Les Franciscaines de Deauville visual identity

Les Franciscaines de Deauville is a hybrid, open-ended cultural space that houses a museum, an auditorium, a collection of André Hambourg’s artworks, thematic photographic exhibitions, and a reading and documentation space. Founded as a place for meeting and sharing, Les Franciscaines is a significant cultural and urban living project taken on by the city of Deauville in the heart of Normandy, France.

Graphéine worked with Deauville to create the visual identity of this unique place. The architecture of the building is remarkable: it is a former convent of the Franciscan Sisters dating from the 19th century, rehabilitated for the occasion by the architectural firm Moatti-Rivière. The space is open, its different universes communicate with each other while offering an intimate setting.

From a bird’s eye view of the project, we discovered the building’s F shape. This made the choice of the monogram an instant realization, both for its evocative force and its effectiveness in communicating a new offer in the daily life of Deauville’s inhabitants. Its style is also a nod to the ‘retro-chic’ stripes of beach umbrellas and swimsuits. The design of the Les Franciscaines wordmark was inspired by the Art Deco style, and adapted for the stencil treatment required for the signage. The openings in the letters A and R create a visual connection to the open style of the monogram.

Verlag and Cera Stencil were selected as the accompanying typefaces. Verlag is a direct extension of the architectural style used in the brand’s logotype. Its style echoes the Bauhaus in a less geometric, more refined way. Cera Stencil was originally chosen for the stencil signage application. It functions well with Verlag and is also used in publications to create hierarchy in drop caps and pull quotes.

With a constant intention to think of Les Franciscaines as a place of life for everyone, we designed a warm and intimate signage as well as a naming system for the different spaces: the Refectory, the Auditorium, the Exhibition Courtyard, the Equestrian Universe, the Art of Living Universe, etc… These titles are incorporated vertically in the spaces to attract the attention of visitors. They are accompanied by a gallery of pictograms (a horse, a parasol, a camera and more) that refer to major themes of the city. These custom pictograms maintain a fluid stencil style.

Read more about the editorial guidelines on our portfolio website (in French).
See also a post about the accompanying signage.