National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park 

Brand Strategy and Visual Identity
Brand Guidelines
Launch Campaign

The National Famine Museum, Strokestown Park, has an extraordinary place in Ireland's heritage landscape. Commemorating ‘an Gorta Mór’ the Great Famine, it tells a visceral local story against a national backdrop. Coinciding with an extensive development project, DesignWorks were commissioned to develop the new brand, positioning it as the premier visitor experience in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. 

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The key challenge was to sensitively connect the estate’s past with its present and future. The contrasting experiences of life at Strokestown Park for both landlords and tenants echo throughout its history and into the visitor experience today – from the hardship of the famine to the beauty of the Palladian mansion. 

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Our solution is a brand concept centered on the theme of ‘parallel lives’, capturing the stark inequalities that defined Ireland’s national tragedy through the personal histories of those who lived and worked on the estate. The national story is revealed in these local experiences, with contrasting fates and fortunes explored throughout the messaging and design system.

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The brandmark is another subtle reflection of beauty and tragedy, composed of an elegantly rendered potato flower. The blighted crop is a poignant association with the Great Famine – the flower reminiscent of the gardens enjoyed by visitors today. This careful balance of darkness and light has produced an identity with resonance for Strokestown Park, home to the new National Famine Museum.

Developed by the Irish Heritage Trust in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the property owners Westward Holdings – and officially opened by Minister Catherine Martin, the experience includes a state-of-the-art exhibition, visitor centre, shop, café, event space, woodland walk and gardens.