Buncrana native Mary Doherty is celebrating 25 years of success for her Red Dog design agency with whirlwind of wins.

Creative agency Red Dog, founded by Mary Doherty, is celebrating on the double this week after two triumphs at two international awards ceremonies.

The agency was awarded silver at the Transform Awards Europe on Monday, which took place in London.  The awards are amongst the most prestigious for the design industry, with a focus on “recognising excellence and rewarding innovation in branding”.

Red Dog’s success in London follows the agency’s achievements in the USA: the company – which has offices in both Dublin and New York – received an honourable mention at the PR News CSR and Non-Profit Awards last week, with the ceremony taking place at the National Press Club in Washington DC.

Red Dog’s awards success is timely, as 2018 marks the agency’s 25th year in business. Mary Doherty, Managing Director of Red Dog said: “I set up Red Dog the day after I graduated from NCAD in 1993.

“The business was built from nothing: in the early days, our growth was fuelled by good design and a good bit of sassiness.  We weren’t afraid of going for projects that were maybe too big for us – at the start, our naivety was helpful.

“Little by little, we settled into being a good, solid design agency with a lot to offer. We also took the decision to open a New York office in 2012 – as a response to the market here.

“We have a hugely committed team: the average length of service in Red Dog is 12 years.  We were on a high after the weekend, having presented at Offset for the first time.  To top that off with the success in London last night and our commendation in Washington last week – it’s really making our 25th year in business very memorable.”

Red Dog’s entry for both awards focused on a significant rebrand for Jhpiego, a US charity that works globally in the area of maternal healthcare.

Jhpiego Rebrand by Red Dog

In Ireland, Red Dog’s clients include major corporates and tech start-ups, as well as not-for-profits.

“We’re well-known here for our work in the not-for-profit space,” said Mary Doherty.  “We’re currently working on our 20th annual report for Concern Worldwide, and we’ve recently rebranded Focus Ireland, The Ireland Funds and the Office of the Ombudsman for Children.

“We also work on awareness and fundraising campaigns: last year, for example, we produced a very successful video-led campaign for the Simon Communities and a great crowdfunding campaign for Women For Election.

Women for Election campaign by Red Dog

“We’ve been working with a number of schools, which illustrates that schools face the same competitive landscape as other businesses and must have a compelling brand identity.  Outside of the not-for-profit sector, our clients include Kingspan, Dalata Hotel Group, Universal Music and tech companies such as Glofox and Intact Software,” Mary said.

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