The Saint Patrick Centre in Downpatrick, County Down holds the world’s only permanent exhibition dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland.
Tandem were brought on board to refresh the exhibition, by conceptualising new films and animations, family-friendly activities and reflections on the Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Creating a sense of arrival with a new vibrant exhibition entrance, we reworked the narrative content to make it more cohesive, taking visitors on a journey through Saint Patrick’s early life and captivity in Ireland. Our approach breathes fresh life into the story of the slave who became a saint, author of the first written word in this country and now a cultural icon known the world over.
We used Enigma Text as the crisp, clean impression resembles a calligraphy based script. The exhibition uses Patrick’s own words, and these were highlighted in the italic version of the typeface. As the type designer stated: ‘Its sharp detailing imparts an assertive elegance.’ We wanted this for the tone of voice of the space.
We used accessible san-serif FS Me, developed in association with Mencap, for the more heavy body copy that sits beside the title and headlines.
