I hope you'll enjoy this small introduction to Les Graphistes Associés, a collective of individuals that gave food to my eyes and brain with their posters that adorned the Parisian streets of my schooldays. Whether for theaters, galleries or associations, the energy, simple graphics, use of typography and use of image as language in their posters always struck me. Here was the work of people who had strong opinions on their environment and used their practice as a tool for delivering a social message and thereby uniting people.

"We like working with content, on things that make the public ponder subjects instead of buying products."

I don't remember where I first saw their work, but their visual stimuli made me realize that graphic design isn't simply a tool of decoration but is a means of expressing ideas through images, images that could stimulate, if not provoke, thoughts. They made me realized that the graphic designer has a voice in society that could be used to create an original artwork, which could pass on a message of his own. In this sense, Les Graphistes Associés explored their full visual and cerebral energy and would not be slave to the pleasant images that please clients. Their determination as a group, and their eye and mind engaging images are a sign of immense strength. They were and are a great source of inspiration for many of us. I have never met them and yet they have shown me the potential power and energy of graphic images as an artform.

Les Graphistes Associés found their inspiration in friendship and human relations, rarely in images; they don't consider themselves as copyists. They refer to all forms of art and don't restrict themselves to the consumerism of graphic imagery. They are curious about all – architecture, cinema, music, sculpture – because, in their words, “that's the only way to produce new original graphic forms.”
They shared an ideal, utopian idea of graphic design. They were not only engaged politically in the community, but also applied their ideologies to themselves, sharing all the profit equally and investing in projects that they believed in.

This attitude resulted in the production of images as signs of resistance, of action and of beauty to articulate messages.

In May 2000, Les Graphistes Associés, which brought together Sylvain Enguehard, Odile José, Anne-Marie Latrémolière, Vincent Perrottet and Mathias Schweizer, came to an end. During the 10 years of the association’s existence, they’d created, discussed, provoked and inspired, engaging socially with students, clients and anyone else who wanted to chat about politics or work, or just share a meal.

In Liquidation Totale, the book that became the full stop of Les Graphistes Associés's story, Vincent Perrottet said: "Our philosophy excludes us from commercial projects where money and power dictate relationships. The generation gaps within our group and our extremely varied personal experiences brought aesthetic, political and economic differences which can clearly be seen in the vastly diverse graphic expressions of the group. It is also perhaps what prohibited us to carry on further as a collective.”

The end of Les Graphistes Associés wasn’t, however, considered a failure. Rather, the group felt that they lived two lives within their 10 years of practice. They shared, worked, laughed, went through hard times and ultimately achieved, producing amazing images that received international recognition.

There are different ways of teaching. Les Graphistes Associés chose to produce images and educate people's minds through their eyes. To them, graphic design was a medium for artistic and political expression. To some this may seem a very strong statement, but they lived their dream and that's kind of what they keep teaching me through their visuals; the dream of sticking to your ideas. There was a real freedom in their practice, a freedom that is close to art: the art of not compromising.