Roger Excoffon Workshop. Painting the alphabet at the scale of a gesture
Roger Excoffon was a French artist, designer, and philosopher of the 20th century who created vibrant and widely recognized fonts. Inspired by the ideas and works of this master, we armed ourselves with very, very large brushes and painted several French letters. Together, we assembled a complete alphabet!
The material of the workshop was deliberately simple: Choc by Roger Excoffon, large brushes, paper, paint and a set of French letters. Choc became the main reference because it carries Excoffon’s gesture especially clearly: heavy curves, sharp turns, playful tension and a strong sense of movement.
This simplicity was important. With fewer tools, every decision became visible. The size of the brush changed the size of the movement. The weight of the paint changed the rhythm of the stroke. A small mistake could become part of the letter’s energy.
The result was a complete painted alphabet and a workshop that translated a piece of graphic design history into a tactile, collective experience. Children were able to approach typography not as a set of rules, but as a living form of expression—one that can be energetic, imperfect, dramatic and full of personality.
The project was later included in Le bulletin typographique, placing this small educational experiment within a broader conversation about typography, culture and graphic design. For me, the workshop became a way to connect education, type history and play—showing how a designer’s legacy can be introduced without simplifying it too much: by finding the right material, the right scale and the right kind of freedom.
Details
Scope
Workshop
Year
2023
Team
Special thanks
Max, Irina, Masha, Anya, and Institut français de Russie for their generous support, help, and for providing the space for the workshop