Bill - the new NCAD typeface + identity (2014)

The NCAD college campus is situated on the site of the former John’s Lane Distillery, founded in 1791 by John Power. In 1866, John Power & Son began bottling their own whiskey, which was unheard of before in Ireland, as it was usually sold in the barrel. It was the marking and identification of those barrels at the Power’s Distillery that inspired the idea for the new typeface. In conversation with Seán Sills at Distillers Press in NCAD, he recalled that Bill Bolger, former Head of Visual Communication (1938 – 2013) had salvaged some stencils from the former cooperage building during its renovation. We eventually found those stunning hand-made stencils in the college library, many dating back to the 1880s. We had found the source and inspiration for a new typeface design, uniquely connected to the history and fabric of the NCAD campus. And what did we call the typeface? Bill.