ELECTION POSTERS ARE already appearing across vast swathes of north Dublin as the Dublin Central by-election campaign gets underway.

But which of the posters has the best design?

The by-election will take place on 22 May, alongside Galway West, after the writs were moved in the Dáil this week. The contests will return two new TDs before the summer recess.

According to one design expert, most of the posters for the wannabe TDs follow a painfully familiar formula.

Paul McBride, co-director of Dublin-based Detail design studio, told The Journal that Irish election posters are typically “conservative in design and layout”, relying on a standard mix of candidate portrait, name, party branding and a call to vote.

We caught up with McBride, who previously assessed last year’s presidential election posters for us, to hear his thoughts on the by-election posters.

“It’s really refreshing to see one party break from tradition and play with the form,” he said, adding that most campaigns tend to rely on repetition “in a tight space where clarity is key”.

McBride was given early campaign posters from several candidates to assess, and his verdicts range from “fresh and contemporary” to “standard fare”.

Greens lead the pack

Janet Horner’s Green Party poster scored 9/10, the highest among the bunch.

McBride praised its “bold, colourful design framework” and “vibrant variable palette”, saying it gives “a sense of movement, progress and energy”.

Green Party candidate Janet Horner's posters. The Journal / Paul McBride The Journal / Paul McBride / Paul McBride

“Congrats to the Green Party… this feels contemporary,  fresh and very different to all the competitor set, clearly signalling a new positioning for them,” McBride said.

A minor criticism was that the party logo is “probably too recessive”, potentially affecting visibility at a distance.

Left-leaning parties at mid-table

Daniel Ennis’s Social Democrats design scored 8/10, with McBride noting its use of angled panels that create “upward momentum” and a sense of progress.

Social Democrats candidate Daniel Ennis' poster. The Journal The Journal

“Overall the graphic framework works really well, integrating the candidate portrait within a clear hierarchy of information: branding, call to action, candidate’s name,” McBride explained.

Ruth O’Dea’s Labour poster received 6/10, described as “simple and well-balanced, but slightly overcomplicated due to multiple shapes and framing elements.

The poster for Labour's Ruth O'Dea. The Journal The Journal

“The layout could have been streamlined to work harder, there’s possibly too many shapes – boxes within boxes with the border, an inset white panel, and a circle and wedge shaped logo making the layout feel unnecessarily cluttered.”

Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin’s PBP poster was rated 5/10. McBride said it works “as a counter-balance” to more crowded designs and benefits from its “stripped back” approach.

People Before Profit candidate Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin's poster. Paul McBride Paul McBride

However, he added that mixed alignment styles make the layout feel “a little clumsy”.

Mainstream parties seen as ‘standard fare’

Fine Gael’s Ray McAdam received 4/10 for his poster, with McBride praising the typographic ambition but criticising the execution.

The poster for Fine Gael's Ray McAdam. The Journal The Journal

McBride joked that the yellow sky behind McAdam could suggest “either brand colours or the apocalypse”.

Fianna Fáil’s John Stephens scored 3/10, with McBride describing the poster as “standard fare with the smiling suit backed by the blue skies of better times to come”.

A poster for Fianna Fáil's John Stephens. The Journal The Journal

“The hierarchy of information works well, but it’s the same old, same old”.

Sinn Féin’s Janice Boylan fared no better, also scoring a 3/10.

McBride said Sinn Féin’s design communicates clearly, but does not “do anything different to cut through the noise”.

Sinn Féin councillor Janice Boylan's poster. The Journal The Journal

Finally, Aontú’s Ian Noel Smyth also scored 3/10, with McBride noting that party branding competes with the candidate name, making hierarchy less effective.

A poster for Aontú's Ian Noel Smyth. Paul McBride Paul McBride

‘Same language, different faces’

Across the board, McBride said Irish election posters continue to rely on a consistent visual formula.

“In fairness, it’s a result of having to communicate in quite a tight space where clarity is key, especially as viewed from a height but they rely on repetition to communicate,” McBride said.

Posters have yet to appear for independents Malachy Steenson and Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, though Hutch has previously attracted attention for campaign merchandise.