Pokémon GO has brought to all of us the nostalgia of capturing our favorites monsters, making us walk an incredible amount of kilometers just to hatch an egg and, of course, testing our nerves to battle in gyms. But even after thousands of victories against gym leaders, those iconic badges that we used to watch Ash getting so far were left out of Pokémon GO. Inspired by how amazing they were in the cartoon and previous games, we decided to design our own gym badges.
We walked around Dublin City Centre to find out what were the eight most prestigious spots where we could find gyms that could start this project. And now we present to you the very first real badges that you can get in Pokémon GO.
SPIRE OF DUBLIN
The Spire of Dublin, alternatively titled the Monument of Light, is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument 121.2 metres in height, located on the heart of Dublin on O'Connell Street. The constant battles at this gym will make it easier to overcome the strong opponents, turning this place into your very first chance to grab one of the eight badges in Dublin.
The crossed pins create a balanced form in association with the crossed bands, which represent the shopping/pedestrian street, Henry St. (in orange), and O’Connell street (in grey). A rounded spike connects everything in the centre of the badge in resemblance with the Spire.
PHOENIX PARK
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 11 km perimeter wall encloses 707 hectares, one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. The main gym in Phoenix Park is located at the Wellington Monument, the largest obelisk in Europe. Surrounded by wild Pokémons, you can have a chance to defeat the gym leader in open field, which means you will need to be prepared for lashing rain all the time.
The square was the geometric form used as inspiration to create this badge, in direct relation to the form of the obelisk and the area it stands on. The squared spike gives it a nice final touch.
TEMPLE BAR
Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. It's well known for its pubs, such as the famous The Temple Bar. The number 48 marks the place where the gym is located, but don’t let the gym leader fool you by offering a beer before the battle. Keep your focus until you get the Temple Bar badge and then celebrate! Sláinte!
Neither pint glasses nor bottles, the Temple Bar badge relates to the beer tap, a sign everybody looks and points at when asking the bartender for another beer. The colours red and yellow are associated with the traditional pub Temple Bar and the hop symbol links the badge to the beverage.
OSCAR WILDE MEMORIAL - MERRION SQUARE PARK
The Oscar Wilde Sculpture is located at the corner of Merrion Square Park, in one of Dublin’s five historic Georgian squares. Oscar Wilde, author, playwright and poet was born in 1854 at no. 1 Merrion Square – just across the road from where this gym is now. Come along and enjoy a poetic battle to win the badge that represents all Irish authors and their famous quotes.
Stylized quotation marks between a fragment of a text are the elements used to represent Oscar Wilde’s figure, and the pinkish colours match with his clothes in the statue, made with coloured stones.
GUINNESS
The home of the Black Stuff, the heart of Dublin and an unforgettable start to your Irish adventure as a Pokémon trainer. After getting a few badges around Dublin, march towards Guinness’s gate to fight and collect your Guinness Badge. Breed your Pokémon well and you might have a chance against the gym leader! Have a pint after your battle to recharge your energy.
The roasted barley is one of the main aspects of the Guinness beer produced, so it became the symbol of the Guinness badge. The black and white colours are also an association with the foam and beer when Guinness is poured into the pint glass.
THE THREE FATES - ST. STEPHENS GREEN
One of the most important parks in Dublin, St. Stephen's Green is a home for The Three Fates, a statue that represent Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was a gift from Germany to all the Irish for having received over 500 German children refugees during the Second World War. Win this badge to bring luck and blessings to your journey.
This gym badge has the shape of a crown that mimic the leaves above the statue and also refers to the meaning of "St. Stephen's", which comes from the Greek language for crown, "Stephanos".
SMITHFIELD SQUARE LIGHTS
Smithfield is an historic part of Dublin dating from the Viking era. The peculiar lights of Smithfield Square resemble the masts of Viking ships to represent their historic association with the area. Nowadays it’s a trendy place for trainers from around the world and has one of the most disputed gyms in Dublin. This badge will enlighten your journey as a Pokémon trainer, if you can defeat the strongest Pokémon gym leaders in town.
Ship mast and light are the elements that gave shape to this badge. A simplified version of the 12 lights found at this square refers objectively to the meaning of them.
CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin and it is connected by a bridge to Dublinia, a museum that brings to modern times a piece of Dublin history. That's a badge to be earned by curious trainers that want to reveal the secrets and mysteries behind the colorful glasses of the church.
This colourful badge has association with the rounded stained glasses found in Christ Church. The colours are also related to this religious piece of art.
