At just one year old, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) brand has lived up to its primary colours by taking gold at the prestigious international Shark awards. Designed by Irish Design Agency of the Year – Piquant, the distinctive brand was the result of the Limerick based company working with a wide range of stakeholders from the former Limerick and Athlone Institutes of Technology, which came together on October 1, 2021 to become the country’s first cross regional TU.
The Shark Awards celebrate Irish and International creativity in the areas of advertising and advertising craft, design, digital, short films and music videos. A representative from Piquant, which has also been named Irish Design Agency of the Year as well as receiving a silver and bronze award for other projects, will travel to Brighton to receive the Sharks Head Trophy on behalf of TUS and the design agency, at a special ceremony this week.
The acclaimed TUS brand represents a technological university that spans two regions – Midlands and Mid West, five counties and six campuses (Athlone, Moylish Campus and Limerick School of Art and Design Limerick city; Clonmel Campus and Thurles Campus in Tipperary; and Ennis Camus, Co. Clare.)
The award-winning gold, black and white brand includes a distinctive crest which represents the bridge that connects the regions and communities either side of the Shannon. The water below the bridge represents the vital resource of the Shannon River.
Congratulating Piquant for their successes, President of TUS Professor Vincent Cunnane acknowledged that the final TUS brand was the result of a huge collaboration with input from the TUS community, regional stakeholders and working groups.
“I am very proud of what has been achieved with the TUS brand. We were aware that it had been well received, but this award confirms we have a distinctive brand, reflecting our regions and built on the values of our community. This was achieved during the design process, when in-depth and far reaching research was undertaken with a wide network of stakeholders including students and staff, as well as industry and community leaders across both regions. I would therefore like to congratulate Piquant and all involved in this process,” he said.
Hugh Heffernan, Head of Brand and Strategy at Piquant said, “I’m honoured that the brand developed for TUS has been met with such praise and recognised within the field of Irish design. The resulting brand was possible because of the collaborative nature of the project and the incredible trust given from everyone involved. TUS reflects and highlights the ingenuity, diversity and openness of this region of Ireland.”
The TUS brand has also been shortlisted for the IDI 2022 awards; the results of which will be announced next month.