TYPOTOPY

TYPOTOPY forms part of Le B.E.A.U, the largest project for renovating vacant ground-floor space led by the association Carton Plein. About 10 graphic designers worked on a revolving basis at TYPOTOPY, a multifunction pop-up shop opened during Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne 2015 that offered three weeks of workshops, shop-front sign design, performances and typographic walks through the surrounding neighbourhood.  

The first task was to create 3D typefaces that users can easily produce using recycled materials, in order to create signs for the shop fronts of boutiques that have been reactivated. This work continues as an exploration of the practical standardisation of DIY construction methods and will be expanded at the second annual Biennial in 2017.

Each graphic designer then worked with a shop in the Jacquard district – a bakery, grocer, hairdresser, wood carver, upholsterer, etc. – with instructions to create a 3D design that is easy to produce and requires little time and materials. 

This exercise with users, some of whom not very attuned to design, required both parties to seek a common language and define new rules for cooperation.