Atelier Michèle Champagne is known for its approach to graphic art as a form of visual journalism.

From visual audits to striking books, digital magazines, and documentary photography, its projects nurture a personal truth, cultural truth, or political truth.

Montréal, Québec
Since 2013

Michèle Champagne, M.Des.
Founder, Art Director

mail@michelechampagne.com
+ 001 514 554 8396

Design Montréal
Instagram – LinkedIn

Approach

Atelier Michèle Champagne directs projects for cultural research, visual identity, photography direction, and publication design. The studio’s talent lies in its approach to graphics as a form of visual journalism—with a documentary eye and an editorial attitude.

The studio initiates new projects and responds to commissions from creative minds worldwide, working with a strong network of photojournalists, publishers, designers, architects, and urban geographers.

Studio projects win awards and more: They nurture the truth, advance freedom of expression, refine brand recognition, grow readership, and diversify revenue flows.

Research

The studio leads research projects that study mandatory positivity, freedom of the press, and the media of design, architecture, and smart cities. Activities include visual audits, archival photography research, writing, teaching, public lecturing, and biennale proposal management.

Collaborators include Artexte, Harvard GSD, McGill University, UQAM School of Design, and Volume magazine.

Current research with Dr. Sarah Moser at McGill University’s focuses on the democratic contestation of Sidewalk Labs’ pitch to build a private smart city in Toronto.

Creation

The studio directs award-winning projects for visual identity, documentary photography, and fine typography, as well as book and magazine design across media.

Its redesign of Hazlitt, Penguin Canada’s flagship digital literary magazine, won Website of the Year from National Magazine Awards. The project also reimagined the Hazlitt Original imprint with ebooks by journalists John Higgs, Ivor Tossell, and the late Alistair Macleod.

Collaborators include Chevalier Morales Architects, author Daniel Canty, Estuaire journal, Penguin Canada, photojournalist Philip Cheung, Sandberg Instituut, and VPRO, a Dutch public broadcaster.

Direction

The studio was founded by Canadian artist Michèle Champagne. At Rietveld Academy’s Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, she was trained by the Netherlands’ leading art critics, graphic designers, and documentary filmmakers. Daniel van der Velden from Metahaven was a mentor, as well as Rob Schröder. The studio is now in Montréal.

In a former life, Champagne was trained as a professional ballet dancer and performed at the National Arts Centre and National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. This explains her discipline and drive.

Testimonials

Michèle is “distinguished by her intellectual curiosity, artistic culture, and keen sense of organization.”

— Sergio Morales, founding partner
Chevalier Morales Architects
Montréal

An “ambitious Canadian with a crisp, ‘flight attendant’ persona and a nicely cultivated sense of irony.”

— Rick Poynor, writer and critic
Design Observer journal
New York City

Credits

Summer school by Philip Cheung
InterAccess Gallery, Toronto

Cherry beach by Roy Mitchell
Toronto Star archives

Verenigde Sandbergen by Jason Mortlock
Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam

Portrait by Alex Blouin
Marbrier de Jean Talon, Montreal

Landscape by Guillaume Simoneau
Chevalier Morales, Montreal

Michèle Champagne, M.Des.
Founder, Art Director

454 de la Gauchetière Street W.
Montréal, Québec H2Z 1E3

mail@michelechampagne.com
+ 001 514 554 8396

Design Montréal
Instagram – LinkedIn

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