MUSE Packaging Design Award Winner 2020

I’m delighted to announce that I’ve won Gold in the Muse Design Awards 2020 for the Branding and Packaging Design of Flying Squirrel vegan cheese! Brilliant news and results!

I’m so pleased to see my work has been recognised in these prestigious awards. It was an enjoyable and innovative product to work on, the client was easy to work with and passionate about his product range – this made for a collaborative and inspiring process from concept to completion in creating this successful packaging brand.

Out of 3820 submissions from 50 countries, Clare Lynch Creative has been awarded the prestigious Gold award in Packaging Design of the Year for the 2020 MUSE Design Awards competition. The winning piece was created by Clare Lynch Creative for Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese.
The MUSE Creative and MUSE Design Awards are global competitions, which seek to commemorate the exemplary creative and design professionals of various industries. “These individuals truly embody the spirit of innovation” said Kenjo Ong, CEO of both competitions. “It is a privilege to award Clare Lynch Creative for their monumental work! It is always a humbling experience to witness what these creatives are capable of.”
MUSE Design Awards Team

See more on the MUSE Awards Website or in the project portfolio section of this website.

Flying Squirrel Vegan Cheese on Instagram: @flyingsquirrel.ie
Photography by Brendan Ryan, see Instagram: @brendanryanphoto

April 28, 2020 /

Creatives Against Covid-19 Campaign

Creatives Against Covid-19 called on the creative industry to design and donate inspiring posters to raise funds for vulnerable women and children during the current crisis.

The result was over 1,000 posters from over 30 countries, were designed and submitted. The great selection of posters from graphic designers, illustrators and creatives are currently on sale on their website here at A3 size, with all proceeds being donated equally between ISPCC Childline and Women’s Aid.

Here is my poster submission, ‘Clear Vision Ahead‘, playing on an optician’s eye chart and offering optimism towards what we can envision ahead post quarantine. It can be purchased in the ‘Typography’ section of their website here.

April 26, 2020 /

Happy New Year!

To everyone who chose to work with Clare Lynch Creative in 2019, thank you for your business.

It’s been a great year working on interesting and varied creative projects – helping clients to grow and deliver their message and values, through design.

Wishing you all many more successes towards your goals, both professionally and personally, in the year ahead in 2020.

January 7, 2020 /

Marino Institute Annual Report Launched

Marino Institute of Education, an Irish College of Education associated with Trinity College Dublin, contracted Clare Lynch Creative to create their 2018 – 2019 Annual Report.

The result is a fresh, engaging and visually appealing annual report, showcasing the institute’s activity for the year in a clear, bright easy to read manner.

Great to hear that the report has just been printed and launched. See more here.

December 18, 2019 /

Dublin Christmas Market

Taking part in the Dublin Christmas market was a lovely way to get in to the festive spirit. It was fun to meet the other designers and craftspeople taking part and see their creations.

Shoppers and passers-by visited for a browse and to soak up the Christmas atmosphere, with a live brass band playing carols and a novelty Santa Claus sharing chocolates and festive cheer. It is a creative market run by Plato each year and held at the Bank Of Ireland forecourt in Dublin city centre, opposite the main entrance of Trinity college.

A bonus was selling lots of letterpress posters, prints and greeting cards I’ve designed, knowing that many people would enjoy my creations and receive them as gifts to brighten their homes of offices.

December 2, 2019 /

Halftone Exhibition 2019

It was great to be part of the Halftone exhibition again this year hosted by PhotoIreland. It is held for a month each year in The Library Project in Temple Bar in Dublin’s city centre. This was the fifth year running of the print fair, which brings together a large selection of works by established and emerging artists, showcasing Ireland’s exciting art scene. It was great to be part of the Halftone exhibition again this year hosted by PhotoIreland.

A perk was selling lots of prints, which is great to know other people are enjoying my art in their homes or workplace.

See more about Halftone here or my selected entry here.

December 2, 2019 /

Better Ballymun Campaign

Ballymun is a transforming district.

It is close to Dublin City University, IKEA, the new Decathlon flagship store, the M50, Dublin airport and not too far from the city centre, with future plans for the new Metro to stop in Ballymun, on the route from the city centre to the airport. It features an Axis drama theatre, the Rediscovery Centre and cafe, Silloge Park Golf Course, several hotels, a library and a Leisure Centre with a gym, swimming pool & sauna . It’s a stone’s throw from Northwood Park. It has lots of modern, new student apartment complexes being added to the landscape, with plans being explored for the grounds of the old shopping centre, which will add even more to the area. Many of the hugely successful Dublin GAA team hail from the Ballymun Kickams club.

However, people’s associations can often still drift towards the Ballymun of the past – the towers which have long been knocked down, and the original struggle the area went through without much funding.

DCC and StartUp Ballymun, along with the students of Trinity Comprehensive school, are working towards a changed perception of Ballymun with a campaign called ‘Better Ballymun’. It is an initiative focussing on the Ballymun of today and of the future; letting go of the Ballymun of the past – while still maintaining the amazing community spirit of people that has always been present, channeling it towards an improved district of tomorrow – with character, people, culture, start-up businesses, families, students, all living, working and playing together in a bright and positive suburb.

I have been working with them on collateral such as this event poster, lamppost banners, with possible plans to roll out the campaign further with a brochure highlighting the area’s resources and on hoarding in the area. It’s great to be involved in positive initiatives such as this, that inspire change and signify to the people of Ballymun that it’s an area to be proud of and an area changing, growing and improving by the day.

November 2, 2019 /

Design Lecturing

I was honoured to visit the design students at BIFE this week to provide insights & tips and share my experiences in the design industry to aspiring design students.

I have been a guest lecture with the college for a number of years now and it’s always inspiring to meet the students and hear what their concerns and challenges are from studying graphic design to beginning their design careers.

I have always received very positive feedback from the design students and lecturer, noting that my visit is encouraging and inspiring. It’s rewarding to feel that I can give back by offering encouragement now that I am further along in my career path, as we all have to start somewhere – and hearing positive tips towards your chosen career path can make the route there seem possible and attainable.

October 2, 2019 /

100 Archive Selection 2018

I was delighted to make the final 100 Archive Selection for 2018 with the project ‘A Guide to Getting Lost’. Each year, the 100 Archive selects the best 100 design projects in Ireland that year and archives it as a record of what design in Ireland was like at that moment in time.

The 100 Archive Selection showcases the breadth of graphic and communication design in Ireland: designers working in all contexts creating a range of outputs in all shapes and sizes. It highlights the impact of design on life, culture, commerce and society in Ireland and demonstrates the extent of Irish design’s diversity, maturity and quality.

The launch event, which announced the top 100 design projects for 2018, was held on May 21st, 2019 at the lovely 1WML building within the Windmill Quarter in Dublin’s city centre. It was a great night, jam-packed with Irish designers eager to find out the final selection.

The selected entry can be viewed here.

June 1, 2019 /

Sunday Business Post Newspaper Feature

Delighted to receive this great feature on my business and clients in The Sunday Business Post recently for the lovely article included in the newspaper’s ‘People in Business’ section, promoting the importance of branding for businesses and packaging design for food and drinks products.

Articles like this are great to raise awareness in the importance of how design can help businesses communicate their values to their target audience and grow their customer base and feel proud of their brand.

Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.

Sunday Business Post article featuring Clare Lynch Creative

Thanks to Elaine O’Regan for interviewing me and Maura Hickey from The Sunday Business Post for the photograph.

May 26, 2019 /

International Design Award Winner 2019

Just arrived back from an amazing trip to the sunny Los Angeles for the International Design Awards ceremony in the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood! It was brilliant to be recognised among such a talented and creative group of international designers.

The IDA awards celebrate and promote creative talent and expertise in graphic design and other areas such as architecture, fashion and product design.

I received an Honourable Mention Award in the IDA Awards for the brand identity and design of Origin Chain Brand Identity, a blockchain software solutions providing users with reliable proof-of-origin services and another award for the brand identity for Brid Kehoe Coaching, a life coach practice helping guide people towards meeting their goals.

The ceremony was very exciting, with a cocktail reception beforehand, where there was a lot of mingling of creatives in the beautiful Pacific Design Centre.

See more on the IDA Awards website or on my website.

Proud IDA Award Winner!
IDA Awards 2019
Pacific Design Centre, West Hollywood
Winner times two!
Silver Screen Theatre
Drinks Reception

April 30, 2019 /

Offset Dublin 2019

Another great year kicked off at Offset Dublin this year with some brilliant and inspiring speakers!

The highlight for me was the work of talented Cuban-American illustrator Edel Rodriguez. His work highlights the challenges America are facing with their current president Trump, in a humorous and often simple manner which hits the nail on the head in communicating it’s message.

I also found Dublin photographer Richard Gilligan’s work and the story of his journey to success very inspiring. He followed his passion which lead him to his current success, by mixing his two loves – skateboarding and photography; capturing his subjects in skateparks around the world to create unique results.

Other highlights were Steve Simpson’s beautiful illustrative packaging work and Anna Ginsburg’s illustrative films which challenge feminist subject matter – she is a very confident, bubbly speaker and kept everyone hooked on what she had to say.

This year the event was held at the Point Village, which didn’t quite live up to the previous venue of the Grand Canal Theatre, but hopefully it will be moved back there next year.

All in all, it was a great top up of inspiration from the international design leaders speaking and as always, it was enjoyable meeting and exchanging ideas with fellow creatives.