Ceolta

Ceolta is a custom, single-weight display typeface designed as part of the National Concert Hall identity refresh, created to bring typographic cohesion across all promotional communications. The typeface plays a unifying role within the wider system, connecting the National Concert Hall and its constituent parts — including the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland (NSOI) and the National Symphony Choirs Ireland (NSCI) — supporting brand recognition, visual impact, and a sense of unity.

An elegant and contemporary display face, Ceolta takes inspiration from the Petrie B Gaelic type designed by George Petrie in mid-19th-century Dublin. The reference is both typographic and cultural: Petrie B was developed around the time the NCH building itself was constructed (1865) and holds particular significance within Irish typographic history. George Petrie (1790 – 1866) who commissioned the Petrie B Type, was an artist, antiquary, and collector of Irish traditional music.

Subtle angularity and pointed terminals introduce a sense of rhythm and movement, echoing the gestures of a conductor’s baton. These details imbue the letterforms with a quiet musicality while maintaining clarity and legibility across a wide range of scales and applications.