GRAPHIC DESIGN

Karim Akel – Ma'as Typeface

by Karim Akel

Ma'as Typeface is a family of variable, experimental, Arabic and Latin fonts inspired by Al-Kufi Al-Handassi calligraphy, found mainly in Oriental architecture, and by early XXth century dutch geometric fonts. Through this work, I question the balance of power between Latin and Arabic script as well as the technological tools' efficiency that made for drawing Arabic characters. The theme of multi-script is currently revealing a plethora of issues linked to the balance of power between two distinct writing systems. Ma'as Typeface metabolizes my dissertation research, which explores questions of identity and power between Latin and Arabic scripts through their formal characteristics, evolution and historical context.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Service Design - 2024

with Angelo Benedetto, Vincent Jacquier, Pauline Saglio, Calypso Mahieu

During the Service Design course, the 3rd year of the Graphic Design, Photography and Media & Interaction Design bachelors had to create multi-media projects. A collaboration of the Visual Communication department which had as subject the SDGs (*Sustainable Development Goals). The theme was called "For a good cause, make the SDGs a reality" and its objective was to allow students to develop a cause that is close to their hearts. Each project consists of at least two different media, one primary and one secondary. These projects could take any form that the students deemed relevant, be it a website, editions, posters, a video sequence or virtual reality.

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

The secret life of objects

with Adeline Mollard

During the visual identity course, the students had to choose an object that could perform a specific function. Once they had deciphered all the facets of the object, they were asked to come up with a visual identity concept to present the object and show it in a graphic way that best defined it.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Editorial Design S4 2023

with Diego Bontognali

During this editorial design course, the students had to research and compile texts around a theme, based on a selection of texts and songs.  The idea was to produce two editions with identical content but different formats.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Information Design

with Angelo Benedetto

During the information design course the students have been asked to design a cartographic poster based on a film in the road movie genre, in a direct or abstract representation.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

LA POSTE × ECAL

with La Poste, Vincent Jacquier, Angelo Benedetto

For the Swiss Post Office, students from ECAL's Bachelor Graphic Design and Bachelor Media & Interaction Design are creating a postage stamp based on artificial intelligence. Thanks to augmented reality, Metascape transports Swiss Post users into an imaginary and poetic universe on the way to a destination that remains elusive.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Magazine - 2023

with Anouk Schneider Agabekov, Chi-Long Trieu

As part of the magazine course led by Anouk Schneider and Chi-Long Trieu, 2nd-year Visual Communication students had the opportunity to design a magazine during the second semester. Students were encouraged to explore their artistic freedom at all stages of creation, whether it be in terms of format, paper choice, binding, layout, illustrations, text, or typography. In this course, the magazine can take shape through various forms of illustrations, such as photography, reproduction, contextualization, drawing, 3D, etc. The focus is on the artist's vision and the methods used to bring it to life. Students take on multiple roles as editor, curator, and architect, covering responsibilities such as art director, designer, photographer, stylist, illustrator, typographer, editor-in-chief, and editorial assistant. This course highlights contemporary editorial design by exploring the narrative potential of a well-structured content sequence.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Hyperlab

with Vincent Jacquier, Angelo Benedetto, Ali-Eddine Abdelkhalek, Jean-Vincent Simonet, Clément Rouzaud

In collaboration with the HYPEROUEST music festival, ECAL students were given the opportunity to design a visual installation in the room adjacent to the festival's ephemeral club, located on the Veillon wasteland in Crissier. For this project, 1st-year students worked in groups, mixing Bachelors in Graphic Design, Media & Interaction Design and Photography. Their main objective was to create powerful and creative visual sequences around the central theme of "HYPER". At the same time, second-year students in the Graphic Design option enriched this project by developing the exhibition's visual identity. These interdisciplinary collaborations stimulated exchanges and encouraged visual cohesion, connecting the different ideas and reinforcing the "laboratory" and experimental aspect of the project.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

MEDIA & INTERACTION DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

Le livre d’artiste - 2022

with Anouk Schneider Agabekov, Chi-Long Trieu

As part of the publishing course led by Anouk Schneider and Chi-Long Trieu, 2nd 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 aimed at creating an editorial object that harmoniously integrates form and content in the current context of the editorial landscape. Students were encouraged to exploit their artistic freedom at all levels of creation, whether in terms of format, choice of paper, binding, layout, illustrations, text or typography. As part of this course, the artist's book can take shape through various illustration modalities, such as photography, reproduction, contextualization, drawing, 3D, etc. The emphasis is on the author's artistic vision and the means implemented to realize it. Students take on multiple roles as editor, curator and architect, covering the responsibilities of artistic 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 sequence of controlled content.

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 able to respond in a stimulating way to societal, energy and environmental challenges. The work space, the living space, the public space, the interior space, the street, are carried by real statements of intent that motivate their forms, following certain principles such as climate transition, densification, ecology and energy transition.... The 2nd year Graphic Design students worked on the production of a communication based on one of these principles (or others) and on the architectural realization which refers to it in order to promote it.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

STRAPPAZZON+ECAL

with Angelo Benedetto, Guy Meldem, Sébastian Strappazzon

Workshop with Strappazzon With the aim of broadening the horizons of graphic design students beyond the media traditionally explored during their training, Sebastian Stappazzon, co-founder of AVNIER – one of today's hottest streetwear brands launched in collaboration with French rapper OrelSan – runs a week-long workshop at ECAL. From the proposals imagined by the students, a capsule collection was born, produced in a limited edition. The entire collection will be presented and on sale at an exclusive event on 15 December 2023 at La Rasude in Lausanne.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Visual identity

with Atlas Studio

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Type Specimen

with Robert Huber

Type design displayed on a specimen.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Image creation

with Guy Meldem

Reinterpretation of an existing book.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Image Creation

with Guy Meldem

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Communication of a location

with Nicole Udry

FOUNDATION YEAR

Option Graphic Design

FOUNDATION YEAR

Option Graphic Design

FOUNDATION YEAR

Option Graphic Design

Etude autour de la forme et de la composition.