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

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

Montréal, Québec

Michèle Champagne, M.Des.
Art Director

mail@michelechampagne.com
+ 1 514 554 8396

Design Montréal
Canadian Creators Collective

Insta – LinkedIn

Approach

Atelier Michèle Champagne directs projects for cultural research, visual identity, photography direction, and publication design across media. 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 projects and responds to commissions from creative minds worldwide, working with a fantastic network of photojournalists, authors, publishers, designers, architects, and urban geographers.

Studio work wins awards and more: It nurtures the truth, advances freedom of expression, refines image recognition, grows readership, and helps diversify revenue flows.

Research

The studio leads cultural 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, and lecturing.

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

Current research with Dr. Sarah Moser at McGill University 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, fine typography, as well as book and magazine design across media.

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

The studio’s redesign of Hazlitt, Penguin’s flagship digital literary magazine, won Website of the Year from the National Magazine Awards.

Direction

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

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

Cherry Beach by Dick Darrell
Toronto Star archives

Summer school by Philip Cheung
InterAccess Gallery, Toronto

Quayside by Roy Mitchell
City of Toronto archives

Verenigde Sandbergen by Jason Mortlock
Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam

Michèle’s portrait by Alex Blouin
On Jean Talon, Montreal

Construction by Guillaume Simoneau
Chevalier Morales, Montreal

Michèle Champagne, M.Des.
Art Director

mail@michelechampagne.com
+ 001 514 554 8396

Design Montréal
Canadian Creators Collective

Insta – LinkedIn

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