From the custom WNBA typeface to her in situ signwriting performances, Hélène Marian will discuss the close link between freehand lettering and vector type design in her work – what brings them together, but also what sets them apart. All of this, sprinkled with strange music and circus carriages.
Hélène Marian, with a degree in Illustration and Type Design from École Estienne, Paris, transitioned into type design after several years working as a typographer with Michael Levin at Doc Levin Studio. Together, they designed museum identities for MahJ, exhibition signages for the BnF, Shoah Memorial, and Cité de la Musique, and catalogs and programmes for the Musée National de la Renaissance.
As independent, she practices now a dual design combining typographic rigor with unbridled gesturality. Adept of spectacular in situ interventions, she has been seen in Brittany painting words on boats ready to set sail, in the window of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau, setting up an orgy of undulating letters under pink neon lights, and punctuating the grand parade of the 93 with countless painted lettering signs. Her award-winning PVC typeface family, a polymorphous and manifesto-like project, is published by the French foundry Production Type, with which she also teamed up to create custom typefaces for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). NaN Archy, her last project published by the Berlin-based Foundry NaN reveals design steps as a feature, a mise en abyme of the type design process.
She has also taught for several years in the international postgraduate typography programme Esad Type, and the workshops she gives in Europe, such as at Écal, HfG, La Cambre, etc. are a part of her practice.
Since 2015, she has been actively collaborating with the French experimental music scene by creating numerous letterings and visuals for labels, musicians and magazines.
Apply before 14 January for the three-week type design course starting 5 April and ending 24 April 2027.
After 10 years in Paris, we reinvent our type design programme. We go from 6 weeks to 3 weeks, while maintaining the fundamentals that make TypeParis’ reputation.
The course will take place in Menorca, Spain for the first time. In 2027, we offer two levels, Foundation and Expert, which allows you to discover type design, or to gain expertise after an initial training.
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Don’t miss out on the best price ticket! Join us on Saturday 30 May 2026, for an incredible lineup of speakers. It’s going to be a blast.
Now26 conference in Paris is a celebration of typography, featuring inspiring speakers from graphic design, web design, motion design, publishing, visual identity, communication, and type design.
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