Philly Hands is a concise but in-depth survey description of Philadelphian street penmanship, written and photographed by François Chastanet. It explores the Philly writers’ lexicon of ‘hands’, ranging from the original Gangster Prints to the Tall Hands, Wickeds, Stiff Hands, Punchlines, and more. It also provides a rare glimpse into the preparatory work done on paper before performing in the street. Through ductus diagrams, the inner tracing logic of landmark letters is revealed, offering insights into the unique calligraphic tradition of Philadelphia – nicknamed ‘Whip City’ and celebrated as the land of extreme cursivity. With a legacy spanning more than fifty years, the city has much to offer to lettering enthusiasts. Some cities are able to develop their own scriptural ‘texture’, going beyond individual experiments with the image of the name. Edited by Alice Savoie and Jérôme Knebusch in the Poem Pamphlet series.
Philly Hands, François Chastanet, Poem, Frankfurt am Main, 2024.
Hamlet, Bauhaus Universität, Weimar, 2018.
À l’occasion > Rencontres nationales de la Fraap, Trinitaires & 49 Nord 6 Est Frac Lorraine Metz, 2008.
The Musée d'Orsay is dedicated to artistic expression from the period 1848–1914. With an annual attendance of 3.5 million visitors, it stands as one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions. Its complete visual identity overhaul, undertaken by the Paris-based graphic design studio Zoo, offers a contemporary interpretation of the museum’s artistic legacy by establishing a clear, readable, and engaging visual language. As part of this redesign, an exclusive typeface was created in two styles. This typeface is a modern reinterpretation of the typographic developments of La Belle Époque, channeling the vitality of the era to which the Musée d'Orsay is devoted. The roman style presents a distilled interpretation of the 19th-century French Elzévir genre, while the italic revives the Coulée Italique Elzévirienne, originally cast by the Parisian foundry Beaudoire & Fils. The italic also features a set of swash capitals. Both styles were drawn by Rafael Ribas, with advisory, mastering, and production by Jérôme Knebusch. Some images are excerpted from the 2023/2024 program, where the typeface is paired with Antique Legacy.
Orsay Elzévir, custom typeface, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, 2023. Advisory & production for zoo, designers graphiques / Rafael Ribas.
One hour conference about four typeface projects: Instant, Almost, Triennale and Nouveau. Given at Fonts & Faces symposium #9 curated by Simon Renaud. Video recording link below.
Instant Nouveau, conference, Fonts & Faces #9, symposium, Campus Fonderie de l'Image, Paris, 2022.
Visual identity and design of the Brave New World Order – Triennale Jeune Création website. The young art triennale is a major event for emerging artists from Luxembourg and the Greater Region. The website showcases 40 artists and a forum, initiated during the Covid pandemic which delayed the exhibition for one year. Each artist could login and update his profile. The starting page is randomly customized, displaying each time in another order the black and white identity drawings. The identity integrated the custom design of a typefaces in two styles.
Brave New World Order – Triennale Jeune création, Rotondes, Casino Luxembourg – Forum d'art contemporain, 2020-2021, w/ Thomas Bouville.
Etienne Pressager, Malzéville, 2006. etiennepressager.fr
One week workshop with Bachelor students. Design of a digital alphabet where capitals and minuscules have a distinctive different drawing.
Two types in one, Hochschule Aachen, 2019.
Custom typeface in two styles, upright and italic, respectively entitled 1981 and 1996. While the first is a relecture of the first digital typefaces and their idiosyncratic approach, the second, more mature, comes closer to 1990s humanistic sans serifs. Used exlusively for the identity design of Brave New World Order – Triennale Jeune Création held at Rotondes and Casino Luxembourg. The young art triennale is a major event for emerging artists from Luxembourg and the Greater Region. The 2021 edition was devoted to the millennials generation. See here the typeface use within the overall design. See here the typeface use within the design of the catalogue. Here for on the signage project. And here for the website. A preliminary version was used here.
Triennale 1981-1996, custom typeface, Triennale Jeune Création, Rotondes, Casino Luxembourg – Forum d'art contemporain, 2020.
Rudolf Koch's and Fritz Kredel's remarkable Blumenbuch [the flower book] was published several times between 1929 and 1942, from pocket book editions to precious volumes and portfolios, involving many collaborators, printers and publishers like Mainzer Presse, Ernst-Ludwig-Presse in Darmstadt and Insel-Verlag, Leipzig. The essay by Jérôme Knebusch compiles a detailed chronology of the different editions and presents rare and unpublished material from the archives of the Klingspor Museum, Offenbach am Main. About the Blumenbuch is the first of the Poem Pamphlet series edited by Alice Savoie and Jérôme Knebusch.
About the Blumenbuch, Poem, Frankfurt am Main, 2020.