Urban Gull Uprising – Newspaper Design
Urban Gull Uprising is a multi-layered art project by Augustine O’Donoghue that takes a playful yet thought-provoking look at biodiversity loss through the fictional uprising of urban Herring Gulls. The project combines photography, sound, installation, pedagogy, and a specially designed publication to amplify the voices of gulls, reframing them not as urban nuisances but as resilient, intelligent creatures whose habitats and food sources have been steadily eroded by human activity.
As part of this project, I designed the Urban Gull Uprising newspaper, a central element of the storytelling. The publication was created to look and feel authentic, echoing the language, layout, and visual identity of a real newspaper while allowing space for the gulls’ side of the story to be presented with both humour and critical insight. Every design choice - from typography and column structure to imagery and pacing- was considered to balance credibility with artistic expression, inviting readers to suspend disbelief and engage with the gulls’ imagined uprising.
The newspaper served as both an artwork and a communication tool, extending the project’s impact beyond gallery walls. By giving the gulls their own “press platform,” the piece encouraged audiences to rethink their relationship with these birds and, more broadly, with biodiversity in urban environments.
The result is a publication that is visually striking, conceptually playful, and deeply aligned with the project’s goal: to challenge perceptions, provoke dialogue, and highlight the urgent realities of biodiversity loss through an unexpected and engaging lens.
Client:
Augustine O'Donoghoe
Date:
August, 2022
