ECAL Talent Day,24.06.2026,ECAL, Renens Dedicated to young graduates and professionals alike, the “ECAL Talent Day” event aims to build bridges between academia and the professional world by offering the opportunity to to meet and network. This annual event, open to professionals only, enables them to connect with our 2026 Bachelors and Masters graduates in Fine Arts, Cinema, Industrial & Product Design, Graphic & Type Design, Media & Interaction Design, and Photography. ECAL Talent Day creates a unique opportunity to meet the next generation of creative talents and explore their latest work. Spanning across all sectors of the creative industries, the event provides a dynamic and enriching networking environment for both attendees and graduates.DATES & SCHEDULEWednesday, June 24, 2026 From 10am to 4pmVENUEECAL Av. du Temple 5 1020 RenensREGISTRATIONRegistration required by Friday, June 12, 2026. Registration formCONTACTStalentday@ecal.ch
ECAL A Typographic Atlas in New York,22.06–03.08.2026,The Cooper Union, New York The Cooper Union in New York is hosting the fourth stop of ECAL A Typographic Atlas, a traveling exhibition featuring a selection of 300 typefaces created by ECAL s Master Type Design and Bachelor Graphic Design students. Presented as a typographic atlas, the exhibition is structured around a single indexing approach. This system is translated into a modular display designed by Adrien Rovero. Alphabetical entries and numerical coordinates form a navigational framework, inviting visitors to move through a typographic territory. Typography is treated as a visual, cultural and linguistic practice, from experimental forms to functional families and multiscript projects, encouraging us to reconsider how type mediates everyday communication. The project also takes the form of book of the same name, produced by Giliane Cachin and Eurostandard and published by Empire Books, which unfolds like a vast map covering the full range of genres across the contemporary typographic spectrum. Previous stops Turin – Circolo del Design Leipzig – HGB Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Paris – Program/me Next stops Montreal – UQAM Los Angeles – HMCT Gallery Lausanne – ECAL Tokyo – SKWAT Kameari Art Centre and more to come...ADDRESSThe Cooper Union 30 Cooper Square, New York, United StatesHEAD OF PROGRAMMES, DATES22.06–03.08.2026RELATED EVENTS
The RATS Song,29.05.2026, 18:00,Cinéma Bellevaux As part of the "No Sound: Sound Reflection" class of the Fine Arts Bachelor, students present an evening of concerts, performances and talks. Thibault Walter s class, “No Sound: Sound Reflection,” aims to provide a framework for reflecting on the uses of sound and listening in art. This event invites a dialogue with the Bellevaux cinema, whose stage and sound design make it an ideal setting for storytelling. All our thanks to our partners at Bellevaux. Without trying to recruit anyone, without casting a wide net, we re shaking up our activities, drawing on our inspiRATions, and offering you a delicious RATatouille — an original tReAT. An evening of concerts, performances, talks, and other fun exTRAs at the Cinéma Bellevaux on May 29. Be sure to stop by.DATE & TIMES29 May 2026 6pm – 12am Free entryVENUECinéma Bellevaux Route Aloys-Fauquez 4, 1018 LausanneSTUDENTS· Deborah Baumgartner · Tuline Bevilacqua · · · Clara Estevarena · · Enora Fallet · · · Chloé Geoffroy Lamartine · · Adèle Linder · Raquel Ramos Pinto · · · PROFESSOR
Cristallina x ECAL at Design Days,28–31.05.2026,La Rasude, Lausanne For the Design Days 2026, ECAL presents a selection of projects from its collaboration with Cristallina Design, focusing on a rare material: the only marble quarried in Switzerland. Initiated in 2023, the relationship with Cristallina Design offered students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship the opportunity to discover Switzerland s only marble quarry, located at an altitude of over 1,200 metres in the Ticino mountains. The accessories and outdoor furniture resulting from this partnership are directly inspired by Swiss traditions and the unique properties of the material, formed millions of years ago from ancient marine corals. Each block, bearing a unique geological memory, gives rise to unique pieces, part of a sustainable vision of luxury where the material becomes memory and design becomes experience. These creations will be showcased at Design Days 2026, an annual event offering an immersive experience in contemporary design through a diverse program featuring exhibitions, installations, workshops, and educational activities. Image © Albane Durand VielDATES & OPENING TIMES28–31 May 2026 Thursday 28 May : 6:00pm–10:00pm Friday 29 May : 12:00pm–8:00pm Saturday 30 May : 10:00am–8:00pm Sunday 31 May : 10:00am–6:00pmWEBSITEdesigndays.chVENUELa Rasude Place de la Gare 1 1003 Lausanne
Type Design BA3 – S1 25–26 The third-year students had to develop a typeface and digitize it.
ECAL at the Festival des Cabanes,20.05–28.09.2026,Villa Médicis, Rome For the 2026 Festival des Cabanes, ECAL is presenting an installation in collaboration with Mutina and French designer Ronan Bouroullec. For its fifth edition, the Festival des Cabanes brings together six original creations and a multi-disciplinary artistic program, at the crossroads of architecture and landscape. The idea of the hut is the starting point for a dialogue between architects, artists, designers and landscape architects around various concerns, such as sustainability and the coexistence of natural and man-made environments. On this occasion, ECAL Master Product Design and Mutina present Façade, a project in which a single wall becomes architecture, transforming a fragment into a real space that reshapes its surroundings — casting a shadow, offering a place to pause, and carving out a new passage through the landscape. The installation draws inspiration from the pictorial practice of trompe-l œil, which originated in antiquity and was reinvented during the Renaissance. Trompe-l œil, meaning "to fool the eye", aims to blur the line between reality and illusion. Façade perpetuates this Roman tradition further by questionning the boundary between surface and depth through chromatic variations, as well as the repetition of a subtly modulated elementary motif. The project was selected and supported by French designer Ronan Bouroullec. Image © Daniele Molajoli
ECAL A Typographic Atlas in Paris: exhibition, book and conference,19–27.05.2026,Program/me, Paris As part of the presentation of ECAL A Typographic Atlas at Program/me, the launch of the exhibition s book, as well as a conference with typographers, teachers, researchers, and publishers, will also take place. Conceived as a travelling exhibition, ECAL A Typographic Atlas reflects ECAL s long-standing commitment to contemporary graphic and type design. The project presents a wide selection of 300 typefaces created by ECAL s Type Design Master and Graphic Design Bachelor students from around the world. The exhibition is structured around a single indexing approach, reflected in a modular display system designed by Adrien Rovero . Typography is treated here as a practice that is visual, cultural, and linguistic at once. Produced by and Eurostandard, and published by Empire Books, the 536-page book unfolds like a vast map covering the entire spectrum of contemporary typographic genres. Previous stops Turin – Circolo del Design Leipzig – HGB Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Next stops New York – The Cooper Union Montreal – UQAM Los Angeles – HMCT Gallery Lausanne – ECAL Tokyo – SKWAT Kameari Art Centre and more to come...DATES & OPENING TIMES19.05–27.05.2026 Wednesday–Saturday 2:00pm–6:00pm Free entryADDRESSProgram/me 6 bis rue des Récollets, 75010 Paris, FranceHEADS OF PROGRAMS, CONFERENCETypographic Atlas: Designing, Exhibiting, and Distributing Typefaces Tuesday 26 May, 2026, 6:30pm Musée des Arts Décoratifs In the presence of : Empire Books : Sacha Léopold and François Havegeer ECAL Master Type Design : , head of program and , type designer Eurostandard : , graphic designer Ornamental & Title Type foundry : , type designer BookingBOOK LAUNCH & EXHIBITION OPENINGTuesday 19 May, 2026 6:00pmRELATED EVENTS
Workshop with Rineke Dijkstra What is good portrait? What technique do you choose? What kind of light do you use? Daylight or flash? What location or backdrop do you choose for? How do you choose your subject? How do you approach someone you don t know? In this workshop, the students have explored what makes a good portrait and which tools you can use to create one.
MAZDA × ECAL Collaboration Mazda and ECAL renew their partnership and place design and craftsmanship at the heart of innovation in the electric era. This second collaboration between the MAS Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship program and Mazda further strengthens the dialogue between Mazda s "Crafted with Japanese Soul" philosophy and ECAL s culture of experimentation, creative excellence, and exploration of materials. Working on the brand s new all-electric crossover model, the CX-6e, 18 ECAL students are taking a human-centered approach to electric mobility, focusing on the themes of color, design, craftsmanship, and customer experience. The students individual projects, recently presented to Bahram Partaw, lead designer at Mazda Research Europe, highlight subtle, creative, and often poetic approaches. Ranging from objects inspired by the vehicle s stylistic language to concepts for space and lighting designed to enhance its presence, the projects demonstrate a keen sensitivity to materials, details, and storytelling. The concepts selected by a jury composed of ECAL professors and Mazda representatives will move on to a second phase of development before being presented at ECAL during a dedicated event at the end of the academic year. This collaboration once again reflects ECAL s commitment to excellence in its programs, rooted in the exchange between its students and professionals from renowned brands.PRESS RELEASEMAZDA × ECAL
Ethical, Accessible and Mindful Design Ethical, Accessible & Mindful Design is a one-week module that trains students to examine the ethical dimensions of design decisions. Through practice, students learn to design experiences that are inclusive, transparent, and considerate of their broader social impact. This semester, the module took low-vision accessibility as its central design constraint. Working under the brief Goodbye to All …, students were asked to guide a user through a permanent, irreversible, and non-negotiable farewell. Beyond WCAG compliance, the exercise required sustained attention to contrast across all interface states, legible typography, keyboard-only navigation, focus visibility, and layout integrity at both 100% and 300% zoom, without loss of hierarchy or readability. Goodbye Jongny Goodbye to Jongny The user witnesses the irreversible demographic transformation of Jongny by Nestlé. A progressive interaction prepares them for the village s disappearance, guiding the ultimate "forgetting" of its history. My research moved beyond basic WCAG 2.2 checklists to focus on success criteria contrast and reflow. This led to the "Information Density" insight: low-vision users need a clear anchor. I prioritized layout with generous white space to eliminate the "clutter trap". By ensuring that color is never the sole conveyor of meaning adding distinct patterns to historical states; the design remains legible in grayscale or high-glare environments. The choice of Selecta s specific metrics was a direct result of researching how letter-spacing affects readability for users with central vision loss. Marc FacchinettiGoodbye to micro-digital crimes Goodbye to micro-digital crimes This short scenario is about saying goodbye to your micro-digital crimes. A unknown detective is giving you the file they have on your digital activities. Your goal is to read it and then destroy it. This project has a lot of high colors, and the WCAG requires high contrast between typography and background. Part of the research was to find accessible typography, and good text size, color choice for reading. Readability was the main objective, without losing too much design. Emilie MullerBurden of Expectations Goodbye to Conditional acceptance The concept is about exploring the duality that is developed when exposed to judgemental ideologies and stories. A duality that laces social perception into every personal decision. The interactions aims to give a glimpse of what it might be like to make often simple decisions, where the user s choices has implications on how they are percieved. So by the end you say goodbye to this invisible checklist that comes with every choice. Saying goodbye to filtering every choice, big or small, through other opinions. As the visual design was intentionally chromatic, one that uses saturated colours layered across backgrounds, testing was a challenge. Each colour combination required individual evaluation. Each iteration included testing foreground-background pairings across UI states (default, hover, focus, disabled), adjusting hue, saturation, and lightness values until combinations passed recommendations without compromising the art direction. I used low-vision accessibility test with WCAG 2.1 as a base, focusing specifically on contrast requirements; AA (4.5:1 for normal text) and AAA (7:1) metrics. I also was looking into guidance from resources like the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group s supplementary notes and community-driven tools such as Stark and Colour Contrast Analyser. Typography decisions were guided by legibility principles that go beyond type size. I tested typeface using character disambiguation checking if visually similar characters like S/5 and I/l/1 remained indentifiable at small sizes. This ruled out typefaces with ambiguous letterforms regardless of their aesthetic appeal. Collectively, these findings changed my design process from an aesthetics first to a constraints led approach, where accessibility thresholds became generative parameters rather than last minute checks. Rishab SachidanandThe machine that forgets Goodbye to your secrets My research focused on low-vision accessibility principles from WCAG 2.2 and inclusive interaction design beyond compliance. I studied contrast ratios, typography readability, zoom behavior, motion sensitivity, and visibility in difficult lighting conditions. I also explored the role of dark mode interfaces in reducing eye strain and improving comfort in low-light environments. One important insight was that accessibility is not only technical but emotional. Since the project deals with confession and vulnerability, the interface needed to feel calm, readable, and reassuring without overwhelming users visually. I therefore avoided dense layouts, decorative noise, and excessive animation. Accessibility directly shaped the project s aesthetic language: the minimalist dark interface became both a conceptual choice and an inclusive design solution. The final experience balances emotional storytelling with clarity, legibility, visual comfort, and ease of interaction. An anonymous confession machine lets users reveal personal secrets, then permanently destroys them through a ritualized digital interaction that transforms vulnerability into release, making the goodbye emotionally irreversible. Delphine BrantschenThe most inaccessible website. Goodbye to ACCESSIBILITY The Most Inaccessible Website is a deliberately hostile interface. By breaking every accessibility rule on purpose, it makes able users feel what others navigate every day. Instead of treating accessibility as a background constraint to smooth over, I made it the subject. Most projects meet the guidelines quietly; I went the other way building the most inaccessible website possible, so people without disabilities are forced to feel what others deal with every day. I went through the WCAG guidelines and more generaly, looked into how blind and low-vision users actually navigate the web: keyboard-only flows, screen readers, dwell-based interaction, head and eye tracking as cursor replacements. What stuck with me wasn t any single rule, but how much of the web silently assumes a mouse, stable vision, and fine motor control. You don t notice those assumptions until one of them is taken away. Youri ZermattenHi mum! Goodbye to parent-child relationship This tarot game allows a mother to hear and respond to revelations made by her child. In the first version, it is intended only for my mother; in the second version, anyone can share their stories before asking their mother to interact. The goal is to talk to each other as equals in order to break down the parent-child dynamic. The mother who is playing reveals the cards one by one and can only respond once. Once the cards revealing the past have been revealed, a bonus card appears to summarize the current relationship. She then must turn all of them over and put them away in a box. The memories are not destroyed, but left in the past so that a new relationship can begin. When a card can be interacted with, it glows and shifts slightly when the mouse hovers over it. To move cards, you can click or drag them. Gwenaelle Gustin
Image Creation BA3 – S1 25–26 Third-year students had to produce an edition over half a semester, discovering as their subject an event that appeared in the newspaper on the date of the first lesson.
ECAL and the Swiss Pavilion at Biennale di Venezia 2026 At the 61st Venice Biennale, the Swiss Pavilion presents The Unfinished Business of Living Together, an exhibition conceived by a collective that includes Yul Tomatala, a graduate of ECAL s Bachelor s program in Photography, and Miriam Laura Leonardi, a faculty member in the Bachelor s program in Visual Arts. The exhibition The Unfinished Business of Living Together explores the concept of "vivre-ensemble" through the lens of approaches and perspectives about tolerance and belonging, as well as various forms of social division. Inspired by the program "Telearena," broadcast on Swiss television in 1978, the project uses homosexuality as a historical entry point to examine how social norms determine who is permitted to speak, revealing broader dynamics regarding the possibilities and tensions inherent to "vivre-ensemble." By revisiting and reproducing the formal structures of television programs, the exhibition uses montage and installation to raise questions related to media infrastructures. Through art, it also reactivates the archives as a space for debate and active engagement. The exhibition was conceived by curators Gianmaria Andreetta and Luca Beeler, in collaboration with artist Nina Wakeford, and developed with artists Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, and Yul Tomatala. is a Geneva-based artist who holds a Bachelor Photography from ECAL and a Master s degree in Visual Arts from HEAD. His installations combine sculptural elements, photography, and video to explore the interplay between space and image. Conceived in relation to architecture, his works highlight the entropy of a problematic modernity and address various themes related to Western social constructs, particularly their relationship to collective and personal memory. , who studied photography at GOBELINS (Paris) and earned a Master in Fine Arts from the Zurich University of the Arts, is a faculty member at ECAL for the Bachelor Visual Arts. The Unfinished Business of Living Together. Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Yul Tomatala, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, Nina Wakeford © Del LaGrace VolcanoDATES & OPENING TIMESFrom May 9 to November 22, 2026 May to September: 11:00am–7:00pm October to November: 10:00am–6:00pm Closed on Mondays, except May 11, June 1, September 7, and November 16VENUEVenice Biennale Swiss Pavilion Giardini della Biennale di Venezia Venice, ItalyWEBSITElabiennale.org
Marvin Merkel and Noa Epars film at 2026 Cannes Film Festival Congratulations to Marvin Merkel, graduate of ECAL s Bachelor Photography, and Noa Epars on the selection of their film Always Wanted to Be God, Never Wanted to Do Good for the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. The Bachelor s thesis film by HEAD student Noa Epars, co-directed with , graduated with an ECAL Bachelor Photography, will be screened at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Cinef selection. This year, in this category dedicated to films made by film schools students from around the world, 19 short films were selected from over 2,450 submissions. At the intersection between fiction, documentary, and experimental cinema, this short film revisits acts of vandalism committed in 2009 by mountain guide Patrick Bussard, who sawed down a cross in the Fribourg Alps and was severely punished by the courts. Always Wanted To Be God, Never Wanted To Do Good won the "Best Swiss Film 2025" award at the Winterthur International Short Film Festival, as well as the "SSA/Suissimage Young Talent Award 2026" at the Solothurn Film Festival, and was screened at the Tampere Film Festival in Finland. "On the summits of Swiss mountains, Christian crosses stand tall. In the cities, billboards displaying Bible verses occupy public space. We have never felt comfortable with the presence of these religious symbols." Film screening 21.05.2026, 11:00am, Buñuel Theatre Palais des Festivals et des Congrès Cannes, France @marvmerkel @noaepars Visual © Marvin Merkel
New leadership for the Bachelor and Master Photography In keeping with the legacy of Milo Keller, whose passing deeply affected the school, Calypso Mahieu and Clément Lambelet have been appointed to lead ECAL s Photography programmes. As of the 2026–2027 academic year, will head the Bachelor Photography, while will take on leadership of the Master Photography. Both bring in-depth knowledge of the programmes, having contributed to and supported them at various levels in recent years. A graduate of ECAL s Bachelor Photography in 2016, Calypso Mahieu has since developed an independent photography practice recognised in Switzerland and internationally. Alongside her artistic work, she began teaching within the Bachelor programme in 2019, became Artistic Deputy in 2022, and has been serving as interim head since January 2026. Her background, rooted in both practice and pedagogy, positions her ideally to support students in developing their vision and approach. An artist and educator, Clément Lambelet earned a Bachelor Photography from ECAL in 2016 and holds a Master Fine Arts from EDHEA since 2024. His work, exhibited in Switzerland and internationally, explores contemporary transformations of the image, particularly in the era of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. Alongside his artistic practice, he conducts research and is notably involved in the Soft Photography project, which investigates new forms and materialities of the image in the computational age. He has been actively involved in teaching at ECAL for several years, particularly at the Master level, where he has served as Artistic Deputy since 2022. These appointments reflect a commitment to strengthening the pedagogical foundations of the Bachelor and reinforcing the positioning of the Master in relation to current issues in photography. They also open new perspectives for developing the programmes, supporting transformations of the medium, and enhancing their visibility on both national and international stages.
Changes in Leadership for the Design Programs After over than ten years as head of the Bachelor Industrial Design, Stéphane Halmaï-Voisard will hand over responsibility for the program to Camille Blin, director of the Master Product Design program. Since 2014, has made a decisive contribution to the development of the Bachelor Industrial Design program, strengthening its educational foundations and and guiding numerous generations of students. He will continue his involvement at ECAL as a faculty member in the Bachelor Industrial Design. Starting with the 2026–2027 academic year, will take over as head of the Bachelor Industrial Design, while continuing in his role as head of the Master Product Design, a position he has held since 2017. In this capacity, he will be supported by and , the respective artistic directors of the Bachelor and the Master, who will continue in their roles within the programs. An ECAL graduate and teacher within the Bachelor Industrial Design program for over ten years, Camille Blin has an in-depth knowledge of the curriculum and has guided numerous students in the development of their projects, notably in the context of prestigious collaborations. These changes strengthen the coherence and complementarity between the Bachelor and the Master, while affirming their respective distinctiveness within the design field.