When asked to select her favorite from among all the entries, communication design judge Annik Troxler chose a poster by André Baldinger and Toan Vu-Huu, who designed it for their 10th anniversary exhibition Poly- pluri- multi in Le Havre.
Bvh is featured in The World’s Best Typography exhibition (TDC65), currently on display at Sheridan College’s Oakville, Ontario campus.
About Bvh
- Designer and Art Direction: André Baldinger and Toan Vu-Huu, Paris
- Studio: baldinger•vu-huu
- Client: Le Portique
- Principal Type: Handlettering
“In 2018, we were invited by the contemporary art centre Le Portique in Le Havre, France, to do a solo show of our work during the Une saison graphique graphic design festival. It was the 10th anniversary of the festival and also our studio. Time to look back on our working manner and give it a visual form for the exhibition poster. We are inventing flexible systems during our design process, are moving between disciplines and navigate fluidly through different supports.
Typography always plays a key element in our work. The design of the first three letters bvh, out of our studio name baldinger•vu-huu, reflects our flexibility, movement,and fluidity in the design process, while preserving the everlasting connection between us.”
Watch their interview at the Le Portique exhibition here.
Comments by Communication Design Judge Annik Troxler
I have chosen the poster bvh, because it is a fresh, unique, and excellent example of innovative type design. In its simplicity, it both bold and emblematic, clearly communicating the essence of its purpose. The three beautifully designed letterforms are rounded and sensuously fluid, filling the entire poster’s surface. It is not just the powerful presence of the image that attracts me, but also the elegance of the single blue color printed on white, with the black informational text acting as a counterpoint to the expressive shapes.
By combining the letters bvh in this way, the image references the studio’s name, baldinger•vu-huu, with its flexibility, movement, and fluidity throughout innovative design processes, while keeping the connection between the group’s individuals.
The poster was created for a personal exhibition at Le Portique, the contemporary art center in Le Havre, France for the 10th anniversary of their studio. The duo stated as their work ethic, “We are inventing flexible systems during our design process; are moving between disciplines and navigate fluidly through different supports. This, I think, is exactly what the design of this poster reflects.”
About Annik Troxler
Annik Troxler is a Swiss graphic designer born 1979 in Willisau. She studied graphic design at the ECAL in Lausanne; now she works in the cultural field and teaches at the Basel School of Design. With a strong focus on content, narrative and visual quality, Annik Troxler creates posters and visual identities that use typography and images in unusual ways. Her design methods combine a significant use of playful techniques and experimentation but a strong connection to the minimalistic functionalism is still apparent.
Annik Troxler gives lectures and workshops in Europe and abroad and she has won several prizes such as in 2006 the Grand Prix of the International Poster Triennale of the Museum of Modern Art Toyama and the first prize at the International Poster Festival in Chaumont in 2007.
Annik Troxler: Website
