Design
50 Years of Guaranteed Irish
Book Design
This coffee table book was commissioned to chronicle Guaranteed Irish, its economic impact, and its profound influence on Irish culture for its 50th anniversary. Intended as a gift for CEOs, guest speakers, and politicians, it would also serve as the historical record of Guaranteed Irish from 1974 to 2024.
The Timeline
From the outset I realised that a digestible timeline would be the key to this project. Very few
readers would approach the book cover to cover with the dense economic and political material
involved. I designed a timeline to weave through every page, ensuring a continuous thread of context regardless of where the book was opened. This served as a graphical blueprint for supplemental material.
The Colour Palette
The CEO of Guaranteed Irish wanted to stick firmly to the company’s existing colour palette - a series of strong bright colours. With each chapter covering roughly a decade I assigned one colour per chapter, making the book easier to navigate and providing a colourful display as you flick through the book.
Guaranteed Irish: A Brand with History
As a bit of a history nerd the opportunity to help mark the illustrious history of Guaranteed Irish was one I couldn’t pass up. The symbol is iconic, a piece of Irish design history, and recognisable by every generation from every corner of the Republic. The project took on new meaning when I uncovered a personal connection during research — the first Chairman of Guaranteed Irish was my Grandmother’s first cousin.
Conclusion
As a big history fan it was a real pleasure to work with Enda MacMahon on this project recording the first 50 years of one of Ireland's most iconic brands.
I learned a lot about Guaranteed Irish, Ireland and historical research throughout this project. It really reinforced the importance of a strong and flexible grid. Putting in the time and effort to construct that strong foundation saved a lot of time and headaches at later stages.
