“Style is a simple way of saying complicated things,” said Jean Cocteau. This quote comes to my mind to describe the work of Pascal Béjean, Olivier Körner, and Nicolas Ledoux. Style is a rare quality today, one not usually associated with graphic communication. But the three principals are inspired practitioners whose special talent, it seems to me, is to clarify and inform, more than explain or demonstrate.

Their work has a lot of flair while being readable. How do they do it? I think that it’s very simple: they work like craftsmen do, perfecting their designs by giving equal attention to the subject matter and the material at hand. The pleasure one experiences in front of their posters, brochures, packaging or identities is due to the fact that the object itself and its graphic content seem inextricably bound. You decipher the message with your fingers as much as with your eyes.

Their studio, on rue des Cascades in Ménilmontant, specializes in design projects that promote contemporary art and performing arts events. The partners put a premium on typographical excellence, but the visual codes of photography, fashion, and music often find their way into their graphic vocabulary. They are trained in a number of different disciplines: Pascal is a photographer, Olivier’s background is in telecommunication, while Nicolas is an architect. Independent thinkers who share a passion for visual analysis, they reinvent each time the way they collaborate on an assignment — one of the reasons their work never feels stale.

Véronique Vienne

Véronique Vienne published a sequel to the article about Labomatic, written for Print in 2006.

Visit her website where there is much to be read and looked at.

Pascal Béjean
Directeur artistique, graphiste et photographe
»»»
Labomatic 1997-2008
Ultralab™ depuis 2000
Bulldozer depuis 1995
Bleu Élastique 1991-1999
Styliste de formation.

Olivier Körner
Développeur
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Labomatic 2002-2008
Ultralab™ depuis 2002
Ingénieur diplômé de l'École Nationale
Supérieure des Télécommunications
de Paris.

Nicolas Ledoux
Directeur artistique et plasticien
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Labomatic 2000-2008
Ultralab™ depuis 2000
En solo sous le nom de P. Nicolas Ledoux depuis 1996
Architecte de formation.

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Ultralab™
Groupe d'artistes et de graphistes
Fondé en 2000 avec Frédéric Bortolotti™
www.ultralab-paris.org

Labomatic
Collectif graphique
Fondé en 1997 avec Frédéric Bortolotti™
www.labomatic.org

Bulldozer
Revue graphique à Paris
Créée en 1994 par Frédéric Bortolotti™
www.labomatic.org/bulldozer/