Designing for Uber’s lauch in Dublin
In 2021 the taxi company Uber hosted a car-wrap design competition before their launch in Dublin with the goal of drawing people’s attention to their presence in the city. I was studying at National College of Art and Design in Dublin as an exchange student at the time, took part in the competition and was chosen as one of the 4 runners-up by Uber, resulting in my design coming to life.
the brief
The Uber app is now available in Dublin, and Uber wants to let people know that they are now committed to the city. They want to give local Dublin artists a chance to show what Dublin means to them. Uber will take you where you want to go in this vibrant city, and this art can inspire people on where they want to visit. Uber’s tone of voice is bold and positive, with heart.
They want to be seen around Dublin, so this task is to find a way to be eye-catching, fun and upbeat while bearing in mind Uber’s brand.
the concept
If I had to describe Dublin in one sentence, it would be – it’s a bright and buzzing city that will still reveal something new about itself when you look a bit closer. I started off drawing objects, people and places that first came to mind when I thought of Dublin and joined them in a bright-coloured, pattern-like composition that could convey the lively, ever-changing atmosphere of the city to the viewer.
The colours I used are inspired by the Irish flag without being too obvious about it. I included elements that fascinate me about Dublin personally – like trees growing out of windows in old buildings, delicate benches in St Stephen’s Green and foxes that appear in the city at night. Keeping in mind that Uber is often favoured by tourists, I also used some more internationally recognised elements like Molly Malone, The Temple Bar and the entrance gate to Trinity College. Besides that, I also wanted to represent people that have carried the name of Dublin out into the world with their work, like James Joyce, his wife Nora and W.B. Yeats. All of these elements are joined together by the River Liffey. The river to me feels like the most natural element that joins all the places in Dublin together, and so I wanted to suggest that getting an Uber will make one flow through the busy city as organically as the river does.
