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TYPE DESIGN

Stephanie Wilson – Iconic

by Stephanie Wilson

Iconic stands at the intersection of typography, social research, and inclusive design. It addresses a growing concern: making reading more accessible for senior readers. Through the development of a typeface named Iconic, the project aims to enhance reading comfort while offering an aesthetic, functional, and adaptable typeface suited to the changes associated with aging. The project was created in collaboration with senior-lab, a Swiss platform dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors. Grounded in a participatory methodology, this collaboration enabled a reality-based approach: available in serif, sans serif, sans semibold, and italics, Iconic was designed based on feedback and testimonials gathered from seniors during sessions held at ECAL.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Genius Loci - Spirit of the place

with Nicole Udry

Genius Loci, or the spirit of the place, refers to the unique identity or essence of a location. In architecture, this principle suggests that the specific characteristics of a place should be reflected and extended in a design. In the case of the second-year graphic design students, they have applied this principle to communication projects focused on promoting or extending the identity of a particular place through design. Their work likely explores how to visually capture and communicate the essence of a space, using graphic design elements that resonate with the architectural features or history of the place.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design BA2 S2 2024 - 2025

with Diego Bontognali

Development of an editorial system deployed across three publication formats, centered on the theme of prohibition.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Redesign 24-25 - S1

with Giliane Cachin

As part of the course given by Giliane Cachin, 1st year students are required to produce an edition by examining the different axes that make it up. The course offers a study of various grid systems and the fundamentals of micro-typography. During the semester, students will look for the best way to structure and arrange the content they have chosen (or which has been assigned to them, depending on the semester's data). Some essential rules to know in terms of printing and bindings will be reviewed at the end of the semester, in order to bring the conceptualized object to life.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Magazine - 24/25

with Anouk Schneider Agabekov, Emmanuel Crivelli

As part of the magazine course led by Anouk Schneider and Emmanuel Crivelli, second-year Visual Communication students had the opportunity to design a magazine during the second semester. Students were encouraged to fully embrace their artistic freedom at every level of creation, whether in terms of format, paper choice, binding, layout, illustration, text, or typography. In this course, the magazine can take shape through various forms of illustration, such as photography, reproduction, contextualization, drawing, 3D, and more. The focus is placed on the author’s artistic vision and the means used to bring it to life. Students take on multiple roles as editor, curator, and architect, assuming the responsibilities of art director, designer, photographer, stylist, illustrator, typographer, editor-in-chief, and editorial secretary. This course highlights contemporary editorial design by exploring the narrative potential of a carefully crafted content sequence.

FOUNDATION YEAR

Option Course Graphic Design – 24–25

with Tatiana Rihs, Violène Pont

Semester 1 Course with Tatiana Rihs: Visual Identity Course with Violène Pont: Flyers for an event Semester 2 Course with Violène Pont: Bookmark and animation for an event

GRAPHIC DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Le livre d’artiste - 24/25

with Anouk Schneider Agabekov, Nicolas Polli

As part of the editorial design course led by Anouk Schneider and Nicolas Polli, second-year Visual Communication students had the opportunity to design an artist’s book during the first semester. This book project stands out for its contemporary approach, aiming to create an editorial object that harmoniously integrates form and content within today’s publishing landscape. Students were encouraged to fully embrace their artistic freedom at every stage of the creative process—whether in terms of format, paper choice, binding, layout, illustrations, text, or typography. Within this course, the artist’s book can take shape through various modes of illustration, such as photography, reproduction, contextualization, drawing, 3D, and more. The emphasis is placed on the author’s artistic vision and the means implemented to bring it to life. Students take on multiple roles as editor, curator, and architect, thereby covering the responsibilities of art director, designer, photographer, stylist, illustrator, typographer, editor-in-chief, and copy editor. This course highlights contemporary editorial design by exploring the narrative potential of a carefully constructed content sequence.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Staged Photography

with Charlotte Krieger

SCREENPLAY This course introduces students to the creation of a seven-image series built around the theme Screenplay. They will learn to combine set design, characters, and lighting to produce strong, coherent staged images. Through a practical and technical approach, the course develops their ability to conceive and manage a complete photographic project, direct models, work with natural and artificial light, and collaborate under conditions similar to professional editorial or commercial shoots. Students will refine their photographic vision while preparing for the creative and technical demands of the industry.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Visual Identity BA1 S1 2024/2025

with Adeline Mollard

During the visual identity class, first-year Bachelor's students in Graphic Design were tasked with creating a poster project based on a randomly assigned event. They had to define their own visual system and explore a series of hand-drawn typographic posters. The visual identity of the event was developed through a poster and a flyer, accompanied by a research booklet documenting their entire creative process.

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Redesign 24-25 - S1

with Giliane Cachin

As part of the course given by Giliane Cachin, 1st year students are required to produce an edition by examining the different axes that make it up. The course offers a study of various grid systems and the fundamentals of micro-typography. During the semester, students will look for the best way to structure and arrange the content they have chosen (or which has been assigned to them, depending on the semester's data). Some essential rules to know in terms of printing and bindings will be reviewed at the end of the semester, in order to bring the conceptualized object to life.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design BA3 2024-2025

with Jonathan Hares

The third-year students had to produce an edition over half a term, choosing as their subject an event that had appeared in the newspaper on the date of the first lesson.

The Picture-Writer. Warja Lavater, Graphic Designer and Illustrator

with Jonas Berthod, Davide Fornari

This project investigates the work of the graphic designer and artist, Warja Lavater, an internationally recognised Swiss graphic designer, illustrator, bookmaker, filmmaker and artist.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Image Creation BA3 2024-2025

with Guy Meldem

Third-year students had to complete an image creation project based on a free subject and medium.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S3 2024 - 2025

with Diego Bontognali

This editorial project, "1 dépêche, 10 secondes, 100 pages", is divided into three formats: the book, the poster, and the animation. The students are tasked with creating content and defining an editorial line based on a current news dispatch or brief.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Genius Loci - Spirit of the place

with Nicole Udry

Genius Loci, or the spirit of the place, refers to the unique identity or essence of a location. In architecture, this principle suggests that the specific characteristics of a place should be reflected and extended in a design. In the case of the second-year graphic design students, they have applied this principle to communication projects focused on promoting or extending the identity of a particular place through design. Their work likely explores how to visually capture and communicate the essence of a space, using graphic design elements that resonate with the architectural features or history of the place.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographic Editions

with RVB Books/Matthieu Charon & Rémi Faucheux

Using pre-produced images, the students created one or more book models. How do you transform a series of photographs into a book? The Photographic Editions course introduces students to the selection of images, their order, format, graphics, ink, paper and binding. It addresses the specificities of the book as a medium and as a market.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Collector

with Adeline Mollard

During the visual identity course with Adeline Mollard, the students had to develop an identity project promoting a collection chosen by them. Each project includes the design of a catalogue contextualising and presenting the collection, together with the design of a poster.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S2 2024

with Diego Bontognali

The semester project consists of two editions with identical content but different formats. Construct content from a news report, to produce two editions.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Type Specimen

with Robert Huber

Type design research and developmen displayed on a specimen.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

TRANSLATION

with Adeline Mollard

During the visual identity course, the 2nd year Graphic Design bachelors had to produce a communication project based on a translation. They had to define their own translation system and develop a visual language based on these rules.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

So, how can we live better?

with Nicole Udry

Beyond questions of functionality, comfort and individual or collective well-being, the built environment is capable of responding in a stimulating way to societal, energy and environmental challenges. Workplaces, homes, public spaces, interiors and streets are all driven by real statements of intent that motivate their design. The 2nd year Graphic Design students worked on a communication based on one of these principles (or others) and on the architectural creation that refers to it in order to promote it.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Generated memories

with Guy Meldem

During the Image Creation course with Guy Meldem, students explored the benefits of AI. Feeding the machine with their own illustrative style, they were able to generate a certain quantity of images, enabling them to produce a graphic novel, a collection of images or other types of illustrated editorial work.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Type specimen

with Aurèle Sack

Type design displayed on a specimen.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S1 2023

with Harry Bloch

During the editorial design course with Harry Bloch, the 1st year students developed, during the fall semester, an edition around a personal survey.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Image Creation

with Guy Meldem

In the course of the Image Creation course taught by Guy Meldem, third year students choose the subject they wish to work on. They develop their own technique and approach to image-making in preparation for their diploma project and their future professional practice.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

TRANSLATION

with Adeline Mollard

During the visual identity course, the 2nd year Graphic Design bachelors had to produce a communication project based on a translation. They had to define their own translation system and develop a visual language based on these rules.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S5 2023

with Diego Bontognali

In this half-semester project, students had to work on a daily newspaper article published on a predefined date and develop an editorial concept.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S3 2023

with Diego Bontognali

The semester project consists of two editions with identical content but different formats. Construct content from a news report, to produce two editions.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

So, how can we live better?

with Nicole Udry

Beyond questions of functionality, comfort and individual or collective well-being, the built environment is capable of responding in a stimulating way to societal, energy and environmental challenges. Workplaces, homes, public spaces, interiors and streets are all driven by real statements of intent that motivate their design. The 2nd year Graphic Design students worked on a communication based on one of these principles (or others) and on the architectural creation that refers to it in order to promote it.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Anthracite

by Emma Grosu, Seraphine Sallin-Mason, Rebecca Alfandary

The Anthracite project aims to raise public awareness about the dangers of light pollution, which threatens the survival of nocturnal insects and impacts biodiversity in Switzerland. Through a carefully crafted edition blending scientific outreach and photography, the project strikes a delicate balance between poetry and urgency. Anthracite also takes shape in two additional formats: a visual installation made up of striking images, and a teaser video. These mediums of awareness immerse the audience by adopting the perspective of an insect, inviting viewers to directly experience the effects of human-caused pollution. Ultimately, the project seeks to inspire greater protection for the vulnerable insects at risk.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Image creation

with Guy Meldem

During the Image Creation course with Guy Meldem, the students had to develop a two-color teaching manual, with the aim of teaching a particular skill. Each project takes the form of a 16-page booklet with two different types of printing.