In the 22nd edition of the the journal Graphisme en France, the Cnap (Centre national des arts plastiques), will assess the research of graphic design and typography. The centre enables different lecturers and researchers in the graphics field to set out and analyse the past and current position of graphic research.

What is this graphic journal’s objective?

In this new edition, Cnap has the opportunity to inform graphic experts and amateurs alike of the current research in the field of graphics, typography and visual identity. It also gives the possibility to 6 researchers, historians, lecturers and authors to present the development of their graphic research and work over the years. The journal is presented free of charge to the general public on internet. In this journal of nearly 200 pages, the two typographers Alice Jauneau and David Vallance use the entirely new Walther typography developed by Sarah Kremer for its layout.

Specialist visual identity contributors

The journal’s six contributors are of course specialised in the visual identity sector as well as the graphic research branch. Each one presents their opinion and work, in order to give this document a mulitidimensionality.

  • Éloïse Pérez, graphic designer and typographer, writes about graphic research in France. She evokes, particularly, different works relating to graphic research, as well as various researchers and their work in graphics or typography.
  • Alice Twemlaw, author, teacher and speaker, defines the word “research” evoking the different definitions that can be accorded to it. The author goes on to explain the nature of research in graphic design.

Graphic designer and design researcher,

  • Catherine Guiral, comments on her work in the field of graphic design and typographic research, using the work of graphic designer Pierre Faucheux as a springboard.
  • Annick Lantenois and Gilles Rouffineau, who teach the optional “graphic design” course at the École supérieure d’art et design de Grenoble-Valence, present and outline the nature of the research that they head at their academy.
  • Sébastien Morlighem, researcher and typographic historian, writes about his research in the field of typography.
  • Catherine de Smet, lecturer and doctor in the history of typography, takes up her research work on the Grapus collective, employing different images of the collective to illustrate her research.

A journal with a wealth of illustrations

This journal of French graphics features many illustrations from advertising, political tracts, manuscripts and other visual identities. It highlights all the graphic and typographic dimensions of these documents. Each illustration in the journal has a caption documenting the author and the source for the readers. The captions also contain information about the graphics, typeface and the stenography of each image. This allows a clear comprehension of the communication force contained in these advertising posters. They convey the importance of typography and graphics which accord a visual identity to brands, logos, groups, films, political parties and so on.

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