Curracloe National School

Curracloe National School is located in the seaside village of Curracloe in Co. Wexford. It prides itself on a nurturing and child-centred approach, encouraging each pupil to meet their potential. The school fosters an environment of mutual respect between pupils and staff, leading to an open, relaxed and friendly environment.

Visual identities for Irish primary schools are quite traditional with lots of badges and crests in use. So when we were asked to design the new identity of Curracloe NS, our approach was to create something modern that would set the school apart and represent its progressive nature.

The inspiration for the Curracloe ‘C’ came from the mosaics seen on a visit to the school. They were made by the pupils with a visiting artist and are proudly mounted on the walls of the outdoor classroom. A mosaic seemed to be an appropriate visual metaphor to represent the pupils and the valuable contribution they make to the school no matter their age, ability, gender or ethnicity.

Engaging with the children and allowing them to participate was an important part of the design process. We ran a workshop with a group of pupils to learn what Curracloe and the school meant to them. We created a set of icons based on their responses and these were integrated into the 'C' and other elements of the identity.