The short version
- St Patrick's Day is on 17 March, and the best St Patrick's Day graphics lead with the practical details: what is happening, when, and what it costs.
- Deep bottle, emerald and moss greens with a little gold and cream look richer than the bright shamrock green most templates use.
- Blue was associated with St Patrick before green, and a shade called St Patrick's blue still appears in Irish heraldry.
- Bars and pubs get the most from a short sequence of posts across the week before, ending with a story on the day.
- Leaning on drinking jokes and leprechaun stereotypes cheapens a celebration of Irish culture; music, food and people make better subjects.
On this page
Strong St Patrick's Day graphics do two things: they look like your business in green, not a template in green, and they put the useful details first, the music, the time, the food, the offer. St Patrick's Day falls on 17 March. For a pub that means a week of build up; for a shop it might be one well made post. Either way, a deep, considered green and clear information beat shamrock clip art.
St Patrick's Day colours that don't look like clip art
The bright kelly green on most party templates is the most crowded colour of the day. Go deeper and more varied. Bottle green and emerald feel like a good pub; moss and sage feel like a deli or a florist. Add gold sparingly and cream instead of white. Green gradients has many more, and the meaning of green explains its associations across cultures.
St Patrick's Day bar promotion: a week of posts
A single post on the morning of the 17th is too late for anyone making plans. Spread the message across the week before, so it reaches people while they are still deciding where to go.
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What every event graphic needs
Before you think about green, check the words. People glance at an event post for a second or two, so the facts must be large and in this order of importance.
- What is happening, in a few words: a trad session, a set menu, a quiz.
- The day and time, written out: Wednesday 17 March, from 6.
- The one practical answer people need: food served, bookings, entry price or family friendly until 8.
- Where, if the post will be shared beyond your own followers.
- How to act: book through the link, call, or just turn up.
The announcement post. What, when and the one detail people ask most: is there food.
The countdown story, on the same Mark so it reads as the same campaign.
Countdowns work because they give people a reason to look again; countdown post design has layouts. For the event itself, a proper Facebook event with a cover at 1920×1005 is still where many locals check what's on, and Facebook event cover size shows where it gets cropped.
St Patrick's Day ideas for shops and brands
- Bakeries and delis: soda bread, barmbrack or a special for the day, photographed simply on a cream and sage background.
- Florists: green bouquets and table pieces for parties, with an order by date.
- Breweries and bottle shops: Irish beers and whiskeys you stock, with tasting notes rather than jokes. Brewery branding covers the look.
- Gift and homeware shops: Irish made products, with the maker's name and county.
- Restaurants: a set menu or one dish, plus booking details. Restaurant social media posts has formats.
- Brands with Irish roots or teams: a short story about a person, a place or a tradition that matters to you.
Celebrate the culture, skip the stereotypes
Avoid
- Leprechauns, pots of gold and fake accents
- Jokes built entirely around getting drunk
- Mixing Irish and Scottish symbols
- A shamrock pasted on an unrelated sale
Better
- Live music, dancing, food and stories
- Irish suppliers, makers and staff, credited
- Correct spellings and place names
- An offer that fits the day, like a set menu
Plenty of Irish people enjoy the fun of the day; the issue is lazy shorthand. If you are not sure whether a reference lands, leave it out and show the music and the food instead.
Sizes for St Patrick's Day graphics
Instagram post 1080×1350
1080 × 1350
Story 1080×1920
1080 × 1920
Facebook event cover 1920×1005
1920 × 1005
A4 poster 2480×3508
2480 × 3508
A pub night needs every one of those, usually in a hurry. With Gradiently you design the announcement once on your Mark, then make the story, event cover and print poster from it; on Pro, print PDF export includes bleed and crop marks for the printer. The words stay legible on each shape because the Mark moves its calmest colour behind them. Poster design covers the print side.
Questions people ask
When is St Patrick's Day?
St Patrick's Day is on 17 March every year.
What colours work for St Patrick's Day graphics?
Deep bottle green, emerald and moss with a touch of gold and cream look richer than bright shamrock green. St Patrick's blue is a distinctive alternative.
When should a bar start promoting St Patrick's Day?
About ten days before, with an announcement, then bookings, a countdown, a reminder and a story on the day.
Why is St Patrick's Day associated with blue?
Blue was linked to St Patrick before green became the day's colour, and a shade called St Patrick's blue still appears in Irish heraldry.
What size should a St Patrick's Day poster be?
An A4 poster is 2480×3508 pixels at 300 dpi, which suits a window or bar. Use 1080×1350 for the matching Instagram post.
Written by Gradiently
The team behind Gradiently, a design tool built around Marks: living gradients that make everything you design look like yours.
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