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“WHEN YOU SEE it, you automatically think Catherine.”
That’s what Anna Cassidy, graphic designer for Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign, says the goal was from day one.
The result was a retro yet modern look, that visually set her apart from opponents Heather Humphreys and (briefly) Jim Gavin.
In July, when Connolly’s campaign team only consisted of a handful of people, Cassidy sent them sample graphics that she thought represented the vision of “warmth, authenticity, and pride”.
The team loved them, and Cassidy was tasked with creating a whole brand identity for the campaign – a blueprint that public relations and social media managers could use for all messaging.
When we asked Paul McBride, co-director of Detail design studio in Dublin, to rate the candidates’ posters, he said Connolly’s spoke “to her Independent standing and a sense of tradition”.
The inspiration, Cassidy says, came from old Irish shop front signage – hand-drawn and familiar.
“It’s something I find in a lot of towns and villages. Obviously, Catherine’s from Galway. You walk around Galway and you see it all the time outside pubs, outside bars, outside sweet shops,” Cassidy explained.
The strategy of connecting Connolly, a fluent Irish speaker, with the country’s heritage bled into every part of the campaign.
A sold-out musical event in Vicar Street called Ceol for Connelly included performances from iconic Irish musicians Christy Moore and the Mary Wallopers. The campaign also hosted a Connolly Céilí at the Button Factory.
The colours chosen for the campaign – greens and oranges – are reminiscent of the Irish flag, without being “very out there”.
Cassidy also created a version of a Celtic knot that became a recurring motif.
The Connolly campaign even collaborated with designer Aoife Cawley, whose work is inspired by folklore, mythology, and early Christian saints. She designed a special scarf.
The creative vision aligns with the recent Celtic revival particularly among middle-class young people, who became an important voter base for Connolly.
Cassidy, a 26-year-old renter, falls into that category.
Although surrounded by campaigning experts with CVs that featured Repeal the Eighth and Marriage Equality, Cassidy said her youth and vision were trusted, even when they felt like a “risk”.
“In a political landscape dominated by generic graphics and standardised party branding, Connolly’s campaign stands apart, distinctive, thoughtful, and unmistakably Irish,” she said.
“It proves that design can tell a story, carry a message, and connect with people on both an emotional and cultural level.”
Cassidy thinks Connolly benefitted from having more of a “grassroots” campaign, contrasting it with those of the major parties who may have a set way of doing things. She said Connolly’s campaign “wasn’t just standard”.
In the final days before polling, the Connolly team released a new Cassidy graphic on social media resembling an Irish stamp. “I’m voting for Catherine Connolly,” it says. It was aesthetically pleasing and, most importantly, shareable.
Asked if Connolly, who has been open about her disinterest in social media, had any design input, Cassidy said: “She’s such a busy woman. The design of the campaign was not a priority at the time. The priority was getting out her message.
“She had a great team behind her that would relay what she wanted to me.”
Connolly secured a record number of first preference votes, giving her a historic mandate as she enters office.
We know what’s next for Connolly, but what about Cassidy? More political campaigns?
“To be honest, it’s hard to know.
“I was deeply interested in Catherine Connolly before she ran. She was an obvious candidate for me.”
Asked if she believes her work helped get Connolly elected, Cassidy said: “I hope so. I really do hope so.”
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