A new Irish logo is about to go prime time and you can help decide which of the four prototypes, created by Dublin's Red Dog design consultancy, will become the official logo for Ireland's European Union (EU) Presidency during the first six months of 2013
Vote now until Dec. 31 (by 5PM Irish time) at the Irish government site, merrionsteet.ie, where you'll find a complete write-up on the four finalists, summarized here in brief:
Connections/Ceangail
Evocative of a spark, this logo connects all the Member States' capital cities to Ireland with lines that can be seen as going to Ireland but also emanating out from Ireland - showing Ireland closely connected to Europe-- influencing, linking and trading
Inspired by Celtic spirals, which radiate out and are woven together to create a fluid, unified shape. Four spirals have been used to represent the four decades of Ireland's EU membership.
Logotype/Cló-lógó
This logo uses customized letterforms to create a modern identity, with rounded letters highlighting the Presidency web address. The different letterforms are meant to communicate a message of diverse countries coming together with common values and objectives.
Wave/Tonn
Symbolizes the coming together of different elements to form a working unit, with the left side of overlapping lines creating a grid with 27 boxes representing each Member State. The fluid lines reflect the Irish landscape and coastline while conveying the dynamic nature of modern Irish society.
Here's how I saw it--I first liked "Spirals" as being the most "Irish" (and maybe because I use a Celtic spiral design as my own logo.) "Wave" communicates Ireland's island nature and rolling hills and has an attractive 3D feel. "Logotype" is of the school of graphic design that eschews geometric logos in favor of a distinctly displayed typeface. I settled on "Connections" as being the most modern, forward looking design, indicating Ireland's position in Europe with a kind of "all roads lead to Ireland " and "Ireland, the Gateway" look. Checking the voting, I see I'm in the minority!
Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and EU Affairs Minister Lucinda Creighton speak here about the importance of the Presidency for Ireland, and the logo poll.
Again, anyone can vote at merrionstreet.ie. The winning logo will be announced in early January 2012 and be displayed prominently one year later during Ireland's 2013 EU Presidency.
Assuming, of course, there still is an EU...