Our work for Houses Of The Oireachtas

Oireachtas identity gets national exposure

12 June 2008

Our corporate identity system for the Houses of the Oireachtas got a lot of coverage today, with the high profile media launch of the Oireachtas Family Day at Leinster House. Photos of Ceann Comhairle John O Donoghue launching the Family Day appeared in most of the national dailies. The launch was also covered on the RTE evening news. Our brand mark was featured prominently on the balloon used as the centrepiece of the launch. This is a great example of how our identity system can be used to assist the process of broadening people's perceptions of the Houses of the Oireachtas. 

Photos by Leon Farrell, Photocall Ireland.

 

Houses of the Oireachtas identity system

14 February 2008

The Oireachtas (Ireland’s parliament) consists of the President and two Houses—the Dáil and the Seanad—and is administered by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.

Historically, the Oireachtas had no coordinated identity and its various units had a multitude of logotypes, marks and symbols. These were developed as needed, and were used in an inconsistent, unstructured manner which created a fragmented impression of the whole. Consumer research revealed a low level of public awareness of the remit and work of the Oireachtas.

The Houses of the Oireachtas Commission recognised that, as part of a wider public communications strategy, a coordinated expression of the Oireachtas identity was a strategic imperative and, following tender, BFK were commissioned to realise that goal.

As a basis for creating a coordinated identity system it was important to balance the heritage and ethos of the Houses with the consumer perceptions revealed in the external research. To this end our project began with an internal research phase to establish the views of members, the parliamentary public service and other Oireachtas employees.

A number of possible solutions were considered. One of the more interesting avenues of exploration was to test some brand realisations which incorporated novel symbols that were not based on a harp. However these lacked the necessary gravitas and did not respect the heritage of the legislature. It was agreed that the harp, as the primary organ of the Irish state, should continue be the basis for the Oireachtas identity.

In an ideal world, the familiar 'Brian Boru' harp, the de facto identity mark of Ireland, would form the centrepiece of an Oireachtas visual identity. In practice however, that particular symbol has been devalued by ongoing adaptation by multiple departments, agencies and quangos. We devised a new, uniquely rendered and protectable harp for the sole use of the Oireachtas. There are, in fact, four related identity marks: for the Houses of the Oireachtas (the institution as a whole), for the Dáil, the Seanad and for Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. All four marks are visually related and compliment each other when appearing together. All are bilingual.

Together with the identity mark we designed a complete new visual identity system that unites the communications of all facets of the legislature for the first time. This includes a comprehensive stationery system that resolves some unique challenges. Creating consistency across all variations was only the first step. For the Dáil and the Seanad it was necessary to architect a solution that balanced the needs and visual representations of the relevant house, of the political parties and of individual members.

The new integrated identity system is designed to facilitate management and co-ordination of all Oireachtas communications and to ensure consistency across all applications. To this end we have created brand guidelines and templates to enable orderly phased implementation of the identity system by the Oireachtas design team and in-house print unit during 2008.

This identity system is the first step in a comprehensive communications strategy aimed at increasing community awareness and comprehension of the Houses of the Oireachtas.The system itself brings three key benefits: it delivers an appropriate, considered and sophisticated visual identity, it provides a consistent platform for all Oireachtas communications and it facilitates efficiencies in the management and production of communications materials.

Houses of the Oireachtas internal research

01 November 2007

This research project, undertaken in late 2007, involved internal in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with senior members of the Parliamentary Public Service and with Members of the Dáil and the Seanad. The objective was to identify and evaluate the extent and relevance of the Oireachtas brand heritage and name, and the effectiveness of its communications from the perspective of key internal stakeholders. The purpose of this research was to provide a basis for an appropriate brand strategy for the Oireachtas and to inform the process of creating a new and distinctive identity for the Houses. Following completion of the research and strategy stage BFK subsequently designed a new Oireachtas identity system which will be introduced during 2008.