# St Patrick's Day graphics for bars, shops and brands [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/st-patricks-day-graphics) On 17 March, half the internet turns the same shade of green. Here is how a pub, a shop or a brand can join in with graphics that look like their own, and a week of posts that fill the room. ## 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. 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](https://gradiently.design/guide/green-gradient) has many more, and [the meaning of green](https://gradiently.design/guide/green-color-meaning) explains its associations across cultures. - Snug: #0b2418 - Bottle green: #14532d - Emerald: #1f7a4d - Sage: #8fb996 - Brass: #c9a227 - Cream: #f3ecdc A pub palette: Snug carries the type, Emerald gives the glow, Brass appears once, on the time or the price. - Lamplit emerald: `radial-gradient(circle at 70% 25%, #1f7a4d 0%, #14532d 40%, #0b2418 85%)` - Bottle and brass: `linear-gradient(160deg, #0b2418 0%, #14532d 60%, #c9a227 100%)` - Cream and sage: `linear-gradient(135deg, #f3ecdc 0%, #8fb996 55%, #2f5d3a 100%)` - St Patrick's blue: `radial-gradient(circle at 30% 75%, #3a6ea5 0%, #1d3a5c 50%, #0c1a2b 100%)` Three greens and one blue. The first two hold white or cream type; Cream and sage needs dark type at the light end. > **Green was not the first colour** Blue was associated with St Patrick before green, and a shade known as St Patrick's blue still appears in Irish heraldry. Green took over later. A blue design stands out on a day when every feed is green. ## 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. | When | Post | Format | | --- | --- | --- | | 10 days before | Announce the night: music, food, times | Portrait post and Facebook event cover | | A week before | Table bookings open, or entry details | Story with a link | | 3 days before | Countdown with the line up or menu | Portrait post | | The day before | Practical reminder: doors, last food orders | Story | | On the day | We're open, here's the room right now | Story with a photo or short video | | The day after | Thank you and photos, with consent | Carousel | Six touches across ten days. Most of them can come from one design in different sizes. ### 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. 1. **What is happening**, in a few words: a trad session, a set menu, a quiz. 2. **The day and time**, written out: Wednesday 17 March, from 6. 3. **The one practical answer people need**: food served, bookings, entry price or family friendly until 8. 4. **Where**, if the post will be shared beyond your own followers. 5. **How to act**: book through the link, call, or just turn up. A portrait event post for a St Patrick's Day trad music session on a dark gradient background The announcement post. What, when and the one detail people ask most: is there food. A vertical countdown story saying three days to go until St Patrick's Day, on the same gradient background 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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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](https://gradiently.design/guide/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 Feed, story, event and a poster for the window or the bar. The A4 size is at 300 dpi for print. 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](https://gradiently.design/guide/poster-design) covers the print side. ## FAQ ### 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.