Critical Voices 2022 is a series of essays which reflects on the history of the Arts Council, the value of the arts and the impact 70 years of public investment has on the arts. Through the contribution of six essayists from the arts and culture sector, it provides unique perspectives on the role of the arts in Ireland, past, present and future.

The concept behind the publication is to create unique conversations around arts and culture and how they intertwine, conversations that could only take place in this time, in this moment.

Sound waves are used to represent each of the essays in the document. Sound uses time as a measure, and the essayists use the same metric when discussing the Arts Council. This is reflected in the timeline spanning across a four page cover.

A subtly indented, black gloss foil was used to enhance the title on the cover and shimmers whenever light hits. An additional Pantone purple colour is used with a light touch on the front cover, revealing the full colour density on the insides of the four page cover. The predominant sans serif typography avoids bias with a matter of fact tone, whilst the introduction of an angular serif font cuts through at key moments providing contrast. This is representative of the contrasting opinions sequenced throughout the publication.