Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

Karen Harper 

BA [Hons] Visual Communication Design

Concept design, purposeful creations, humour and quirky ideas, are all the things that make me spark. A long time coming as I was interested in studying graphic design when I was 21. Thankfully I took all my other life experience with me and had 4 great years of learning. With the year of the photography degree under my belt first, it was a great skill to have in my back pocket. Coding was where I thought I would give up but instead it was something I thrived at. ~Being dyslexic I enjoy the big picture problems, innovation, and problem solving, by seeing the whole problem and simplifying it. If you are not having fun you are not doing it right!

Exhibition Project: Dyslexic Centre Dublin

A centre for all things Dyslexic. Programmes, courses and workshops for dyslexics to stretch those amazing brains, workshops for educators so they can recognise dyslexic traits, and workshops for employers so they can harness the extra-ordinary thinking of their dyslexic employees. Each page is different within the same theme for dyslexics to have reference points to find their way around and be able to get back to that part easily. Photos of testing staff, images of students working and images to represent the courses gives insight so the person is familiar with what is ahead. Everyone starts with a workshop to 'learn how you learn', which will make life so much easier for them going forward. Self awareness of your strengths gives you the power to reach your potential.


Sexy Chocolate: An examination of how Green and Black’s singled out a sophisticated adult audience with their ‘This is not a chocolate bar’ series.

‘This is not a chocolate bar’ is a series of six adverts from 2013, by Green and Black’s confectionery company. The company employed Mother Design in London, to design this series of adverts with a cheeky new direction in branding. With that in mind, the design company used semiotics, surrealism, and clever language to produce six adverts that incorporated the chocolate bars being anthropomorphised, including some sexual referencing and clever play on objects to make a memorable ad campaign, that stood out and further solidified their position as a luxury confectionery company. The thesis examined how Green and Black’s singled out a sophisticated adult audience and how they aimed their advertising campaign at them.