The Public House Helps Dublin Gazette Become World's First Bionically Printed Newspaper

For World Literacy Day (8th September), Dublin Gazette has become one of the first newspapers in the world (if not the first) to print every word of their paper using Bionic Reading enabled text. Every headline, every paragraph, every image descriptor has been printed using an informed set of bolded and un-bolded characters.

Bionic Reading is a new technique that has been created to lead a reader’s eye through words both quicker and with added ease. It is a technique believed to support people with literacy difficulties.

Dublin Gazette is Dublin’s largest free to read newspaper. Started in 2004, their primary mission was to launch quality weekly newspaper titles in the Greater Dublin Area.

The Public House helped the Dublin Gazette in both printing the entire paper in this novel way, along with the placement advert on the back page explaining why. It is our combined hope that today’s paper made a real difference in the lives of some of our readers.

Michael McGovern, managing director, Dublin Gazette Newspaper said, “As Dublin’s largest free newspaper, this idea instantly resonated. The facts presented here on literacy issues in Ireland make it clear that an overwhelming number of people in this country still experience reading and writing issues. By publishing our entire newspaper on September 8th in Bionic Writing format, we have become the very first Irish newspaper to address these issues causing so many people in Ireland a daily struggle.”

Danny Cullen, art director, The Public House said, "Bionic reading is fascinating. We discovered this program online a few months ago and were instantly impressed at how it let us rapidly absorb information and better understand text. We knew it could become a powerful tool for good when harnessed by a brand that cares. Dublin Gazette being all about freedom of press and expression felt like a great fit.”

The Public House is Ireland’s most awarded creative agency of 2022, driven by the philosophy that ‘Boring Doesn’t Sell’. Their roster of clients is made up of ambitious Irish brands including FBD Insurance, Irish Independent, Dunnes Stores, EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum and Barnardos Ireland.