Located in Saint-André-de-Sangonis in southern France, L’Alternateur is the new fab lab of the Hérault Valley Community of Municipalities. This third place is a hub for creativity and innovation, offering residents digital and traditional workshops (metalworking, woodworking, etc.), all in a spirit of collaboration and exchange. Like a business incubator, L’Alternateur also hosts companies whose proximity creates a buzz of innovation and development, with a focus on creativity. This fab lab therefore has a dual public service mission: on the one hand, it promotes the economic development of the region by providing local businesses with the material and human resources they need to grow; on the other hand, it also plays a social role, bringing residents together by offering workshops and services aimed at bridging the digital divide. The idea is to bring businesses and residents closer together, thus opening the door to encounters, ideas, and projects that may arise from them.

The visual identity of the venue reflects its socio-economic role, deploying a strong and identifiable communication strategy that draws on concepts dear to L’Alternateur, namely innovation, exchange, creation, and alternative issues.

Visual identity concept

The name of this fab lab, l’Alternateur, is a nod to the industrial fabric of the last century. The function of an alternator, which is to generate alternating current, is similar to that of a fab lab, which also generates alternatives.

The proposal for an alternative creative system is therefore at the heart of the fab lab’s work. The function of the alternator becomes the conceptual foundation of the project. Thus, the logo uses the international symbol for alternating current (AC), which is repurposed to create a strong and identifiable graphic element. The electrical symbols used in electrical diagrams can be repurposed to create a unique and identifiable graphic system. The sinusoidal curve of alternating current is found in the typographic block (in the N), referring to the role of the Alternateur, which aims to be a place that generates alternatives, offering not a conventional (straight) path, but one that opens the way to unique and creative paths (zigzag)!

The word alternator contains the word ALT, which refers to the key of the same name, regularly used in the digital world. This key provides access to an alternative, an additional option. In addition to drawing inspiration from electrical symbols, the acronym also gives a nod to this element.

Colors

The colors used in Alternateur’s visual identity are deliberately striking, evoking notions of an active, alternative space. To get things off the ground, we first selected a fluorescent green color to represent our identity. This color reflects several aspects of the space, including its ecosystem, which unites a community around a common project, and its role in connecting different members and audiences, etc.

The color most appreciated by the general public, blue takes on several aspects: that of the economic dimension, the second pillar that Alternateur formalizes in its space; that of the IT dimension, with the link automatically colored in the same color when the user creates a “link”; and that of infinity and the imagination that the place can suggest. Finally, black and white are used to complement the color palette, contrasting certain elements and prioritizing key information. This color palette also allows for in-house printing of communication materials using colored paper and black ink. This reduces costs while providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional print design schemes.

Typefaces

The visual identity is based on two mechanically inspired typefaces: a very narrow linear font for headlines, and Karelia from the Norwegian foundry Monokrom for body text. The visible ink traps and narrow spacing of the headline font refer to industry, the technical constraints associated with it, and the tools used in craftsmanship.

For its part, Karelia draws inspiration from monospace fonts used in computing while meeting the readability requirements for use in small sizes. The combination of mechanically and computer-inspired typographies reflects Alternateur’s mission of bringing together digital professions and traditional craftsmanship.

A twisted aesthetic

The very narrow typography refers to lettering historically used in industry, but also more recently in retail (price tags, promotional posters, etc.), which is a clear reference to the fab lab’s premises, which are located in a former supermarket.

With communication in mind, the visual identity, which reappropriates and subverts the codes of mass retail (its colors, fonts), is combined with strong, powerful, and alternative messages to give L’Alternateur a strong and identifiable voice.

Iconography

In addition to the objects and other graphic elements of the visual identity, alternative iconography is used. The images created are based on photographs of the location processed in bitmap format (raster images). In this way, the location becomes raw material for the visual identity. The use of the bitmap format naturally evokes the digital world of the fab lab, the machines and workshops it offers. By coloring these images with the colors of the identity and framing them differently, it is possible to obtain a wide range of graphic proposals.

The visual identity is also conveyed through the use of pictograms that combine two types of designs: solid lines, which evoke the artisanal and rational aspects of the location (artisanal), and pixels, which evoke the technological and digital dimensions (virtual).

For signage, we designed a system of panels incorporating both electrical diagrams and the associated pictographic symbols. The aim is to produce these materials using the materials and machines available at the fab lab, which will give them a unique character depending on the material used.

Communication media

The communication materials were designed with eco-design and economy of resources in mind. They are designed to be printed in two colors using two Pantone inks, and the identity even allows Alternateur to print some of the materials in-house on colored paper.

The visual identity is deployed in such a way as to reflect the personality of the fab lab, namely its effervescence and the layout of its premises, which is reflected, for example