Bienvenue sur la route de Toulouse

For an urban development-related project in Gironde, France, I worked with agency deux degrés and the architects from the Cancan collectif.

One of the peculiarities of this district is its large main road, overloaded with signs. My mission was to think about this ephemeral identity, taking into account the current context for this district: building work and change. Picking up various ideas (from Las Vegas to butcher’s shops), we worked on a French-American mix of signs, colors and typefaces. In order to make an intervention that stayed in touch with the site, we opted for a graphical continuity with the signs already there.

The design resulted in a number of totems that are reminiscent of French Morris columns or even the industrial Derrick columns. These columns are relevant for both motorists and pedestrians, who will find information and street furniture. For the duration of the project (several years) we made signage that recalls the practices of entrepreneurs in the area.

To evoke a set of French-American signs, a multitude of typefaces have been used. Banco (by the great Roger Excoffon) represents traditional French butcher’s shops; Trade Gothic is an American classic; Bello, more spontaneous and warm, represents the city parks; Knockout is impressive with all its various styles; a kind of collective American image is channeled through Emigre’s Base 12 Sans and Serif; Mr Stalwart is reminiscent of the sign painting for shop fronts.