
Dining out with a spot-on identity.
When The Old Spot, a gastropub on Dublin’s Bath Avenue, asked us to design their visual brand identity, we jumped at the chance to work with a team that had big plans to shake up Dublin’s dining scene. The brief was simple – to create something arresting and memorable that conveyed an air of playfulness with an underlying sense of quality.

The Approach
An ‘Old Spot’ is a breed of English pig so, with a name that was likely to raise an eye, we felt the identity needed to be as eye-catching as the name. So we took the restaurant’s name and address and did the obvious thing – we pit a pig in a bath!
Of course, putting a pig in a bath is easier said than done, so to help us create something truly memorable, we worked with illustrator Bradley Jay on a suite of beautiful swine-based illustrations. These illustrations, based on the promise of high-grade food, great drink selections and excellent service, are featured throughout all of The Old Spot’s communications, including its fully responsive website.


The Execution
With our porcine friend squeezed into his tub, the Old Spot’s identity is a stylish embodiment of the ambience, tradition, warm personality and excellent food that has made the pub a must-visit destination for Dublin diners. ‘Spot’ can be found on all The Old Spot’s communications, from the signage and printed collateral to the website design, in a muted palette of slate, smokey pinks and greys, to complement the style of the interiors.
These touchpoints include beautifully designed menus, exterior signage, stationery, beer mats, gift certificates, photography, as well as a responsively designed scrolling website. Most of these touchpoints also featured tongue-in-cheek copy lines – ‘quaff or scoff’, ‘dine or devour’ and ‘sip or swill’ – to support the identity.


The Results
Since opening in 2015, The Old Spot has established itself as a destination gastropub among South Dublin diners who have come to recognise ‘Spot’ as a visual shorthand for the quality they have come to expect from the restaurant. For us, we were delighted to see the identity rewarded by both the IDI and ICAD Awards judging panels, making Spot the most award-winning pig in Irish design!


