographic achievement.

Bank of Ireland Credit Card Design Competition 2006
Bronwyn Murphy-White won first prize of EUR3,000 at the Bank of Ireland student Credit card competition and a EUR2,000 prize was also presented to the design course. From Summer 2006 all BOI student credit cards will feature Bronwyn’s winning design.

Institute of Technology sector identity design competition 2006
IADT 3rd year design students received 10 commendations out of a possible 12 overall in this national student competition. Bronwyn Murphy-White was overall winner and received the first prize of a new Mac Book Pro laptop from Sean Dorgan, CEO of the IDA and another IADT student Ruth Donnelly was third placed runner-up.