Logo job at Irish telecoms giant

Irish telecommunications giant Telecom Eireann is to consider a change of corporate identity. The company has a turnover of 1bn-plus and 12 000 employees.

A design consultancy, probably from the Republic of Ireland, is to be appointed to conduct a review of the branding of the company and all its subsidiaries.

A redesign will almost certainly follow, with Telecom Eireann likely to consider non-Irish consultancies along with native designers for the redesign.

Telecom Eireann has had the same identity, created by Kilkenny Design, since it was formed in 1984. A spokesman says: “We are contemplating a review of the identity in all its forms, from van liveries to advertising.”

Telecom Eireann, partly owned by the Irish government, is now waiting approval from its chief executive before going out to tender for the review. The spokesman says a credentials pitch is likely and the audit should be complete early this year.

“I can’t pre-empt the result of the review. We may find our brand is strong, but some kind of tweaking at least is inevitable,” adds the spokesman.

Some previous high-profile Irish identities have gone to UK consultancies, causing fury within the Irish design community, notably with Wolff Olins’ work for Irish Life and Luxon Carr’s identity for Aer Lingus.

Although under EC law Telecom Eireann is obliged to advertise across Europe for the second, larger phase, the spokesman says the company would look to involve UK groups in the tender anyway to “get the best design options”.