MEETING OF STYLES FRANCE 2012 / Graphic Design and Poster

Meeting of styles france 2012

Meeting of Styles France 2012 marks the first edition of the international graffiti festival in Perpignan for which I was commissioned to create the complete visual communication system. The project included the event identity, graphic charter, official poster, promotional visuals, and communication materials used throughout the festival. This collaboration would later continue with the following editions in 2013 and 2014, establishing a coherent visual continuity for one of the most important graffiti events organized in southern France.

Meeting of Styles is an international network dedicated to graffiti and mural culture, bringing together artists from different countries and backgrounds. Having previously participated in Meeting of Styles events as an artist in London, United Kingdom, and Wiesbaden, Germany, I already had a strong understanding of the event’s atmosphere, values, and visual culture. This experience provided valuable insight when developing the visual identity for the French edition.

The objective was not simply to produce a promotional poster but to create a visual language capable of representing the diversity of graffiti culture while remaining identifiable and functional across multiple communication supports. The graphic system needed to speak both to graffiti artists and to a wider public audience discovering the event.

The composition is built around a visual vocabulary that has become a recurring element throughout my work. Typography plays a central role, acting as the structural framework of the image. Rather than functioning as simple text, the letterforms become architectural elements around which the rest of the composition is organized.

Organic forms are intertwined with the typography, creating movement and visual connections between the different components. These organic structures introduce a sense of growth and transformation, balancing the more rigid elements found elsewhere in the design. The contrast between structured typography and fluid organic shapes creates a visual tension that became characteristic of many projects from this period.

Alongside these personal visual elements, the design incorporates symbols directly associated with graffiti culture and urban creative practices. A spray paint cap appears as a reference to the primary tool of graffiti writers. A camera is included to represent documentation and the importance of photography within graffiti culture, where artworks are often temporary and survive through images. A microphone evokes the relationship between graffiti, hip-hop culture, live performance, and community events.

The composition also integrates a vinyl turntable cartridge, referencing music and the broader cultural ecosystem surrounding graffiti. Hip-hop, DJ culture, street art, and urban expression have historically evolved together, and this object functions as a visual shorthand for those connections.

A paint roller is included as another important symbol. Unlike the spray can traditionally associated with graffiti, the roller also references large-scale mural production and collective painting events. It reflects the evolution of urban art from lettering and graffiti writing toward monumental wall painting and public interventions.

One of the most significant visual references within the poster is the Casa Musicale, the cultural venue hosting the event in Perpignan. Rather than treating the location as a simple backdrop, the architecture of the building is integrated directly into the composition. This approach anchors the visual identity in a specific place and reinforces the connection between the event and its urban environment.

The graphic charter developed for Meeting of Styles France 2012 was designed to function across a wide variety of media. Beyond the official poster, the visual language was adapted to flyers, banners, programs, promotional documents, and other communication materials. Maintaining consistency across these supports was essential to establishing a recognizable identity for the festival.

The project also reflects an important moment in the evolution of graffiti festivals in France. During this period, events such as Meeting of Styles contributed to bringing together local and international artists while creating opportunities for cultural exchange and large-scale public artworks. The communication system therefore needed to represent not only an event but also an international network of artists and creative communities.

The visual identity developed for the first French edition successfully established a foundation that would be reused and expanded during the 2013 and 2014 editions. This continuity helped strengthen the visibility of the festival while preserving a coherent visual direction across multiple years.

Looking back, Meeting of Styles France 2012 remains an important project because it combines several aspects of my practice: typography, graphic design, urban culture, architectural references, and visual storytelling. It also represents the meeting point between my experience as a graffiti artist participating in international events and my work as a designer responsible for creating communication systems for large cultural projects.

Special thanks go to the organizers John and Flo, artists, and partners who contributed to making the first French edition of Meeting of Styles a success and helped establish what would become a recurring event within the European graffiti scene.