NI consultancy wins award for PSNI emblem design

Branding specialists Positive Design Consultants have won an Irish Design Effectiveness Award for their design and implementation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's new emblem.

The Belfast-based company received their award from Tanaiste Mary Harney at a ceremony at the RDS in Dublin.

The design of the badge had proven contentious after the original Northern Ireland Office proposals were rejected by the Northern Ireland Policing Board last November. The Board was then charged with the task of appointing a design agency to propose a selection of concepts for the new insignia.

The brief was not only to design the emblem for the new Police Service of Northern Ireland, but to have it unanimously accepted by the 19-strong Police Board that includes representatives from the DUP, Ulster Unionists and SDLP.

Design Manager Gillian Colhoun said: "The design process was unusual in so far as the brief reflected sentiments that were diametrically opposed. The guidelines for any new policing crest in the Patten Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland clearly state that the emblem should not reflect symbols of either British or Irish states, conversely the Good Friday Agreement embraced a more inclusive approach where, if possible, cultural traditions within the province should be acknowledged.

"While challenging and ambiguous, the project required sensitivity and diplomacy. Our aim was to explore solutions that reflected those values which unite our society and which are shared and protected by our Police Service."

This is the eighth year of the awards and Positive Design Consultants are the first Northern Irish-based company to win in the prestigious Corporate Identity category.

Organised by the Graphic Design Business Association, IDEA awards are designed to reward clients for their commitment to design investment and to provide a platform on which to measure design effectiveness and perceptible influence.

Principal and Creative Director, Alan Davison said: "We are delighted to win an award that measures design success on its effectiveness. While aesthetic value and creativity are important, particularly in the case of the PSNI emblem, it was equally crucial to propose a design that would encompass a spirit and rationale that was relevant to every member of society.

"An emblem that acknowledges, respects and embraces the variety of symbols that reflect the diversity of cultural and political backgrounds and beliefs within Northern Ireland."

(GMcG)