Скачать или смотреть Louise Paradis: Designing in Two Languages: Typography and Language Policy in Quebec

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Louise Paradis is a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM). A graduate of UQAM and École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL), her research focuses on visual culture and the history of graphic design and typography, with particular attention to sociopolitical, cultural, and technological contexts. She has studied figures such as Herbert Matter, Jan Tschichold and Jacqueline Casey, and is the co-author of 30 Years of Swiss Typographic Discourse in the Typografische Monatsblätter. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a graphic designer and art director in Montreal and Los Angeles, primarily in the fashion industry. A long-time collaborator of Optimo, she contributes as an editor of the type foundry’s website.

Beginning in the 1960s, Quebec underwent rapid secularization and modernization during the Quiet Revolution, and language emerged as a key issue of social justice and national identity. Rising nationalist sentiment and concerns about the future of French—amid increased immigration and the dominance of English in business—led to a series of language laws. Bill 63 (1969), which upheld freedom of school choice, was followed by stronger legislation: Bill 22 (1974) and Bill 101 (1977), which declared French the official language of Quebec. These policies have since been amended to reflect changing sociolinguistic realities. Such legislation has had a direct impact on graphic design, particularly in signage, packaging, and public communications. From the mandate for bilingual signage with a dominant French presence to the requirement for French-only messaging, designers have had to translate legal guidelines into visual form. This has meant adapting and reinterpreting typographic principles—such as hierarchy, modular grids, and legibility—to meet both practical and political demands. Strategies include the use of Swiss-style grid systems, the selection of words or wordplay that minimize repetition across languages, and the use of color, scale, and spacing to establish a clear visual hierarchy. This presentation explores how typography functions as an active agent in response to language policy, tracing a chronological arc from the 1960s to the present day. It also reflects on the broader implications of working within a dual linguistic culture, where design becomes a space of negotiation between regulation, communication, and identity.

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Typography Theory Practice was a one-day conference on Saturday 19 October 2024 at Leeds Beckett University, organised by Professor Fraser Muggeridge, that explored how typographic theories and propositions can manifest in practice, can be used to explain practice, and become practice. The conference brought typographic theory and practice together across a range of contexts and applications.