Julien Lelièvre's type-led identity work for the Musée Picasso Paris

I always think designing an identity for an art gallery sounds like a dream commission but then you are targeting an audience that is more visually literate than say mayonnaise-buyers and that must bring an added pressure. It’s a challenge Julien Lelièvre clearly relishes and the French graphic designer has proposed bold, communicative identities for both the Musée Picasso Paris and Palais de Tokyo in recent years.

I came across Julien’s work for the former over on Visuelle where the expressive Alphabet typeface and flexible iterations of the MPP initials combine for a look and feel that reflects the aesthetic experimentation of Picasso without trying too hard.

A delve through Julien’s (mightily impressive) portfolio revealed that a few years ago he undertook a similar commission for the Palais de Tokyo, working with Helmo on the early stages of the studio’s pitch, in which Julien shows off his flair for type-led treatments.