ICAD was founded in 1958 in answer to the issues facing Irish Creatives at the time. Many of these issues remain relevant today. This exerpt are taken from the first issue of ‘Creative’, the journal of ICAD (or ICA as it then was) October 1959, editor Bernard Share, and explain the thinking behind ICAD’s foundation:

‘The Institute .... in taking its stand upon the encouragement of the highest possible standards in every field of creative advertising, is aware that its greatest responsibility lies with the advertising men and woman of tomorrow. But this is by no means the beginning and the end. It is aware also that a great deal needs to be done in the education of public taste so that both manufactures and consumers will expect and demand work of the highest quality, whether in the choice of colour for a bus or the content of a commercial television programme. Such changes of heart do not happen over night, and though we as an Institute are far from being starry-eyed idealists, we are idealists enough to believe that an improvement can be and is being made, however slowly.’