We are a group of creatives with diverse skill sets.
We are creators of offbeat products. 
We are a Multidisciplinary Creative Agency.
We are based in Dublin, Ireland.
We are Third Mind Design.

Custom bottle design

Graphic design and branding

Label Design

Brand world creation

The Challenge

To design a bottle that tells a brand's story and captures an essence of where it comes from.

The Brief

asked us to design interesting facets and elements for the bottle, to give it a premium feel and a nod to Galway Bay. We were asked to keep the branding and labelling minimal but impactful, and we were asked to produce a weighty bottle, one that was heavy even when empty, for a more premium feel.

The new logo – which we also designed – has several design elements and type treatments that convey a sense of place and of motion, and our design intent was to bring those and additional elements to life, physically on the bottle, in order to transport consumers to the calm waters of Galway Bay through visual and tactile elements.

The finished product is a wonderfully tactile, visual experience.

The front of the bottle is clean and smooth, with minimal labelling. This allows the logo to really stand out against the amber colour of the whiskey. The rear is sculpted and sandblasted to represent waves and ripples on water. When a consumer holds the bottle in their hand, they can see right through to the rear. The textured rear glass catches the light and distorts it, making the whiskey appear to ripple, representing the waters of Galway Bay. The Galway Hooker sails also feature at the rear of the bottle, reinforcing the branding in a novel manner. All of this combines to give the bottle a feeling of sturdiness and also fluidity – reminiscent of the strength and agility of Galway Hooker vessels, and the calming waves of Galway Bay.

In terms of labelling, the only elements are the logo on the front, and a wraparound label at the base. The label at the base houses the barcode and the legal/mandatory labelling requirements, keeping them nicely out of view. Rectangular strips of this label emerge from the base and rise slightly up the front and back of the bottle. The front section shows the whiskey's age, blend, finish, ABV, and volume. The rear section details the story of this particular blend. At the client's request, we found a creative way to meet mandatory labelling requirements without compromising the design goals – and we were very pleased with this solution. A circular cutout at the front of this label exposes an embossed compass marker, pointing North-Northeast, similar to the logo itself – the direction you would sail through Galway Bay to reach the Galway Hooker Brewery.

In terms of finishing flourishes, the bottle is completed with a neck ribbon showing the age of the whiskey, and a cork topped with a wooden walnut cap. The wooden cap has a straight groove carved through it, mimicking the base of the bottle. Finally, a decorative ring at the base of the wooden cap separates the wood from the glass, and adds an additional premium feel.

Medserv is an Irish company that was established by Cormac Loughrey in 2005 and has rapidly grown to become one of the largest companies specialising in medical billing in Europe.

Their clients include hospital consultants of all specialties, GP's, clinics as well as hospitals.

We were approached to redesign their office space, housed in Rockfield in Dundrum.

The intent of this design was to enhance the Medserv work environment with the addition of flexible work spaces, introduce additional natural light and utilse a combination of modern and contemporary details and accessories to create and energising and engaging place to work.

Custom bottle design

Branding and brand world creation

Packaging design

Label design

The Challenge

To design a bespoke bottle for a new Irish whiskey brand named after Ogham, the ancient form of writing.

The Brief

asked us to bring the Ogham alphabet to life in a modern, elegant, and historically respectful way.

Our Design Intent

was to use the bottle as a sort of sculpture – to form and shape it so that it would represent a miniature Ogham stone in and of itself. We decided to embody the visual and tactile elements of an Ogham stone in the shape of the bottle.

The bespoke logo and branding scheme we designed comprises two key elements: the wording itself – Ogham Irish Whiskey – and a graphical representation of an Ogham stone.

The lettering is an original, custom design. The primary word ‘Ogham’ has been given a type treatment to appear marked and deconstructed, in such a way that it represents the Ogham alphabet in a modern execution. This allows the text to be a visual representation of the word itself, while also being eye-catching and interesting. The words ‘Irish Whiskey’ beneath this receive a similar treatment, although it is slightly more subtle.

The graphical element is, of course, an Ogham stone. The silhouette of the tall standing stone is immediately recognisable, particularly with the subtle carving cut-out on the bottom left. Laid over the stone is a copper-coloured Ogham inscription. The colour is a nod to the copper stills used in the distillation process, and the inscribed letters are D and L – an homage to the initials of the 3 founders of Ogham Irish Whiskey; Dan Leavy, Donal Leavy, and Doug Leddin.

The overall execution of this piece is minimal, but it packs a lot of meaning. The colour palette has earthy, moody influences inspired by the history of the Ogham stones, while also including the rich copper colours synonymous with distillation. The inclusion of the founders’ initials gives the logo a lovely sense of context and a compelling brand story.

Overall, this is a logo that at first glance appears beautifully simple, but upon closer inspection reveals a series of interesting, unexpected elements and a wonderful combination of old and new.

Step into a world where sophistication meets functionality.

The interior design for Buckley Real Estate seamlessly blends sleek lines with inviting warmth, creating an atmosphere that inspires creativity and fosters collaboration.

Natural light floods the open layout, highlighting tasteful contemporary furnishings and vibrant artwork that reflects landmarks throughout Dublin.

Cosy seating areas invite casual conversations, while the spacious conference room caters to professional meetings. Thoughtful details, like greenery accents and a hidden privacy pod ensure that these offices are not just a place to work, but a welcoming environment where clients and agents alike feel at home.

Branding

Brand World Creation

Can Design

Packaging Design

Exhibition Design

Photography

Forged Irish Stout is one of Conor McGregor’s many business ventures, and has been served to a very satisfied audience in The Black Forge pub for several years. In an effort to establish the product as a contender brand in the market, we designed a bold new logo that combines masculine colours and elements to make a strong statement to consumers and competitors alike.

Forged Irish Stout is a brand that aims to be taken seriously, and it is determined to dethrone the leading stout competitors. That’s the sentiment we were asked to embody, and this new logo does exactly that.

A new and original design, the logo takes inspiration from the title of The Black Forge Pub. Dublin was founded by Vikings, a people known for harnessing the heat of the forge, and for their mastery of metalwork. The Forged Irish Stout logo features a blacksmith working a forge, crafting something new and impressive – much like Forged Irish Stout.

The masculine colour scheme is inspired by a pint of stout – black, gold, and cream. The typography is like a good jawline – strong, angular, and well-defined. It has an edge of Irish tradition to it, while remaining bold, modern, and future-focused.

The swords in the logo are a tribute to the McGregor family crest, a subtle nod to the founder – while also evoking the sense of something crafted, forged, and hardened.

The overall execution – the forge, the blacksmith, the swords, the contrasting colours – is designed to generate impact and make a bold statement across all packaging, consumer touch-points, and activations.

Can Design

Fully matte for tactile effect. Printed primarily in black, including the top and the pull-tab, the visual is immediately recognisable as a can of stout. On the front of the can, the brand logo sits proudly with plenty of negative space, for maximum impact. The logo features a working blacksmith, resembling skill and strength, and also a nod to The Black Forge Inn – Conor McGregor’s famous Irish Bar. The eye is drawn naturally towards the base, where three swords feature prominently, to reinforce the Forged title and as a reference to the McGregor Family Crest. Two bands run around the base of the can, with off-centre text that encourages you to rotate the can to the rear.

The rear of the can features the word NITRO in horizontal block lettering, with an additional sword thrust downwards through it. This sword, a representation of the historical Claymore Sword, features Ogham text that reads 'McGregor'. The word NITRO is designed to feel like a lens, giving a glimpse at the surging liquid inside the can, the potential that's about to be unleashed. Finally, to reinforce the heritage of the brand, the can features the words 'Forged in Dublin' and the world-renowned Celtic Braid in subtle but noticeable locations. Finally, the mandatory government additions are neatly arranged to minimise their impact on the overall aesthetic. Three additional Claymore Swords are arranged behind it, subtly tinted with the Irish tricolours.

Packaging Design

The 4 pack is a black cube with a small logo on the top. The prime real estate is the sides of the box. Two of the sides have big, bold branding – FRGD DUBLIN IRELAND – which can't be missed. The other two sides feature photographs of the cans, chilled and complete with condensation. Finally, the barcode and mandatory government additions are on the base of the box, present but out of sight.

The Challenge

A significant design mismatch between a venue's interior and exterior areas. Outside, at the front of the venue, visitors are welcomed into a stylish, modern, open-plan seating area. This aesthetic brings the Brickyard title to life through the use of industrial-style mixed media – metalwork and brickwork. The interior design, however, was completely incongruous with the exterior, to the extent that it felt like an entirely different venue.

Pale wooden floors, faux leather cushions, and high-gloss drinking/dining surfaces gave the interior a tired, dated feeling – almost like a mess hall. Stepping into this environment after passing through the impressive outdoor area was underwhelming, jarring, and led to a disappointing customer experience.

The Brief

was to bring the same sense of clean yet rugged industrial style from the outdoor environment into the indoor environment, in a way that felt seamless and consistent.

We resolved to address 3 key elements that had been lacking: intimacy, atmosphere, and theme.

Intimacy

We started by subtly dividing the space into areas to accommodate groups of various sizes. A double-arched brick wall is a feature piece, and separates the main bar from the dining area without making it feel closed off. Along with intimate seating areas, a single bar surface weaves through the venue, to add a sense of connectedness. The bar surface is hand-burned and sealed solid ash, with a mirror-finished base that gives it the appearance of floating.

Atmosphere

Our aim was to make the venue feel less like a mess hall and more like a microbrewery. We designed and installed various finishes for a modern, dynamic, and industrial atmosphere. The main bar is backed by brick cladding, with beer taps emerging from purpose-aged corrugated metal sheeting placed against the bricks. The corrugated metal is featured throughout the venue – underneath the bench seating, in the bathrooms, and even as panelling inside custom-built tables.

Theme

The primary design idea was to provide a microbrewery experience of sorts, one that appealed to multiple senses – particularly touch, smell, and sight. Living hop plants – a form of climbing plant – scale the walls, their vivid green hues contrasting with the terracotta tones of the bricks. Custom commissioned artwork on upcycled hessian sacks adorn various walls, adding warmth, texture, and visual appeal.

Bespoke furniture pieces built upon powder-coated metal frames fill the space with an industrial style. A colour scheme of muted earthy tones is accented with shades of blue and orange. Strip-lighting panels are embedded into each table surface, and industrial-style coiled orange power cords run vertically from each table into the ceiling. These two elements combine to make each seating area feel like they're part of a brewery's canning production line.

Result

The venue now lives up to its name – literally, and in terms of style, function, and interior design.

The client kindly (and happily) reported the following stats as a result of our work:

* +45% photo shares on Instagram

* Roughly 30% increase in revenue and foot traffic

The Challenge

Was developing a suite of bespoke furniture in keeping with the rebrand that we had recently completed for the venue. The rebrand was inspired by The Porterhouse Group’s existing palette of colours, and the Porterhouse Brewery’s physical components. Our challenge was to create furniture both consistent and congruous with this industrial, brewery-inspired style, while ensuring a high level of originality, creativity, and functionality.

The Brief

asked us to achieve all of the above, while keeping the rebrand goals in mind – namely to provide a memorable experience that would appeal to a younger, more discerning adult audience.

Our design intent was to use the Porterhouse Brewery's elements and the structural elements of the venue's Grafton Street-based building. We decided to combine an eclectic array of materials – metal, stone, fabric, glass, concrete – to create an original, tactile suite of furniture.

The Result

Inspired by functional elements from The Porterhouse Brewery, we designed and crafted a bespoke suite of industrial-style furniture.

Hand-welded, powder-coated metal frames support table tops fashioned from railway sleepers and concrete blocks. Many of the chairs are designed and constructed in the same style, though of course custom-stitched cushions take the place of the wood and concrete surfaces!

We designed and installed a six-level section of tiered seating, complete with on-brand beanbags, to provide a comfortable space that encourages interaction and engagement. And to cater to those who want some space to themselves, we crafted smaller, more intimate seating areas from recycled shipping containers.

As a finishing flourish, we commissioned custom heavy-duty tags for various elements of the venue and for certain pieces of furniture. The tags were inspired by industrial-style informational tags, the sort most commonly seen on pallets, boxes, and kegs. Each one has witty, quite literal wording on it, such as BAR STOOL or TABLE.

Overall, this brief gave us creative freedom to develop a full suite of bespoke furniture to match the style of the venue rebrand and renovation that we were also responsible for. Having creative freedom over every element of the furniture and venue itself allowed us to create an immersive, eclectic experience for patrons.

The client kindly (and happily) reported the following stats as a result of our work:

* >400% increase in followers on social media

* 32% increase in turnover

The Challenge

Designing custom tables to fit the industrial design style of the venue. We knew that the industrial-style materials could make the interior feel cold, so we aimed to create a suite of tables with integrated lighting that would create a sense of space, and add some perceived warmth.

We decided to develop high tables for smaller groups, which could be combined to accommodate larger groups, and one long banquet-style centrepiece table.

In order to meet the brief's goals, we intended to develop a custom table and lighting solution. We envisioned the lighting becoming part of the tables, and contributing to the overall industrial-style aesthetic, while adapting to tables of different heights and sizes. We designed the tables to provide the feeling of being individual spaces within a larger, open plan space, and we knew that the lighting could facilitate that.

Each table is constructed from a steel frame and a single, solid walnut surface. The steel is 40x40mm, and powder-coated in terracotta orange. This adds warmth to otherwise cool metal bars, and gives the frames a subtle pop of colour. Each frame extends over and above the tabletop, and houses the bespoke lighting. The tables have a sheet of galvanised corrugated metal towards the base as an accent piece and a nod to the overall use of raw materials.

Each table's walnut surface is cut from a single 40mm sample. The wood is charred at one end, an element of craftsmanship which makes each table unique, and adds additional warmth to the timber.

The tables were designed to create a sense of place and space. To achieve this, we installed accent lighting into the section of the frame that arcs above each table. The lighting is installed on the underside of this arc, to illuminate the tabletop below it. The light is diffuse, bright, and casts an even glow. This creates a sort of 'light bubble' which gives the sense of each table being its own well-lit space within the environment of the venue. Bonus: Instagram fans love this – it creates the perfect light for amateur food photography!

What truly sets these tables apart is that they are individually powered via cables running vertically from the ceiling. We sourced industrial-style coiled orange cables for each table, and installed power outlets into the ceilings. This allows the tables to be moved around the venue as needed without sacrificing their lighting function, and while avoiding trip hazards – they can simply be relocated and powered back up by plugging into a conveniently-placed ceiling outlet.

The modular design of these tables allows them to be grouped together, Bavarian beer hall-style, for larger bookings of up to 60 guests. One long, low version of the tables – a striking 4.6m in length – completes the setup. It features as a centrepiece of the venue, and can sit 12 individuals at any one time.

The primary challenge in this project was to present informative industry research data in a lively and engaging format.

The brief asked us to grab readers' attention immediately, and to maintain their interest throughout. We were also asked to ensure that the content was easily browsed, so that readers could quickly jump to particular sections of interest to them.

Our design intent was to develop a clear style for the book, one that made it skimmable but also engaging. We used a clean typeface to maintain attention and to convey a sense of authority in the information that was being presented. We placed the majority of the text towards the inner spine on each page, giving the data visualisations room to shine. Finally, to bring a sense of relatability to the document, we used head-and-shoulders photographs of a diverse range of smiling people at the start of each chapter.

To achieve the goal of grabbing the readers' attention immediately, we set out to design a high-impact front cover. Most strikingly is the portrait, created using photographs of people from diverse backgrounds. Hand-drawn threads outline the portrait, bringing this diverse range of people together as one. The colours of these threads are the brand colours of the two organisations behind the publication – Trinity College Dublin, and Contracting Plus. The cover is printed on textured paper, and specialist finishes such as spot UV add elements of high gloss and production value.

Within the publication we used bold, sans-serif typography for a sense of modernity, to maintain attention, and to convey a sense of confidence and authority in the information being presented.

The publication comprises 10 chapters, each of which is packed with valuable information. In order to make the information easy to navigate and enjoyable to consume, we colour-coded each chapter individually. This made it inherently easy to pick the publication up and quickly flick to a chosen chapter, and it provided subtle visual clues as to the length of each chapter. In addition, it maintained consistency with reports from other years – this is the third year the publication has been produced, and we have been fortunate to design the layout each year.

In addition, each chapter opens with a quote from one of the volunteers interviewed for the publication, along with a portrait photograph. The interviewees come from a diverse background, and these portrait photographs make the publication appealing to a broader range of people, and make it more accessible and relatable.

To present the information in the clearest and most visually appealing manner, we arranged the text and graphical elements within a set format. The bulk of the text is printed towards the inner spine on each page, allowing ample space for the charts and other visual data representations – each of which was designed in-house by us in-house. To further lighten the data-heavy load, we added colourful splashes of watercolour paint to various pages. This adds to the publication's sense of dynamism and creativity.

Tapped (formerly the Porterhouse Bar on Nassau Street) is a transformative bar with entrances on Nassau and Grafton Street.

Owned by the Porterhouse Brewing Company, the interior design was inspired by elements of their functioning brewery located in Glasnevin, Dublin.

Exposed ducting, exposed brick and the goal to retain as many elements of the original building all directed the design aesthetic. Overhead conveyors, the vast network of piping and industrial materials used in the brewery were creatively reinterpreted and designed for a commercial venue. A custom designed, wayfinding floor print also mimicked the wayfinding signage of the brewery.

Sustainability was also a key focus for the design and fitout. Repurposed kegs were used in a variety of ways including decoratively as well as purpose built furniture.

The material palette was whittled down 3 core materials and colours: cast concrete, stainless steel and powder-coated red metal. With the longest bar in Dublin, a single red line of powder-coated metal further highlights this and connects other spaces throughout the venue. Along its journey, the red line morphs into different materials and functions from metal to paint to timber to upholstery – all in red – and taking the shapes of tables, seats, lighting, and counters. This extends the length of the bar from 15 to over 100 metres in length.

It was important to pay respect to the original building, which is an historical structure. Stripping back years of paneling that had been added in over time exposed beautiful old historical brickwork, as well as the structural concrete and steel that was added as reinforcement over the years. All of the exposed brickwork was cleaned and treated, and this allows the ‘old brick’ to contrast beautifully with the ‘future brick’. The “ghost of the original archways was re-exposed and 4 drinking counters were crafted from solid glass brick topped with untreated metal, signifying transparency and the new life and use of the building.

The Challenge

To rename and rebrand the famous Porterhouse Bar on Dublin’s Grafton Street. Creating a new branding scheme for an already widely recognised brand was both a challenge and an opportunity.

We took inspiration from both The Porterhouse Group’s existing palette of colours, and the Porterhouse Brewery’s physical components, and created a completely original name and branding scheme for the venue. The new name – Tapped – was inspired by the 50 taps serving beer, wine, and cocktails in the recently refurbished venue.

The Brief

Essentially to give the venue a fresh look, a catchy name, and a renewed level of appeal to a younger adult audience.

The idea for this new branding scheme was inspired by the industrial, mechanical, and tactile nature of The Porterhouse brewery. Stepping into the brewery, you are greeted by a vast network of pipes, each leading to and from various pieces of brewing and bottling equipment. There is a distinctly industrial feel to the brewery, as gleaming metal equipment contrasts with the rough, raw brick walls.

The Result

The new logo we designed leans into this industrial style, and is a visual representation of this network of pipes. The lettering is a bold, clear, custom typography, again inspired by pipework as it twists and turns at 90 degree angles. The colour scheme is based upon the Porterhouse Group’s existing palette, with the addition of a shade of teal as an identifier for this specific venue. This new, urban-inspired colour scheme retains the Porterhouse Group’s recognisable branding while introducing a new colour that pops nicely from the slightly moodier, dark, existing range of tones.

For the venue itself, we created a physical sign-board based on all of the above influences. We wanted the sign to be a further evolution of the branding, and to incorporate another element of the brewery – the industrial-style informational tags that are seen on pallets, boxes, and kegs. The sign is a heavy-duty, physical representation of one of these tags, and is an eye-catching physical melange of the pipework, tags, and the custom typography.

Overall, the eclectic influences of the brewery’s pipes, the industrial-style tags, and the Porterhouse Group’s brand colours enhanced with a new tone all retain the essence of the brand, and bring the context of the brewery to life in the revised branding scheme. The new branding is unmistakably part of the Porterhouse Group, but is a modern evolution geared towards a younger, more discerning adult audience.

The client kindly (and happily) reported the following stats as a result of our work:

* >400% increase in followers on social media

* 32% increase in turnover

Glendalough Distillery released the Mizunara Cask release and we worked on the physical launch of the product from window displays to POS to Launch mailers across Ireland and US as part of the launch.

The suite of products we developed took inspiration from traditional Japanese craft of Kintsugi and the dialogue between Japanese Lava Rock and Irish Granite Rock in multiple ways from the gold bind to their relationship through the red string of faith.

We used traditional methods of printing and japanese book binding to create a one of a kind booklet using hand stitching with red string and handmade japanese paper.

The window displays across Ireland for the day of the launched featured a Japanese stone garden style display with raked white sand and minimal materials to display a single bottle in a lot of negative space.

istil38 is an Irish Vodka that we developed from the very start, working on the name development, brand, logo, positioning and the packaging. We designed the custom bottle mould to look tall and elegant with a frosted split down the middle, showing the clarity and quality of the product at the bottom and having a white brand space around the top.

Services:

-Branding
- Packaging
- Photography
- Advertising

Wren Bar was a pop up bar by the Dingle Distillery in the heart of Dublin. We wanted to bring “Dingle” itself to the big city by using the elements from nature and the town itself to create a compact but impactful space to be in.
The room is split into 2, right side being a Dingle blue colour block while the left side being a darker space but with the natural elements of Dingle like the stone wall, sleepers, views into the countryside and tall grass.

The idea of people sitting around the stone wall sharing the communal space at different heights brings people together, while still separated into individual spaces by tall grass.

Combination of colour blocking and raw untreated materials and controlled lighting created a very unique space to be in.

The garden is at the front of the premises so also acts as the entrance to the gastropub.

A walkway was created using the positioning of furniture to create a clear path from garden entrance to door. A split level also allowed us to create more seating by creating a decking over their existing flower beds to substantially increase the floor space of the garden. An 8m metal counter at the higher level also acts as a shelter for the seating below also increasing seating for the premises.

Assorted styles of furniture allow visitors to decide what type of dining they would like. Casual drinks, coffee, sit down meal, popping out for a cigarette are all accommodated for by a mixture of low, medium and high seating.

The use of timber and brick in the furniture suite further reinforce the industrial style of the garden and also the reflect the name of the gastropub.

Free standing furniture allows for spacing regulations to be adhered to during Covid-19 but also allow for the garden to be at full capacity when restrictions are eased.

Timber cladding was used around the perimeter of the garden for 3 reasons;

* To shield from the elements
* To create intimate spaces within the garden
* To create a space for the garden to exist

Timber cladding was also used to create an entrance to the garden and thus the gastropub as this is something they were lacking.

Large Corten steel lettering was used to create signage and also as a memorable entrance. This partially ticked off the part of the brief calling for visibility. The second part of this was using stretch tents as a weather proofing solution but also as a visibility measure. We chose a muted grey to respect the surroundings and let the tents do the talking.

The tents create an area for higher and lower dining when it is raining.

Custom steel planter boxes surround the perimeter. The greenery within these soften the garden space and further create a contrast between the stark metal furniture and the natural environment.

Tullamore D.E.W. wanted to create a portable pop-up garden "Tully Snug" to create micro Tullamore Bars in people's gardens for the 2021 summer during Covid19 Pandemic.

The result was a phone booth style bar that opens out into into a beautiful Tully snug. The fully hand made units were developed and produced for a Tullamore D.E.W. summer campaign to allow their product users to have a home garden bar during the Covid19 pandemic.

The units were designed to be closeable so that they can be brought in and through any house and into the garden, while being fully weather sealed for outdoor use when closed. A phonebooth-like look of of the unit has a ribbed glass window at the front and a sign giving a distorted glimpse into the bar inside. A single-colour outer design creates mystery to the block and gives it a modern edge.

When opened, two of the faces lock into place creating a twipple-wide back wall and a stimulating branded outdoor space using a combination of slatted walnut paneling and painted/branded paneling and decor. 2 useable counters create drink shelf space while to the side wall a number of shelves as well as garnish containers allow the you to stack the bar fully to your liking and have easy access to things like ice and garnishes during use.

Overall, a handmade and powder coated aluminium outer shell and frame, fitted with a reeded glass window and inside with a series of shelves, counters and decor for Supreme home garden bar use.

To go with the universal bars we designed and made a number of Tullamore Stools handmade from brass with a solid walnut seat. The design of each stool is driven by the fact that these are to be used by anybody of any height, so 4 different height foot rests were designed as part of each stools brass frame, and the frames were powder coated from the foot rests down. The 4 stools then fit inside the bar perfectly when closed and sealed allowing it to be a fully self-contained unit.

Dingle distillery wanted to create astriking table top display to champion the release of their latest whiskey for in window shop fronts and in retail spaces.

Details of the brief included

* Display up to 7 bottles
* Celebrate the release of this latest whiskey
* Reflect the inherent brand credetials of Dingle Distillery
* To champion as single bottle above all the others
* Showcase their iconic 3 pot stills
* Eye catching
* Visible at night
* Substantial in size

The primary challenge was to represent all elements of the Dingle Distillery story in a beautifully crafted way whilst also still maintaining a commercial aspect.

The result was a 1.2 meter curved copper unit weighing over 30kg that significantly elevated the bottles above the surface that they would usually be displayed on.

The shiny metal copper contrasts beautifully with the soft green moss and thick walnut base. The curved copper sheets "hug" each bottle encasing it in the "shield" of Dingle Distillery. The organic shape of the walnut base contrasts with the stark copper that sits above it.

The Dingle landscape is plasma cut into the solid copper of the central pot stil further reinforcing the brand credentials and creating interesting patterns when the light reflects through them. The other 2 pot stills represent the production of Dingle whiskey from the water and barley they use to their cask ageing process.

The varying height tiers display the bottles at differing levels with a single bottle sitting above all others. The unit holds 7 bottles in total and can be used as a point of sale as well as retail display unit.

The inclusion of lighting illuminates the beautiful liquid inside the bottles and increases visibility at night and in locations with darker display areas.

The solid walnut base is machine carved from 5 layers of solid walnut and houses both the assembly mechanisms and the electrcial wiring internally while the 2 elements are then copper riveted together. The logo is then printed with copper paint directly onto copper, creating a less intrusive branding and the unit is hand fitted with artificial moss to represent the natural landscapes of Dingle, Co. Kerry.

he Porterhouse is an iconic bar on Dublin’s Nassau street. For this project, We were tasked with transforming the laneway at the rear of the premises into a dynamic and colourful beer garden. This laneway consisted of a handful of barrels mostly used by customers popping out for a smoke with their drink. The challenge was to optimise the narrow space to create seating for 50 customers.

As this project was partially funded by Schweppes and Dingle. We needed to also include visibility for both brands.

A smaller room within the Porterhouse bar that opens out onto the garden was also to be included in the project.

We decided to dedicate the interior space to Dingle and the exterior to Schweppes rather than battling two brands to co exist in a small space.

As a sustainability measure and to optimise the budget, We decided to repurpose equipment from the Porterhouse brewery into furniture for the garden.

Barrel holders and kegs made up the bases of the tables and stools. The addition of quality timber table and stool tops and colourful powder coating in the Schweppes brand colours transformed these pieces into a furniture suite fit for a trendy new beer garden. Wall-mounted tables and shelves optimise the limited space in the garden.

The addition of "empty" powder coated steel frames transformed a dull, grey wall into colourful, tactile art that tied the garden together. Varying sizes and shapes of overlapping frames, "frame" the old and the new of the garden.

As the laneway is visible from Grafton Street, we wanted to create an eyecatching entrance and space that would attract footfall from an already busy shopping street.

We achieved this with the use of neon signage, overhead warm lighting and colourful wayfiding strips in the Schweppes brand colours that lead you into the garden and "pull" you towards the other end of the lane. Each strip represents and leads you to a different aspect of the garden. Yellow for Schweppes extends the length of the laneway to a colourful mural displaying many of the Porthouse own brand beer labels. While the blue way finding strip will bring you into the dedicated Dingle Distillery room.

The Dingle room uses a blue and white colour palette with soft green foiliage hanging from the ceiling to create a vibrant but intimate space. The existing tables were updated with pops of colour to bring them up to date with the design of the overall space.

Headon Boxing Academy were opening a new open plan 100 square meter studio in Dublin and were looking to create a unique work out experience.

The studio is designed as a dark space with 2 different characters during the day and in the evening.

With sunlight, the space is big and airy with dark walls, floor and ceiling and highlights of Headon branded orange colours throughout different elements from windows to boxing bags. The matt charcoal walls have large PUNCH vinyls in slightly darker and gloss finish throughout the room giving them a black-on-black finish and the combination of different shades of dark grey and black throughout gives the space its own character.

In the evening the space is transformed with app-controlled lighting that changes the mood of the space during workouts by allowing the trainers to instantly adjusting brightness and colours to increase or decrease intensity of workouts. 36 lighting pannels along with a PUNCH neon sign light up the space.

The ceiling itself is made up of 380 tiles, each individually painted in charcoal and orange to spell out the letters HBA across the space, which is both the largest element of the space and is also the least noticeable, adding an extra discoverable element.

The combination of all the elements, colours and lighting create a truly unique workout experience and a very special space to be in.

With the addition of Headon's newest boxing location, we strived to create a design that stands the test of time.

The use of indirect lighting and a bold colour palette across the studio, work together to amplify the energy while building the feeling of excitement and movement with each jab.

Featuring a darkened room with pops of bold neon lighting and bespoke, retro feature graphics, the bold studio is the perfect space to get your sweat on!

‘Ohana Tiki Bar was a new venue on Harcourt Street in Dublin who were looking for a premium but also tropical interior fit out to bring a Classy Tiki bar to Ireland.

The inspiration for the bar comes from a mixture of Polynesian influences including Hawaii and Easter Island. The colour palette is a combination of teal, crystal blue - evoking images of the clear blue Pacific Ocean - and natural bamboo. Oversized palm leaves and pineapples are printed onto custom wallpaper and cover sections of the walls.

The striking exterior is defined by a block colour of crystal blue, wayfinding strip from steps to entrance. The exterior walls and floor are painted black with bamboo cladding and live bamboo plants to bring a softer element.

The entrance into the bar begins with a vortex style transition - characterised by mirror panels and neon-style lighting - bringing you from outside into Tiki heaven. The reception hallway uses a volcanic effect wall (reminiscent of the Haleakala volcano) with a vibrant pink ‘Aloha’ greeting.

The key design features of the venue are colour block sections, bamboo cladding and a mixture of contemporary and tiki furniture.

Tiki heads and Easter Island style statues adorn the corners of the teal colour block rooms.

The cove takes on a Caribbean element and the colour palette changes to a monochromatic tan and black. The walls are bedecked with black skulls - modelled after an actual human skull - and a hanging bamboo feature to continue the Tiki theme. The copper port lanterns and premium rum feature cabinets complete this look.

The outdoor area features an ‘Ohana’ sign made completely from natural bamboo and decorated with soft green foliage. Copper stools and artificial grass will make you feel like you are lounging in the Polynesian Triangle with a rum cocktail in hand (despite the Irish weather!).

Glendalough Distillery approached us to create a tabletop piece which can be used to display and serve their whiskey and gin range. The tabletop piece was reflect the brand credentials of the Glendalough brand including their most recent campaign which includes a lot of foliage and forest imagery. Foraging is also a major part of the Glendalough brand as they have a full time forager for all of their botanicals so we wanted to represent this on the unit also.

Elements that were to be included were

* Space for 3+ bottles to be displayed

* Fresh garnish

* Space for shot / serving glasses

* Space for food pairing

The result was a substantial table top piece made from oak timber that can be brought to various events / in store tastings to showcase the whiskey / gin that they are promoting.

The base of the unit - which is made from solid oak - is separated into three tiers. The top tier includes a glass cloche which houses the bottle being displayed / served - the championed bottle. This cloche acts as a mini greenhouse which houses artificial plants as if the bottle is emerging from a green landscape.

The second tiers allows for two other bottles on the left hand side with the right side covered in an artificial moss and can hold ceramic tasting glasses for display or tasting.

The third and bottom tier has a a large space for food pairings or botanicals / garnishes. A designated hole in this base holds a live plant, whether it be basil or mint or any other similar plant, it can sit comfortably at the back of the third tier. This live element was important to the piece as Glendalough's brand is all about foraging and sourcing the best natural botanicals for their liquids.

The Glendalough logo and Saint Kevin icon are laser etched onto the side of the oak base with the charring effect contrasting nicely against the dark timber.

The photos accompanying this show the versatility of the piece depending on its surroundings and how it is dressed.

Glendalough will use this piece for in store and event tastings.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin were looking for unique on-brand tasting trays which they can use at special gin tasting events and that would represent the brand beautifully.

The trays were designed as a multi-layer walnut base with the brand elements lasered onto 2 of the layers (the map and the logo). The tasting experience elements are strategically placed around the tray in their own slots to work as part of the experience, be it the tonic bottle or the garnish dish or the line of botanical jars, each named. The glass holder allows for both their own Gunpowder glass to be held up top as well as a classic gin goblet to be supported at the upper neck. The copper frame twists through the walnut base and ends with 2 walnut handles and the Gunpowder corks at each ending.

Roe & Co. Distillery approached us to design and create a suite of merchandising pieces that would display their whiskey bottles and be used for on trade such as window displays and in bars. The units were to reflect the brand integrity of Roe & Co. which is offbeat and quirky in their branding and design execution.

The brief called for a crate and Point of Sale piece. The crate was to function as a display crate but to also have the Roe & Co. personality injected into it. The Point of Sale was to showcase the bottles and the Roe & Co. branding.

We created a unique crate in the Roe & Co. verdigris pantone with a copper tubing bar sitting across it.

The point of sale uses a two tier podium coloured in the Roe & Co. verdigris with copper tubing shaped like the Distillery towers.

The idea for the crates was to make them as versatile as possible as they were to be used in windows and exhibition displays. We decided to make a rectangular crate, painted in the Roe & Co. verdigris pantone, which can be used in 3 different ways;

* Flat

* Upright vertical

* Upright horizontal

Two copper tubing bars make up the outside of the crate with a third horizontal bar going across the front of the crates. The copper contrasts nicely with the verdigris colour and gives the crates a quirky edge. The Roe & Co. logo is screen printed in a 2 colour print on the back of the crate with the secondary, simplified logo screen printed in single colour on the side so that no matter which way they are the displayed, the Roe & Co. branding will be present.

The inspiration for the point of sale came from the distillery towers which are used in a lot of the Roe & Co. marketing communications - including as the background to their website. The base of the units is made from MDF painted in the Roe & Co. verdigris pantone. The two tiers of the base separate and champion on of the bottles in an off-centre, overhanging podium. Copper tubing makes up the outline of the two towers of the iconic distillery. A chunky Roe & Co. branded button gives this piece the retro edge that distinguishes the brand from its competitors.

These units are to be distributed to on trade within Ireland.

Coca Cola Signature Mixers are a range of 4 premium mixers created by 4 world renowned mixologists for the eponymous Coca Cola brand. This is also the first time ever that Coca Cola has shared its recipe with an external body (just an interesting fact!).

The brief called for a serving unit that would house the 4 different signature mixers (12 bottles in total) and include an knowledge sharing aspect to educate the consumer on the new flavours, tasting notes as well as the mixologist from whom they were created. The unit also needed to be able to serve the drink i.e. include an ice bucket to keep them cool. The design direction for this comes from Coca Cola's "Enter the Dark" campaign for the launch of these.

We created a unique unit that houses 12 of the signature mixer bottles and an acrylic information card for each.

For this unit, we wanted to maintain the natural timber whilst also protecting and sealing it. We decided to use the Japanese method of Shou Sugi Ban which chars the timber thereby preserving and antiquing it.

There was few reasons for using this technique;

* We wanted to create a unique exterior for the unit without contaminating it with paint

* We wanted to create a dark exterior to reflect the "Enter the Dark" theme

* We also needed to preserve the timber making it waterproof

Using this method allowed us to achieve all of these points for the exterior of the unit. We laser etched the Coca Cola logo onto the top of the box so that it's "black on black" further reinforcing the "Enter the Dark" theme.

The unit is opened using a red leather tag which can be customised for individual bars with their logo.

The opening of the unit reveals a more colourful interior. 4 rows of 3 bottles of each of the signature mixer flavours sit in their own colour designated section. The acrylic card that sits behind each row can be pulled out to reveal information about the bottles such as flavour profiles, tasting notes, alcohol pairings and information about the mixologist who created it. These acrylic cards are also colour coded in the same colour as the flavour profile that they correspond with.

The lid of the unit - sealed and lined with black acrylic - doubles as an ice box to keep the bottles cool at the table.

The idea for the boxes is to have them appear mysterious from the outside. The lowkey branding and black exterior achieves this. The colourful interior is then nicely contrasted with the exterior revealing the bottles and their information.

These boxes were debuted in Ohana Tiki Rum Bar with 16 more produced for other locations.

Fercullen Irish Whiskey is a new product released by the Powerscourt Distillery and they were looking for a way of presenting their bottles in trade.

Powerscourt Distillery has close historical connection to the Sugarloaf Hill and the surrounding natural area, so we wanted to represent the natural aspect of the surrounding forest as well as the Sugarloaf itself while having both the bottles and the brand integrated as part of that landscape.

The unit is built out of nearly 100 copper and brass rods which at the top create a topographical map of the Sugarloaf hill and the scattered pattern of the rods gives them a forest-like feel. An engraved copper band curves around the unit and through the copper forest, and has both logos at either end.

‘Ohana Tiki Bar Dublin is a premium, yet fun bar on Harcourt Street. We designed the logo using a combination of elegant elongated shapes and letters combined with a 3D effect palm leaf in the background that bring the 2 main colours of the bar, Cyan and Magenta, into the logo and gives it a “neon” feel.

Intrepid Spirits approached us to design a visual merchandising window display for 2 of their brands: Cocalero and Regal Rogue.

The brief called for a marriage of the two brands in order to promote their Summer Spritz drink.

Both brands were to have their own designated space but to have elements that transferred across each space to show the relationship between the two for the summer spritz drink promotion.

The result was a vibrant window display that uniquely represented both brands and was eye catching fo passers by.

We designed and manufactured these stools as part of a new brand world release for Tullamore DEW and the 1st batch of these went into Devitt’s Pub, Dublin.

The stool was design to accommodate different foot rest height requirements for different musicians as well as general people. Since we’re all different the stool has 4 different heights of foot rests making it universally comfortable.

The frame is made from brass square tube and powder coated green at the bottom. The seat is machined from a solid piece of walnut and 2 padded green leather cushions sit in the void.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin approached us to design a gin tray for Ashford Castle that would be used to serve their gin experience.

The tray was to include; Gunpowder bottle; 12 botanicals, the Gunpowder map and 3 gin glasses.

The challenge was to merge to premium brands on a single tray.

The result is a hand finished walnut tray with copper and leather handles and a laser etched surface.

The glasses appear to be floating at the front of the tray and are at a height to encourage aroma, ease of use and for easy visual inspection.

In addition to this, Ashford Castle wanted a presentation tray that would sit comfortably alongside the serving tray that would be part of the same suite. This tray was created using the same walnut as the gin tasting tray with Ashford Castle’s logo laser etched onto the base.

Tullamore DEW approached us with a brief to roll out their new branding by utilising brand assets and materials to create disruptive and eye-catching installations that would be instagram worthy and reflect the modernity and youthfulness of the new brand whilst staying true to the Tullamore DEW Heritage.

This installation is the first of 7 to be rolled out across locations in Dublin, Galway and Tullamore in Offaly.

The DJ Booth in 1520 is a central aspect of the bar with singers and bands also regularly performing in front of it.

The challenge was to seamlessly integrate the updated branded DJ booth into the existing surroundings of 1520 Bar.

The result was a vertical Tullamore DEW takeover that extends into the cubby of the original stone wall and ends with a re-upholstered gold leather seat - a Tullamore DEW brand material and colour.

The Kinsale Sharks Awards is an International Festival of Creativity held annually in Kinsale, Co. Cork. The festival has been running for 57 years and with Jurors and entries from BBDO, Universal Music and Droga5 to name a few, we were delighted to be asked to design their 2018 festival programme.

The brief was to bring a fresh take to the festival and reflect the creativity and individuality of the festival.  

Maintaining their brand identity while giving a totally fresh look and feel was a challenge that was overcome by reverting to a primary blue and red palette that had been used historically.

The cover of the booklet is a matte black with the festival title printed in spot UV. We felt this was a bold move but the client was receptive to new ideas and the result was worth the risk. The logo is a sharks head which is die cut through the cover with the eyes and gills printed on the inside page.

A main issue with previous festival programmes was finding crucial information pertaining to the festival such as ‘festival schedule’ and ‘shortlists’. We solved this by creating a smaller booklet within that contained all crucial information. This was easily found as it was inset into larger pages so brought a natural break where information could be easily accessed.

Images from the 2017 that we had taken (as the festival official photographers) were used as the background to the other pages with a blue or red overlay depending on the section.

Both we and the client were very happy with the finished result and we got excellent feedback from the delegates and jurors at the festival.

We designed, manufactured and installed this Tullamore DEW corner as a backdrop for the Devitt’s Live sessions in Devitt’s pub, Dublin.

As part of the installation the area was re-painted and new wooden green-stained stripe was installed going from the bar onto the back wall. The Devitt’s Live signs are made of 2mm brass and are internally lit while there is a “pint shelf” running along the back for the musicians to rest their drinks on.

3 musician stools were designed and made as part of the project using the brand materials.

Dead End Marketing were looking for a unique and punchy brand to be developed along with a minimal website that left a bit of mystery to what the company does.

We developed a Black & White branding package including logo, iconography, animation and a minimalistic website as part of the project.

https://www.deadend.ie/

Headon Boxing Academy launched a new gym in Sandymount and for this gym they had a lot more freedom and were able to do a wall and floor fit out.

We designed an idea of having a continuous orange line from the starting point at the stairs all the way around to the other end of the gym, leading the visitors as they walk in. Along the way there are a number of features, starting with a big sign at the entrance saying “PUNCH IT OUT” with Punch made out of neon and IT OUT made of gym matt material. The backing board of the neon sign continues on up the stairs and turns into a useable blackboard for latest news and class schedules and ends with the gyms logo at the entrance into the room. As the line continues into the main room, backlit letters HBA are overlooking the space at a height and at the back wall there is a repeating word PUNCH to further inspire the gym goers.

These lamps began as subtle POS for Hyde Bar in Galway. Because of their success there Gunpowder asked us to produce a suite of lamps that could be given to best performing bars as a sleek addition to their existing furniture.

The lamps needed to be subtle enough to fit in with majority out interiors but individual enough that they would act as a subtle POS and keep Gunpowder top of mind for gin pour.

The result was a single and triple lamp that could be sent depending on space availability in each location. As a portion of these were to be shipped internationally with fit them with an adaptor to accommodate for varying voltage in specific countries.

Avis Ireland are part of the Avis brand, an international car rental agency. Operating in over 5,000 locations in 165 countries across the globe Avis is now one of the world's top brands within the car hire industry. 

We work with Avis Ireland on a continuous basis for all of their graphic design needs both for print and digital.

Creating graphics for their social media platforms is a primary aspect of their marketing. We have developed a number of templates, based on information provided by the client, to distinguish various posts while still maintaining a uniform look that is within the branding guidelines. 

As we have been working with Avis for 3+ years you will see the evolution of their brand in the graphics.

www.avis.ie

As part of the Tullamore D.E.W. brand rollout we installed this piece in the iconic Whiskey Palace in Temple Bar. The location was the window and hallway at the top of the stairs to the Whiskey Palace. 

The bar is family owned and was once the residence of the family. The interior decor reflects the pubs history and heritage and we wanted to seamlessly integrate the installation with the existing elements. 

The window graphic is set between triple glazed glass and is printed onto the glass with a tarnished gold foil (to give an aged look), the green is a separate print in the Tullamore D.E.W. green RAL. 

The red neon sign was to attract attention to the top of the stair so that customers would be aware that the upstairs is open. 

The “WP” letters are halo lit and made form sheet brass. This was used to accurately reflect the Tullamore D.E.W. brand materials and colours. 

The window seat is upholstered in yellow leather and fixed to the base of the window. 

The exterior metal bars were painted in the Tullamore D.E.W. green RAL to match the legs of the Tully session stools that were placed at either edge of the window. 

Ambr Eyewear have a range of stylish glasses that protect your eyes from screens. They came to us looking to have 2 stands designed for their glasses to be showcased in Brown Thomas Dublin.

We designed and manufactured 2 stands, one for menswear section and second for womenswear section on 2nd floor.

The menswear unit was built into the wall and has suspended glass shelves for the glasses to sit on, polished metal trimming and integrated drawers.

The womenswear unit stands at the wall, has satin glass suspended shelves that are trimmed with brass. The unit also has brass plates and trimming on the outer perimeter and soft close drawers that are finished in matte black.

Both units are lit up internally and have angled light boxes with individual artworks.

We were commissioned to make a suite of POS for a brand activation of Jack Daniels new Cider range.

The suite included 70x hand carved wooden apples, 4x wooden crates, 1x half barrel table and 1 Barrel tree.

The suite was manufactured using screen printing, laser cutting, Lathe carving, painting and ageing to achieve the rugged aesthetic required in the brief.

A large wooden crate was also created so Suite can be moved from venue to venue with ease and without damage.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin wanted a subtle point of sale that would share their brand story and also sit comfortably on any pub or bar countertop or shelf.

We designed and made miniature suitcases that hold the 12 botanicals that make up Gunpowder gin overspilling out of the case and surrounding the unique Gunpowder Gin bottle.

The Suitcases light up to attract attention and make the iconic blue bottle stand out.

The botanicals are made with a copper finish and the suitcase is handmade from Irish Walnut.

Winner of Irelandʼs Best Outdoor Space for a Beer Garden in 2018.
As part of a Gin & Tonic garden installation, we designed and built tables that showcase the perfect accompaniments to a G&T. The goal was to create tabletops which evoke ice-cold refreshment, encouraging you to buy a Gin & Tonic.
The tabletops were designed to be a solid cast of resin and each unit contains over 550 individual acrylic ice cubes as well as realistic looking fruit. The tops are finished with dripped resin and partially frosted effect to make them look like theyʼre always cold even on the hottest day.
The high stools that accompany the table units were designed to have the same structural elements and finishes as the tables. The beech timber tops provide a natural timber look to the units. The steel for both the tables and stools was manufactured and powder coated to our design spec.

Budget Car Rental is a leading car rental agency in Ireland. As part of the Budget global network, the brand exists in over 3900 locations in 125 countries.

We work with Budget Car Rental ireland on a continuous basis for all of their graphic design needs both for print and digital.

Creating graphics for their social media platforms is a primary aspect of their marketing. We have developed a number of templates, based on information provided by the client, to distinguish various posts while still maintaining a uniform look that is within the branding guidelines. 

As we have been working with Budget for 3+ years you will see the evolution of their brand in the graphics.

www.budget.ie

Buckley Real Estate is a new estate agency that opened it’s doors in 2018.

They approached us to design their branding and develop a brand identity that can be repurposed across a suite of assets.

The client had a specific palette of turquoise, navy and gold that was to be used.

We used the navy and turquoise palette to create a geometric background pattern that could be used across other assets with the logo and text in gold.

The contrast of the gold on the darker colours reflect the premium nature of the company and the navy and turquoise communicate trust and professionalism.

An extension of this project was to design the exterior signage for their office premises in Rathgar.

Great to be asked back by our friends the White Hag Irish Brewing Co.'s Hagstravaganza beer festival in Sligo during the summer 2018. Always such an amazing event. We were asked to take unique portraits of the Irish and International brewers and staff.

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin is a premium Irish Gin. As we had developed a suite of assets for them they gave us a brief to design and build and Point of Sale unit for in-store display.

The unit had to be flatpack and use the brand materials; wood and copper. Gunpowder also wanted to include their iconic cork and mimc the shape of their unique bottle with the stand.

An Pucan is arguably one of Irelandʼs best bars. They approached us to transform their beer garden into a ‘Fever Tree Tonicʼ and ‘Bombay Ginʼ inspired garden.
The theme of the garden is ‘All is not what it seemsʼ and this was achieved through a number of design elements within the garden, from the steel forest through to the completely bespoke gin & tonic tables.
The colour palette of the garden is a nod to the two brands; blue for Bombay Gin and yellow for Fever Tree Tonic.
The permanent counters encase bottles of both Bombay and Fever Tree and float behind a metal cage. The countertops are zinc clad with branded elements etched onto each one.
The steel forest is comprised of 3.9 metre high pillars with branch style cut outs and are up-lit from the inside.
The artificial trees have LED cherry blossoms to create soft lighting in contrast to the stark steel.
The word ‘GALWAYʼ is hung on the wall in large yellow lettering and is up-lit creating an Instagram worthy memory.
The gin & tonic tables show a number of flavour combinations encased in a resin tabletop.
The furniture is made from a combination of steel and wood and sits nicely alongside the other more colourful elements in the garden.
The words ‘Gin & Tonicʼ are hand drawn and hand painted onto the ground in the Bombay blue.

Hyde Bar, which is part of the Forster Court Hotel in Galway, has recently launched as a dedicated Gin Bar with over 500 gins in their ‘Gin Bibleʼ - which we also designed and can be viewed here.
Hyde Bar wanted to install a permanent feature flower wall that showcased the Hyde brand and colour scheme and that would be visible to passersby.
The result was a cascading feature wall made with over 7,500 artificial flowers. The white logo is embossed so that it is 3D and contrasts with the surrounding red and blue flowers. The wall ‘explodesʼ up onto the ceiling and into the void with vertical, long-stemmed flowers hanging down.

DIT Hothouse is the award-winning Knowledge Transfer and Incubation Centre at Dublin Institute of Technology, responsible for the commercialisation of intellectual property arising from DIT research.
DIT Hothouse wanted to redesign the look and feel of their brand as well as create an identity for one of the sub divisions within DIT Hothouse: OpenLabs. The task was to create a brand identity that would imbue all of the values of the incubation hub whilst also adhering to the branding guidelines of Dublin Institute of Technology. The idea was to create a branded suite for both brands so that OpenLabs would be instantly recognisable as a part of DIT Hothouse. The result was a grid pattern using the first letter of each brand i.e. ‘Hʼ for Hothouse and ‘Oʼ for OpenLabs with a blue colour palette and high contrast desaturated background imagery.

For the informative leaflets, case studies, and technology licence flyers, the background is switched to a charcoal grey with a white font. This clean layout allows reader to get the most important information in a short amount of time. The following suite of materials were designed as part of this project:

- DIT Hothouse Branding
- OpenLabs Logo & Branding
- Case study Template
- Technology to Licence Template - Image Props
- Social Media Headers
- Business Cards
- Pop-up Banners
- Posters
- DL Leaflets

Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin approached us to design 12 lamps for Hyde Bar - a dedicated gin bar in Galway.

2 standing lamps and 10 tabletop lamps were designed and made using the brand materials of copper and wood.

The Gunpowder bottle is the feature of each lamp and is also used to house the bulb. The blue hue of the bottle contrasts beautifully with the copper structure to give off an ambient light.

Jameson approached us to create an installation in An Púcán in Galway City. The goal was to create an engaging and functional installation that would create a social media sharing opportunity while maintaining and showcasing the Jameson Caskmates brand.

This was achieved by creating a photo opportunity with a black leather bench. When lowered, the bench switches on LED lights that showcase the Caskmates brand. The wood and copper materials used in the installation are central to the Jameson brand and reinforce the deep history and manufacturing processes of the brand.

The outer barrels are filled with actual Jameson Caskmates and are suspended off the wall.
The word JAMESON is made of wood and copper piping. Underneath the copper cage there is an illustrated story of how Jameson company was set up. 90+ meters of copper pipe, 500 copper joints, 100s of LEDs and 20 litres of Jameson Caskmates.

A series of portraits taken at the All Ireland Craft Beer Festival, showcasing the breweries, distilleries, and vendors.

Irish Whiskey Magazine launched a limited edition gift box for Christmas 2017. The gift box includes four editions of Irish Whiskey Magazine, a limited edition calendar and a discount code towards a subscription for the magazine. The side of the box is perforated and can be torn off and transformed into a binder to house your Irish Whiskey Magazine collection.

This result is the perfect Christmas gift for any whiskey lover. See more projects for Irish Whiskey Magazine
Packaging for Irish Whiskey Magazine
Packaging for Whiskey Glass https://www.irishwhiskeymagazine.com/

An Púcán - a popular pub in Galway - approached us to design bespoke table numbers for busy match days.
The table numbers needed to be visible above all other elements on a table, light enough to be carried back and forth and tie in with the existing look and feel of the pub.

The result was a mini Púcán shaped base with highlights of yellow to reinforce the characteristic yellow of the pub exterior. The numbers were laser cut onto the yellow sail and are visible from both sides.
The table numbers are handmade with 21 processes involved in the assembly and production.

See more projects for An Púcán.

Cocktail Menus http://anpucan.ie

These rooms were designed, manufactured and installed as part of the installation for Entrepreneurial People in Lyon, France. Each room is themed around a specific entrepreneur and the medium that is represented on the wall reflects their personality or background.
Richard Branson: 20,000 red airplanes were laser cut into 5 different sizes. Richard's face and the quote itself were mapped out onto the 10 metre wide wall. Each airplane was individually glued into place, creating a dynamic and textured finish for the most important room in their office. The other 2 walls in that room contain 2 other quotes by Richard, one made from laser cut plywood covered in newspaper to represent his first business venture in college running a newspaper, and the second quote is laser cut from Vinyl records representing Virgin Records.
Biz Stone: Twitter themed room with the speech bubble painted onto the wall and the bird/text laser cut from acrylic.
Michael Jordan: Matte black vinyl covered the glass surrounding the whiteboard creating privacy for the office from the other rooms. A silhouette of Michael Jordan was mapped out onto the vinyl and cut out, creating a dynamic break between spaces. Orange letters were laser cut from acrylic.
Henry Ford: A more industrial look was chosen for the finish here - copper. Henry's name was put into a logo-type with a mustang horse.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: As the author of The Little Prince, the artwork of the room was based around his original book visuals but with a more minimal approach. The character was painted onto the wall and letters laser cut from acrylic.
Gary Vaynerchuk: Based around his larger-than-life personality, we painted half of his face onto the wall coming out from behind the structural pillar in the room. The text is laser cut from white acrylic.
Courtyard: We designed, drew and installed a large face of a cow wearing sunglasses to brighten up the office courtyard and create a garden feel with the artificial grass covering the gravel on the light vents. The cow was drawn with markers and installed using a traditional street art installation process.

CHM Group are a Traffic Management and Highway Solutions company based in Cookstown Industrial Estate. Their recent office move presented an opportunity for us to create spaces which resonate with the brand and reinforce the work they do for both their personnel and their clients.

Design consultancy was provided for the office interior and building exterior including their warehouse.
Design features of the spaces
- Walls were painted in directional strips and arrows to guide visitors and personnel throughout the building.

- A logo lightbox was designed and produced for their reception area.
- 3 quotes were installed on 3 separate walls to highlight CHM values and standard of work.
- Windows were covered with frosting to enhance privacy as a lot of the individual offices are surrounded by windows. Shapes synonymous with Traffic Management were cut into the frosting.
The result was a very happy client, a new, welcoming office interior, and a pleasing work environment.
www.chmltd.ie

We visited our good friends The White Hag Irish Brewing Co.'s Hagstravaganza beer festival in Sligo last weekend and took some portrait shots of the brewers and staff. The goal was to showcase the characters behind these amazing beers by taking unique and quirky individual portraits.

Check out the full set on our facebook:

Full album

As part of the installation for Entrepreneurial People in Lyon, France, we designed and hand made a number of tactile wall art objects to complement the theme of each room. Every room featured an entrepreneur and the medium of the objects reflected their backgrounds.
Muhammad Ali: The letters "ALI" were made to resemble boxing gloves. The structural material of the base was foam-covered and finished with stitched red leather, so that they not only look like gloves, they feel like them too. The wall was painted in a 3-colour theme that worked with the branding of the company. The quote itself was laser cut out of white acrylic and each letter glued onto the wall.

Oprah Winfrey: Based on her celebrity and TV background we decided that Light was a good medium to represent her visual. The quote is made from laser cut acrylic boxes and her name is made from 7 layers of laser cut acrylic. All the objects are internally lit up with LEDs and wired across so that it can be switched on during the evening.

Coco Chanel: The letters were hand made by creating a thick structure as a base and then stitching tweed fabric over the structure. This is to resemble the Chanel clothing style to honour her legacy in fashion. The quote was laser cut from white acrylic.

Shortlisted at the Irish Design Awards in the "Packaging" category

Irish Whiskey Magazine approached us with a goal of designing beautiful and sustainable packaging for their magazine. The brief called for an experiential and educational element for the whiskey enthusiast.
A timeline of the whiskey journey was etched onto the packaging using a laser cutting process. Each stage from grain to bottle is represented. As the package is opened, the perforation subtly guides the customer through the rich history of Irish Whiskey.

Watch the Highlight Video we made about the process. https://www.irishwhiskeymagazine.com/

Payless Car Rental is a car rental agency based in Ireland.
We work with Payless Car Rental Ireland on a continuous basis for all of their graphic design needs both for print and digital.

Creating graphics for their social media platforms is a primary aspect of their marketing. We have developed a number of templates, based on information provided by the client, in order to distinguish various posts while still maintaining a uniform look that is within the branding guidelines. 
https://www.payless.ie/

A cocktail menu designed and produced for An Púcán in Galway. 

The cut angle of the menu gives it movement similar to that of a sail on a boat.

The yellow accents of the menu are taken from the characteristic exterior of the pub. 

The menu paper is laser cut with the sponsor logos screen printed along the bottom. 

http://anpucan.ie/

As part of the installation, Entrepreneurial People Coworking Hub in Lyon, France were looking for three signage visuals to be put up both at the front door and within the offices.
Three signs were created using CNC and laser cutting production processes. The front door logo was laser cut and each letter was individually glued onto the mapped out sign. The two larger logos were CNC cut from 20mm timber and sprayed with Polyurethane paint.

Menus designed for Forster Court Hotel in Galway. 

Logo is cnc'd into the menu and hand sprayed in white. 

Elastic bands hold the menu paper in place. 

http://www.theforstercourt.ie/en/

CHM Group is Ireland's number one Traffic Management service provider. The company approached us looking for a fresh design direction for their main booklet which outlines all the services they provide.
Based on a number of initial meetings it became clear that CHM Group are all about the people who work there, and it's those people who are out there providing a service, be it Traffic Management, 3D design, Road & Line Marking, etc. We held a number of photoshoots where we captured images which best represented each division. We separated the booklet into spreads, allowing plenty of space for each topic to be explained and sub-services to be outlined. The finished product ended up being a square booklet with a soft touch cover which outlined all of the above. Additionally, we designed two supporting booklets which went into more detail about two specific topics - Integrated services and Road & Line Markings. The supporting booklets can be used as stand-alones by themselves.

www.chmltd.ie

A series of portraits showcasing the judging panel, guests and speakers at the Kinsale Shark Awards networking breakfast

Irish Whiskey Magazine approached us to design simple packaging for a Whiskey Glass that customers could purchase on their website for €5 with all proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society.
We designed and manufactured a laser cut box keeping it consistent with the magazine packaging by using the same material, shapes and process.
The result was a sturdy package that could withstand shipping and would be an added bonus to the customer purchasing the glass.
Irish Whiskey Magazine Whiskey Glass

We were asked to come up with an initial branding proposal for a new craft brewery in Arthurstown, Co.Wexford by one of the founders.
The brewery name and location had a very strong historical character based around the landing of the Templars. The branding was designed around the story of the landing, establishing the town, growing crop and making beer.
A series of mockup labels, logo mockup and general branding proposals were created for the project to show the character of the brand and the rich history of the town while putting a modern twist on a classical look.

Homestay Language School were looking to create a poster to promote their services throughout schools around Europe. Their key philosophy is one-on- one learning where the student spends a full week with a guest family, learning English through both study and experience of Ireland (hiking, sailing, sightseeing, sports, etc.).

Our approach was to represent the same service from three different scales so we created a close up scene of a book being used by a student and teacher. On one of the pages there is a zoomed out shot of the same scene where the student and the teacher are placed in a room which is made up of the elements from the school house showing the educational yet homely one-on-one approach. The other side of the book shows an even more zoomed out version of the same scene where the school house itself is placed into an Irish seaside town (representing Dun Laoghaire where the school is located). This scene is surrounded by a surreal collage of Irish landscapes and scenery, showing the experiences that the course brings.

www.homestayenglish.org

Three signs we designed, produced and installed for the Brickyard Gastropub in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland as part of a larger project. The pub, which has an industrial yet clean atmosphere was not very obvious from the road. The three large steel slabs were installed to increase the pubʼs visibility.

All three are laser cut from COR-TEN steel and the white letters are laser cut from opal acrylic and perfectly slotted into the holes cut through the steel. A

light strip was installed into a half-pipe cavity behind the white letters so that it lights them up individually at night.

Naturally all three signs are extremely heavy so installation was fun to say the least, especially for the sign above the door. It's vertically supported by concrete bolts off the concrete balcony above it. Weighing nearly 100 kg, plenty of manpower was required to get it into place.

CHM Group is a dynamic Irish company providing a range of Traffic Management Solutions to Local Authorities, private contractors and consultancies nationwide.

We work with CHM Group on a continuous basis to cultivate their brand identity. We have developed this by utilising a number of promotional streams including social media to convey the people behind the work. 

We have developed a number of templates to provide information about the people in the company, the services that they provide and updates about roadworks in specific locations across Ireland. 

View some of other work with CHM in the links below: 

Photography & Booklet Design

Website Design and Development

www.chmltd.ie

A project we did to brand a new Gastropub in Strandhill, Co.Sligo. The original brief from the client was to have the coolest pub around and 2 months later we delivered. During that time we designed, developed and even produced many of unique and bespoke items like special patters and food crates, sourced then branded other items like milk bottles, water bottles and coffee cups, and

sourced other smaller items like napkins and cutlery. The project included the following:
Full branding - pub name suggestions, logo, colours, fonts, custom imagery, uniforms, newspaper ads, social media, etc.

Food presentation - food menu, special platters, food crates, plates, table centrepieces, serving paper, copper/plant dishes, salt/pepper, etc.
Drink presentation - drink menu, jars, milk bottles, shot glasses (mini jam jars), other bottles, full range of glassware, ice buckets (copper sauna bucket), branded pint glasses, beer tasting crates, shot glass crates, enamel tea/coffee range, shakers, takeaway cups, etc.

Interior/exterior branding/design - Exterior signage, interior wall-phrases and general idea input, Butcher paper rolls for wall menus, etc.
Our full team on this project included the 3 of us (Max, Neil, Ralph) as well as Sam Kirwan (Awkward Social) - Copywriting, research, design input, production.

Kevin Goss Ross - Design, photography, research, production. Vincent Byrne - Interior design input, design, research, production.

Huge thanks to the guys at the Potting Shed Dublin for the initial brainstorming session. The interior design for the pub was designed externally by Paul Haffey Design.

https://www.facebook.com/TheDraftHouse

We designed this custom serving container for Brickyard Gastropub in Dundrum as part of a larger interior/product design project for them. The dimensions of the container are in exact proportion to a standard brick as a play on the name of the gastropub. The client wanted a multi-purpose serving container for sharing food e.g. bread, chips, nachos etc.

The container was laser cut from birch plywood with the 'B' logo lasered onto the corner of the box. These lightweight multipurpose containers are the perfect addition to this fast-paced, busy restaurant / gastropub in Dundrum. 

A series of portraits taken at the All Ireland Craft Beer Festival, showcasing the breweries, distilleries, and vendors.

Steve Shortt is a professional sales coach, business mentor and entrepreneur. Having initially designed a branding package and website for his personal brand we were tasked with creating an educational day to day vlog of Steve.

Entitled "Daily Shortts" these Vlogs were created using footage shot in Lyon and France by Steve and his team. Using Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe After Effects we created an individual style and theme for the Vlog. In the initial series of Vlogs, we created 33 episodes.

Using up-tempo quirky music and fast stylistic cuts we created an informative yet exciting series of Vlogs.

youtube.com/c/steveshortt

A series of portraits taken at the Kinsale Shark Awards. Showcasing the Delegates, jurors, and Speakers at this inspirational event.

Steve Shortt is an entrepreneur, sales coach and business mentor who was looking to develop his personal brand as an individual in order to stand out.
We drew inspiration from the notion that Steve's work as a sales coach and public speaker is based around the words that he delivers to his listeners. People listen to him speak and each speech is punctuated by a final full stop. A clean logo was developed using two thicknesses of the same font as a single body with a coloured full stop at the end representing the speech idea.

This custom menu was designed for Brickyard Gastropub as part of an overall interior/product design project we worked with them on.
The menus are laser cut from birch plywood with information, both factual and quirky, about the various types of beer that are served at Brickyard. The handle is made from hand cut, terracotta colour leather which is secured and finished by hand on each menu. The paper cover is a cement colour (a nod to the brick once again) with 'fine linen' embossing and hand finished with beeswax to ensure longevity.

The copper hanging rack was designed specifically for the menus to spell out the word 'BRICK' when hung on the wall of the gastropub. Each menu has an individual letter laser cut into it in the style of Brickyard's branding.
These quirky and practical menus create a talking point amongst customers and double up as a beautiful product that can be hung with pride on the wall of the gastropub.

One of two Skeleton winter sport suits and helmets we designed for an Irish athlete on his way to qualify for the next Winter Olympics. The suit was green to represent Ireland, with darkening and highlighting of different areas to shape the athlete. Irelandʼs rich mythology made an appearance on the helmet which features an angry dog from the Cú Chulainn story biting on a sliotar.

The client was looking to transform their existing print shop into a double-size space by taking over the adjacent retail unit and extending it across while at the same time rebranding everything about it.
The idea was to create a space with a workshop feel. The exposed raw materials and industrial look helped to achieve this.

When we started stripping back the walls we discovered that there were on average 4-6 layers added to the wall over the years. Behind all those layers we found a beautiful original brick wall and a mysterious door that leads to nothing. We used a combination of chipboard, birch ply and mdf - all common building materials - to create a workshop space, furniture and signage that are both functional and eye catching.

The final product ended up being a very tall and dynamic space which is now heavily used by Dublin Print Co for all their printing and production needs.

A printed programme we created for the Irish Sponsorship Summit event in February 2016. These were distributed among the attendees and were a reflection of the branding we put together for the event.

The visuals we did for the DIT Fashion Show 2016 event.
This project included the rapid design of a Student Design Competition poster (which was used as the main visual to promote the competition) as well as two main Fashion Show posters.
The theme this year was "My Metropolis: The Story of a City" and the designs of the main poster reflect the theme by exhibiting the different shades of the city and how each person has their own special metropolis.
The general direction for both the theme and poster artwork was created by the very talented Creative Team of the DIT Fashion Show committee. We helped them turn their ideas into reality through a number of creative meetings for both the theme name and the visuals.
The artwork for the two main posters was done in a very short time. Starting on a Monday, we presented the final general direction, leading to a full photoshoot the following day with a great photographer, Kevin Collins. The visuals were finalized by that Thursday afternoon.
We always love working with the DIT Fashion Show projects as they allow us to get very creative in a very short space of time. This keeps us on our toes which is exactly why we do what we do.

This was a rebranding project for a small print shop.
The project involved the design of a new logo, branding guidelines, letterheads, business cards and flyers as well as a strong colour palette, which translated across all the print media and interior of the shop.
Part of the rebrand was a full redesign of the interior of the shop with custom furniture etc. (photos in different section).

Print Shop Location:

19-20 Redmond Hill

Dublin 2
Ireland