It Blazes Brightly Before Us by Frances Mahoney

Branding the Mahoney Family

Frances Mahoney

Graphic Design, 2015 1

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

This book was designed and arranged by Frances Mahoney in Spring 2015. Two editions of this book were printed at Maine College of Art, this being edition one. This edition was coptic bound with vegetable tanned leather provided by Belle Hilmer of Maine Leather Company. The body text is set at 8 and 10 pt. in Century, designed by Linn Boyd Benton in 1894. The header text is set in Mathghamhain, designed by Frances Mahoney in 2015.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Introduction

Crafting the Crest

The Mahoney Family

Mathghamhain

Contents

The Branches

Implementing the Identity

Moving Forward

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

ften when you ask someone

I have dedicated the past four months to

what their heritage is, a

continuing to learn more and delve into

common answer to receive

the history of my namesake, and marrying

is, “I’m a mutt” or, “I’m a lot

the elements of my lineage to my profes-

of different things.” Some-

sional practice; Graphic Design. Allowing

times, people aren’t even aware of their

myself a semester to dedicate my time to

lineage in the slightest. For many people

learning more about where I came from

in our culture, maintaining and passing

has been one of the most rewarding ex-

down knowledge of our ancestry is more

periences I’ve taken on. Not only because

of a hobby or passing fancy rather than a

I can correct my grandmother on fami-

deeply rooted tradition amongst families.

ly trivia, but exploring one’s place in the

I too have been guilty of this, both of not

world gives you a sense of belonging, ca-

knowing enough about where I came from

maraderie, and pride unlike anything else.

and of not expressing enough interest in learning. I have always been aware of my Irish background, given my last name, but never did I give much thought to exploring just how far the roots of my bloodline ran, or the place the Mahoney family has had in history. It wasn’t until my father showed me a small wooden plaque bearing my family crest, having had it passed down from his father, my interest in the Mahoney family ignited like a flame.

The Mahoney Family

or a good long while before the-

In order to make my thesis project a true

sis even began, I was certain of

exploration of my family’s heritage, I have

what I wanted my final project

aimed to learn as much about the Ma-

to center around; my Gaelic her-

honey family. It all began with an Irish-

itage. My interest in my lineage

man of the early 11th century who went

was truly sparked when my father handed

by the name of Mathghamhain (whose

down to me a small wooden plaque bearing the

name means bear). Mathghamhain was

O’Mahony crest. It was then that he explained

the son of Cian Mac Mael Muda, chief of

to me a bit of our Irish heritage, descending

the Cineal Aodha clan, and his wife Sadh-

from my grandfather’s blood line, and how

bh, daughter of the High King Brian Boru.

our name was a modern version of the Irish

Through Brian Boru, Mathghamhain was

surname ‘O’Mahony’. This was something I

a member of the Eoghanacht Raithline, a

carried with me now into my adulthood, and

dynastic line claiming descent from Eo-

when brainstorming about my thesis proj-

ghan Mor, a 2nd-century King of Mun-

ect, choosing to make my lineage the central

ster.

theme only felt natural. As a designer, the

battle, his descendants later went on to

decision to pursue corporate branding was in-

become sovereigns over territory in West

spired not only by my love of crafting identi-

York. Today, his descendants use the

ty design, but to pay homage to my late uncle

surname McMahon, Mahoney, O’Mahoney,

Bill Mahoney; an entrepreneur and incredible

or O’Mahony.

human being. In order to do justice to my her-

the Middle Ages, the O’Mahonys were di-

itage, family, and the art of branding, I have

vided into eight separate septs and at

looked to designers and studios of the past

one time, owned eight castles. These cas-

and studied how they approached giving an

tles included; Castle Mahon, Castle Lac,

identity to the great businesses of the world.

Dunmanus, Laem Con, Rosbrin, Ardin

Forging an identity isn’t just about a logo; it’s

Tenant, Ballydevlin, Dunbeacon, and Tem-

encompassing the mission of an entire corpo-

plemartin.

ration through a series of multiple touchpoints

of Dunmanus, Rosbrin, Ardin Tenant, Bal-

that affect the perception of the brand itself.

lydevlin, and Dunbeacon still remain today.

Following Mathghamhain death in

During the clan wars of

Of these castles, remnants

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

To this day, descendants of Mathghamhain continue to thrive in southern Ireland in the Province of Munster and the surrounding towns, as well as scattered all across the world. To learn that my ancestors were royalty of Ireland, and that throughout my family history there have been a number of notable princes and sovereigns is quite elating and exciting. Not only that, but the fact that my family is still thriving and present in the world makes me incredibly happy. What makes the history of my lineage so interesting is the fact that during the Middle Ages, my family split up into a number of different factions, resulting in a number of different branches of the original Mathghamhain bloodline and each new sect having their own surname. Despite this fact, we are all still interconnected through our one common descendant, and there is certainly much history to be proud of found in each iteration of my bloodline. This comradery, this sense of belonging to a rich heritage.

The Mahoney Family

Mizen Head Peninsula, County Cork, Ireland

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

y first introduction to the

i.e logos, color schemes, typefaces, etc. that

O’Mahony

crest

help to give a ‘face’ if you will to a company,

came in the form of my fa-

foundation, restaurant, and so on. So when be-

ther showing me a small,

ginning to formulate how to work within this

wooden plaque that his fa-

framework, I knew the crest would be central

ther had given to him. He explained to me that

in the final product. From there, it was de-

O’Mahony was our traditional family name,

cided that I would use the crest as a model

and that this was the crest that represented

for the beginnings of this identity. Using this

us. Though I didn’t give it much thought at

mark as a starting point, I became inspired

first, the image stayed with me for years in the

to take on corporate branding in light of my

back of my mind. A few years later as we were

father’s and uncle’s backgrounds in busi-

cleaning out our home to get ready to move,

ness, and how I myself am interested in pos-

again my dad showed me something correlat-

sibly pursuing a Masters in business further

ing with our family history; a small sheet of

down the road. But before I could take on any

paper encased in plastic that bore the same

of the print collateral and other makings of

crest, our family motto, and a brief description

a corporate brand, I had to first perfect this

of where we came from and where the blood-

mark.

line began. This is really what sparked my

aesthetic while also being set in modernity.

interest in my lineage, and was something I

This would mean I would have to go cleaner,

carried with me into my junior year as I be-

simpler, and minimal. This was the most dif-

gan to mull over how to approach my thesis

ficult part of reimagining this crest; how do

project. I knew this project couldn’t just be

you take such an ornate, historic design and

some run-of-the-mill branding assignment. I

simplify it down to its most basic elements?

family

wanted it to mean something, to have some personal connection to me and what I cared about personally. The crest and the information card came to mind, and the decision to work with my family history was incepted. I find myself to be a designer who is primarily interested in the crafting of identities,

I wanted it to reflect its traditional

Crafting the Crest

The original wooden plaque of the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mahony crest, currently in possession of my father.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Original â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, seriouslyâ&#x20AC;? teaser poster created at the start of the project.

Crafting the Crest

First and foremost, I had to think of how the crest, devoid of any other icons or trimmings, would look. I knew of course that I wanted to maintain the original shape of the crest on the wooden plaque, but in order to achieve that sense of modernity, I had a few different ideas to work with. The crest used in the original â&#x20AC;&#x153;But, seriouslyâ&#x20AC;? teaser poster I created at the start of the project was a direct tracing of the wooden plaque, and was used at the model for all future iterations of the working mark. I experimented with different weights, how the lines sat within the exterior shape, and whether of not the edges should be rounded. A unanimous decision was made to not use any rounded edges, as it gave the crest an almost bloated feeling. Plus, the sharper edges would later come to act as a contrasting balance to the rounded edges of the icons that would later be placed inside. The interior lines touching the crest was also the final decision, as it simply felt more whole this way.

Frances Mahoney, Graphic Design â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;15

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Rough sketch concepts for the lion icon.

Crafting the Crest

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Once the initial shape of the crest was fleshed out, it was time to move onto the icons themselves. Like the teaser, I began with icons that directly reflected the traditional-looking lions and snakes. The lion emulated the one from the plaque exactly, with a few modifications to clarify some of the detail that was lacking otherwise. This went through two more drafts, slowly elimnating more of the detail and simplifying things down while still maintaining the traditional feel. This created a lot of sharp edges and extra details that as I began to pair the first iterations with the crest, I realized that sticking with this style starkly contrasted the idea of modernity that I was trying to go for When it came to the snake, it was easier to come up with a more minimalistic look than the lion, as there were obviously less parts to work with. After trying out a few different options, I just wasn’t happy with any of the results I was getting with the snake. I looked to other resources, such as Kenneth J. Hiebert’s “Graphic Design Sources” and quickly transitioned into a more geometric, simple design for the snake that focused more on working with the icon as a shape rather than sticking strictly to the source material. The snake was resolved rather quickly, but this still left the lion, which still wasn’t working quite within the modern context I wanted.

Crafting the Crest

Page from Kenneth J. Hiebert’s ‘Graphic Design Sources’

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Crafting the Crest

When I began placing the icons

within the

Like the snake, I thought about the lion more

crest shape, the initial steps towards the final

as a number of different shapes rather than

product were being taken. At first, I didn’t work

just a lion. I did a little research on different

with the knight’s arm and worked only with the

lion logos that exist in the world today, such as

crest, as I both wasn’t sure how the arm would

the Peugeot and MGM logos, and noticed how

look and didn’t think it would work visually.

they thought of the lion more as a silhouette or

The first version’s icons felt too clunky and

shape. I began to rethink the current icon and

large, even though they closely resembled the

removed much of the excess detail in favor of

source material. I also played with the idea of

focusing more on how it was posed and how its

the icons consisting of separate parts, with the

limbs and body were contorted. Ultimately, I

lines not touching. This also came out a bit too

retained the shape of the head, tail and torso,

overwhelming and that was scraped as well.

while giving the limbs a more rounded, simpli-

Once the forms were simplified, they worked a

fied look that fell more in line with the geom-

little better, and I finally began working with

etry of the snake’s appearance. The two marks

the idea of the knight’s arm. Again, like the lion

finally felt more in line with one another and

and the snake, I wanted to remain true to the

the overall aesthetic I was aiming to achieve.

original plaque. However, the crown below the

With a few more tweaks of the knight’s arm, siz-

arm was also omitted as it added too much de-

ing, and other futzing, the logo came to a place

tail to what was supposed to be a simple mark.

I was ultimately satisfied with. The Mahoney

While the snake felt finalized, the lion still felt

family crest had been brought into modernity.

like it didn’t fit in with the modern look of the arm and the snake, so I took the mark into a new direction in order to create consistency.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Crafting the Crest

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

he family crest may have been

Gaelic type is a family of insular typefaces

the starting point for this en-

that was devised for the printing of Irish, be-

tire ordeal, but once I decided

ginning in the 16th century. The first Gaelic

this project would be dedicated

typeface was designed in 1571 for a catechism

to learning as much about my

commissioned by Elizabeth I to help convert

heritage as possible, I knew that this would

the Irish Roman Catholic population to An-

have to become much more than rethinking a

glicanism. Traditionally, all Gaelic typefaces

mark. I knew right away that I wanted to cre-

must include the vowels with acute accents

ate a typeface for this project, one that was

and the consonants with

custom designed specially for this project.

typefaces even have ligatures that were used

Gaelic letterforms beame more publicly famil-

in early gaelic typography and derive from the

iar with the creation of J.R.R Tolkienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lord of

traditional manuscripts. However, as my goal

the Rings, as he based most if not all the type-

was to create a completely Latin alphabet that

faces he created on Gaelic letterforms. More

would be used as a header text in the English

notably, the Elvish language he created was

language, these accents, dots, and ligatures

directly inspired by the Gaelic alphabet. When

were to be omitted in order to read solely as

the decision was made to design type that em-

Latin text. This came up in class discussion,

ulated modern Gaelic, I knew it was important

as some people seemed confused as to whether

to have the letters look as little as Tolkienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s as

or not I would actually be writing in Gaelic

possible. The most important factor of creating

for this project. While these more tradition-

a font around Gaelic would be avoiding this

al elements were ultimately going to have to

Hobbit-y look that so many have become famil-

be left out, I aimed to retain as much of the

iar with. At the same time, like with the logo, I

original letterforms as possible while still

wanted to move away from the more tradition-

having a uniqueness that set it apart from

al look and give these forms a cleaner, slicker

any other Gaelic typeface in the world today.

look while still retaining their origins. I began to research multiple sources for examples how both ancient and modern Gaelic looked and how it was used in the current context.

dots above. Some

Mathghamhain

Gaelic alphabet

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

The first iteration of my typeface was tested when I designed the tease poster for this project. Having looked at a number of samples and examples, I quickly rendered the phrase ‘Lasair Romhainn Abu’ or ‘It Blazes Brightly Before Us’ ,the family motto, into what would become my first try at Gaelic. These letterforms were quickly conceived, but in this quick exercise I aimed to reflect modern Gaelic letters while giving them a more modern twist with the contrast between the thick and thin geometric lines. This was carried over into designing the full uppercase alphabet. In order

to avoid the Hobbit-y look mentioned earlier, I

While this is easy enough, turning my chick-

tried to keep the letters as blocky and shapely

en scratch into an alphabet, crafting an en-

as possible, compared to the more calligraph-

tirely new typeface altogether was an entire-

ic look of other typefaces at in the world to-

ly new frontier that was require a great deal

day. The difference in weights was very ex-

more research than I realized. Not only of

treme and almost industrial in appearance.

other Gaelic fonts, but of letterforms in gen-

Though it was well-received, when I brought

eral and how I could improve overall legibili-

my first draft to Mark Jamra for his seal of

ty. What would make this all the more chal-

approval, I quickly came to face all the flaws

lenging wasn’t just my lack of knowledge, but

I knew were hidden within this first draft,

my lack of experience and time to accomplish

but didn’t quite know how to articulate. With

the task. What lifted some of the stress off

Mark’s help, specific areas were addressed

my shoulders was the fact that this wouldn’t

that needed improvement, such as how in most

actually be a typeface one could just type up

typefaces, the weights of letters worked in a

on the computer, eliminating the need to cre-

sort of black-white-black pattern and there

ate an entire lowercase set and glyphs. The

needed to be more consistency in order to im-

Gaelic alphabet typically has no lowercase,

prove readability. Sizing was also an area that

but rather, uses the dots as signifiers of upper

needed improvement, as some letters were

and lowercase. In this instance, only upper-

wider, taller, or smaller/larger than others.

case would be necessary for the header text.

Mathghamhain

Mathghamhain v.1

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Mathghamhain

Mathghamhain v1 with Mark Jamraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

In the first iteration of my typeface, as shwon

so that the words would read more like a tra-

above, I experimented with varying weights

ditional typeface and not just a decorative

for each letterform. My intention was to give

one. Mark referred me to the work of Michael

them a sense of geometry and a rigidity that

Everson, a type designer who had designed a

wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t found in common Gaelic type. The end

number of different Gaelic font families, from

result was almost robotic in a way, but unfor-

traditional to more modernistic like my own.

tunately, the number of varying weights be-

I looked specifically to his Teamhair typeface,

tween each letter caused for a lack in read-

a light, clean Gaelic type. I was inspired by

ability. Not only that, but I realized after the

how simple and elegant the forms were, un-

fact that there was not that much consistency

hindered by any weights in the letterforms

amongst the letters; each one seemed like its

and they read very clearly. It was then that I

own stand alone form. Some letters were also

realized I needed to move away from the idea

not yet properly developed into their final form

of weights and instead vie for opting them out

and needed tweaking. Of course, the typeface

all together. I made this decision not only for

was still only in its first draft and was still

reasons of legibility, but because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always

due for a number of changes. In order to facil-

been a fan of sans serif typefaces such as Jo-

itate those changes, I approached Mark Jamra

sefin Sans and Futura. The choice to head in

on how to approach taking the next step. As

this direction felt natural, and it was relief to

a master with typography, it only seemed fit-

cast aside the worry of adding weights to ev-

ting tha I sought out his guidance. When I met

ery letter so that they remained both consis-

with him, right away he was able to point out

tent and aesthetically appealing. I could focus

the very specific areas in need of development.

more on the letterforms I wanted to make and

First off, the weights for each letter needed to

how they would be put into use on the print

be consistent with one another. Most typefaces

collateral and other formats. Once this stress

read in a sort of black-white-black-white for-

was alleviated, I could move forward into the

mat, so that you eye has places to rest while

second version of the typeface for revisions

reading. There also needed to be more consis-

and to begin applying it to the different for-

tency in the size and spacing of each letter,

mats I had chosen to see how it would read.

Mathghamhain

Teamhair by Michael Everson

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Mathghamhain v.2

Mathghamhain

The second, and final, version of the typeface was the epitome of what I wanted out of this type exploration. With the burden of considering weights cast aside, this allowed me to think more about each letter as a geometric shape and it was a lot of fun to work in that frame of mind. The process of redesigning the first iteration felt more much natural, and yielded results that were far closer to my vision. The initial problems had been erased, such as the varying widths and heights, as well as how the letters would read when stacked into words. Mark Jamraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes on my original draft were helpful, as they outlined the problem areas and he suggested a more Tolkien-esque look, but ultimately I stuck to my inspiration from Evermore. Small quirks that have cropped up in past typefaces I designed reared their heads too, such as the line work not touching in certain areas, like with the Q. The Q was very positively recieved, and I made sure to reflect that same element with other letterforms as well, such as the R, D, B, P, and W. The name of the font family was also finally settled upon: Mathghamhain, after the original descendant of the Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Mahony bloodline. I am very pleased with where this exploration came to in the end.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

his part of the project was quite

What makes this idea of branches so inter-

the surprise for me. Going into

esting is the fact that each location does have

this, I had never even consid-

a sizable amount of history behind them,

ered the idea of ‘branches’ for a

whether that history existed within the castle

company, or how that would even

itself or the land that it sat upon. Dunbeacon

look. But while doing research for the proj-

and Dunmanus, for example, are settled on

ect, I came across information about castles

the Mizen Head peninsula overlooking Dun-

that were built by and belonged in my family

manus Bay, which is considered the south-

centuries ago. As the O’Mahonys were a fam-

ernmost point in Ireland. To learn that there

ily of high breeding and royalty at the time,

were still testaments to my family’s name still

they sought to conquer as much land within

standing in Ireland today, as if my family still

County Cork as possible. These castles were

had significant presence in the country, was

their testament to the dominion they had over

an exciting thing to think about in the con-

the southern Irish lands. While there were

text of my lineage. Even though I myself am

at least ten, possibly more, castles that be-

an American citizen, born here in Maine, I

longed to my ancestors, only four remaining

know that in a smal way I still have a link

standing today, albeit in ruins. These castles

to my homeland through these castle ruins.

are Ardintenant, Dunbeacon, Dunmanus, and

What’s important for me to remember is that

Rosbrin. When I learned of these castles, I

even though I wasn’t born in County Cork, my

knew I had to incorporate them somehow into

ancestors come from there decades ago to seek

this project. Given this is corpoarate identity

new opportunities but still had ties to their

branding, and how a company can have many

place of origin. Not to mention there are prob-

locations nationally and internationally, it

ably lots and lots of bloodline descendants of

made sense to use these castles and their lo-

the O’Mahony name living there currently,

cations as the ‘branches’ of my company. In a

and while I don’t know any one of them per-

way, that is what these are essentially. While

sonally, I’m sure that somewhere along the

the family most likely had one central home

lines, we share a piece of history together.

base, in a manner of speaking, these castles were extensions of the O’Mahonys sovereign.

The Branches

County Corkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s place in Ireland.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Ardintenant Castle, White Castle Cottage, Co. Cork, Ireland

Dunbeacon Castle, Dunmanus, Co. Cork, Ireland

The Branches

Dunmanus Castle, Dunmanus Bay Co. Cork, Ireland

Rosbrin Castle, Schull Co. Cork, Ireland

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

To make these branches a reality, it would be imperative to create icons that resembled the original castles as much as possible. This became a hunt for the perfect photos of what remained of these monuments. But finding the right images was no easy task at all. There couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be too much dimension, or the icon would be too difficult to render. It couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be from overhead or down below because this would be too confusing and no one would read it as a facade. So I had to find images of the castles straight on, no angles, and that encapsulated the castle ruins perfectly as possible. These icons also had to harken back to the main mark

The Branches

in all of its simplicity and minimalism. Again, this was taking a rather realistic and complex image and narrowing it down to its most basic elements, but it still was no easy task. After a number of different tries, playing around, and editing what I had, I came to the final products; icons that were direct resemblances of the castles they were meant to represent.What was especially nice about them was how organicallty they tied into the rest of the identity. They felt like they were a part of the original idea all along, like I wanted these branches to be created from the beginning. Though, in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true, given the history behind them.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

With the icons themselves completed, it became a matter of how else to tie them into the rest of the identity system. Most importantly, I had to correlate these icons with the main crest in some way. The most obvious and immediate solution became clear rather quickly; implement these marks within crests of their own. This way, the icons themselves felt a little more grounded, and tied back to the original mark in a solid, recognizable way. An after thought of this process was adding color. If the main mark had alternative color schemes, aside from black and white, then these had to have color too. Again, the answer was self-evident from the get go. And I was lucky in that my color scheme was already comprised of four different colors; four different icons, a color for each. This really helped push along the entire identity system, as it added variety while tieing everything together nicely and smartly. When it came to the print collateral, it was nice to have everything be designated by color. Ardintenant has a red envelope, with red motifs in the letterhead and business card. This went for the rest of the branches as well, each with their specific mark and color. This was all thanks to coming across information about these castles, and feeling the immediate need to include them in this branding exercise.

The Branches

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

he first two months of the spring

Ultimately, it came down to letterheads, busi-

semester were spent building

ness cards, envelopes, and a website. No need

up the meat of the project; the

for any fancy extra little trimmings, even

marks around which the rest of

though its easy to entice an audience when

the process would be decided. It

you have all sorts of little objects to touch

was most important to have all the icons and

and look at. If this was corporate branding,

letterforms ready for use before I could move

sticking to the basics felt like the most appro-

onto anything like print collateral or web. The

priate idea. The marks themselves and how

problem here was the fact that I was so picky

they were implemented into these identity

about the small details, and moving into the

systems would speak for themselves. Every

second half of the semester, I was still not com-

branch has its own color-coded set of print col-

pletely satisfied with everything and continued

lateral, and each has their own section on the

to tweak the marks and the typefaces. Once I

website dedicated to it. The color and marks

was in a place where I felt comfortable enough

would help disguinish each branch from one

to move on, the rest of the process came nat-

another, and if you were a potential client, you

urally as the rest of the project had. Through

would know exactly which branch you were

my internship at Murphy Empire, and through

receiving mail from based simply on the col-

other exercises, I was very familiar with work-

or of the logo on your envelope. This is what

ing in identity systems and moving forward

is so fun about branding; finding clever little

into implenting the identity became a matter

ways to create simple, recognizable systems.

of picking and choosing what the most important items to brand would be. I knew that letterheads and business cards were obvious, but if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever seen other identity systems, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much more you can do; apparel, pins, pencils, etc. However, this is a matter of quality over quantity, and it couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just be spitting out anything I could give physical form to. After all, my exhibition space is only so big.

Implementing the Identity

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Implementing the Identity

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

Implementing the Identity

It Blazes Brightly Before Us

iMac desktop mockup.

Moving Forward

ou don’t need to be working on a thesis project or have to have any particular reason to take a few minutes of your day and explore a little bit of your her-

itage. I am lucky in that thesis has acted as a platform for me to educate myself on my family while undergoing an exercise in identity design. As a designer, I am aware that I will not always be afforded the chance to always get to do projects I am one-hundred percent invested in, and feel personally connected to. This final senior project has been both an experience of experimentation, learning, and creative freedom. An experience I will likely not get to have again for some time in the working world. The fact that this time has been so singularly dedicated to a subject matter I am so deeply affiliated with has made this project one of the most significant undertakings of my creative career, and largely, of my life. What I’ve learned here I will carry with me further into adulthood, and hopefully one day, will be a wealth of knowledge that I may

As for the next step, where do I plan on going with this project after graduation? I consider this to be the largest, most important project I’ve ever taken on so far, not only because this is my thesis project, but because of its significance to me. Many people have asked if the Mathghamhain typeface will become a full font family, or if I will continue to use the O’Mahony logo in other ways. I’m happy to say that I most likely will complete Mathghamhain, with lowercase letters, numbers, and glyphs. Hopefully, I can get my hands on the tools I need to publish the font upon completion. As for the logo, while I have no further plans for it, I will always have the custom magnesium die that was made for me, and will always be at any of my family member’s disposal. My father has even expressed interest in using the die to emboss some leather of his own. Either way, I will carry this project with me into the future, and it will always remain of part of my portfolio, to not only show where I’ve been as a designer, but to show how far I’ve come.

pass on to the next generation of Mahoneys.

It Blazes Brightly Before Us