Along with Samaritaine logotype, I was commissioned by Ateliers Saint-Lazare to develop a custom typeface for La Samaritaine brand identity. Samaritaine Serif is inspired by Latines and Elzévirs of late XIXth Century French typefoundries. With sharp triangular serifs, monocular g, flourished endings, some alternates and a very French Art Nouveau touch.

Visual dentity by Ateliers Saint-Lazare, 2021 (art Direction: Reynald Philippe).

I was commissioned by Ateliers Saint-Lazare (formerly known as be-pôles) to develop the typographic brand identity of Samaritaine, a much-loved iconic edifice situated in the heart of Paris. Born 151 years ago, La Samaritaine reopened in June 2021 after a 17 years closure.

The logotype captures the spirit of historic Samaritaine signs, honoring the stylistic evolution of the landmarked building. The singular silhouette of the distinctive historic letters, are blended into the logotype and a type family. Samaritaine Sans exists in 2 cuts: the first one features historical forms, inspired by Art Deco and Art nouveau letters, and is used for the wordmark. The second one has a more modern look, for daily use.

Art Deco style

Visual dentity by Ateliers Saint-Lazare, 2021 (art Direction: Reynald Philippe).

Visual identity of Zutique Productions (hip-hop, electro and world music) in Dijon. I designed a custom lettering and several patterns. Used as patchs, they form a Z in the middle of the posters. With the help of Samia Charef, intern at the studio.

Ralph Rugoff, guest curator of 2015 Biennale de Lyon: “The impulse to announce a clean break from the past, to instigate a rupture with tradition, is the modernist gesture par excellence. Is it possible then, that our recurring desire to declare the end of the modern era is, in fact, merely a symptom of the modernity it aspires to bury? […] La vie moderne, the 13th edition of the Biennale de Lyon, sets out to explore this possibility. Its title unavoidably evokes echoes of earlier, and perhaps more optimistic, moments in history, but rather than its potential irony, what drew me to use this title was its ambiguity.” Invited to design the visual identity of the event, my (rejected) project was to propose an oversized identity manual, playing with the principles of modernist graphic design of the 60's. Rather than applying this guidelines to the communication, the manual itself (as an abstract of ideal uses) becomes the communication. It's, of course, typeset in Neue Haas Grotesk.