Lyon-based studio Intercouleur’s portfolio of busy yet communicative designs

Intercouleur is a graphic design studio based in Lyon, France and aims to provide “hot and cold solutions” for cultural institutions, businesses and individuals. Made up of three designers: Alexis Cros, Matthieu Salvaggio and Guillaume Sbalchiero, the studio is open to collaboration on its diverse range of projects, which include identities, booklets, posters and editorial design.

“According to Ian Svenonius’ Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ’n’ Roll Group, we see ourselves as a music group rather than a graphic design studio. Being independent designers allows us to have our own path within the pack,” says the studio. “Like a music band, we are really interested in staging and rituals. We are actually trying to highlight rites of graphic design within a photographic series showing iconic gestures in this business area. The series will be online soon.”

Stand-out projects include communication designs for an exhibition at the ENSBA in Lyon and a sparse website design for French studio IGO. There’s a focus on typography, using it as a visual hook like it does with images and graphics. While many of Intercouleur’s designs can be heavy with information, there’s real consideration for composition and layout. “When approaching a new project, we try to measure its temperature, as we would do in a live music event,” says Intercouleur. “Then we think of the project as a hot or cold idea whose design needs to reflect its inner temperature.”