As an individual research task I wanted to look more into Paris as a design city and what the current graphic design scene looks like in the capital at the moment. Prior to this I read an article in Its Nice That magazines SS16 about Paris as told by graphic designers. Its a nice read with it giving an in depth insight into three independent studios about everything from gentrification to the rise of artist run spaces, and the ups and downs of creative life in the French capital.
The article has some great points about the independent scene in Paris which informs our chosen culture, firstly mentioning that the graphic design scene in Paris is overlooked and thriving at the moment. This is similar to the Parisian youth culture in general, the thriving scene can be down to the relationship between cultural and commercial design, or how the city’s rich cultural history can be both a blessing and a curse. Personally I don't a vision of French graphic design or to be precise Parisian graphic design, one designer talks about how globalisation has affected the Parisian visual style. "I’m super interested in ornaments and patterns and architectural details, but I can’t really say that’s part of French graphic design. Things are so global now, I don’t think there is a Parisian style"
Global contemporary design is influencing Parisian design, maybe this links to the problems many Parisians have with the gentrification and Bobo-isation of Paris. "There are always people talking about gentrification. It doesn’t bother me. I think it’s super normal. I read something the other day that people complaining about gentrification are actually complaining about the “Bobo-isation of Paris”. Bobo [bourgeois bohemian] is a term we use for people who have a certain lifestyle. This paper was actually saying everybody in their 30s in Paris is a Bobo now. So the “Bobo-isation of Paris” doesn’t mean anything, just that part of the population is getting older and they have other expectations". This excellent quote sums the changing scene in Paris right now, and how some older and more traditional Parisians are complaining at the gentrification of certain areas and how a youth culture is uprising.
Another point to back the comment on the areas of Paris changing is that many Parisians who are younger have less money compared to their parents. Therefore many graphic design studios find solutions to still live and work in the city. "We bought a flat two years ago in an area in Paris near Barbès, which has a big African community but it’s super mixed now. I understand why people complain, because the area is changing but that’s life. It’s always in movement and it’s always changing – it’s a city, it’s normal to evolve. The French love to complain, it’s a fact."
I know for myself that Paris is a very expensive city, so for upcoming designers they have to find ways to make a room for projects. This alone is one difficulty but as well in Paris it’s very hierarchic and it can take such a long time to prove the value of your work, or to prove that even if you’re young that your work can have value. Paris comes across as such a constrained city, and I found out that something in French design separates commercial design from design for cultural or non-profit projects. The distinction seems less radical in other cities such as London, New York and Berlin but maybe there is a tradition in Paris of good design that is cultural and commercial but not intellectual enough. Learning that the French also think of graphic design is elitist in a way, was interesting as many Parisians think it’s something too specific and too disconnected from the rest of the art scene or the city. Which personally I think is so narrow minded, I found some really interesting design studios from Paris but finding out that you have to wait until you have been working for 20, 25 years to have commercial success.
The article talks about the pace of the city and how this affects the design industry, the city rarely changes so people have to find new and exciting ways to create. "As a designer it’s interesting to deal with that, whether you embrace it or not. It’s a special time for art and fashion in Paris right now. There are a lot of new brands, and a lot of new places to go, small galleries, artist-run spaces that didn’t exist five or ten years ago. Maybe it’s because for a while people in Paris were complaining about the night life and the art world, and decided to take things and to create something new. Maybe you have to fight a bit more to create new things. We already have a big history, and I think people want to shake that."
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