Julie Joliat is a Swiss graphic designer and art director based in Berlin and Zurich. She works internationally mainly in the art and fashion fields, focusing on editorial design and visual identity.

In 2002, she started her own practice in the Netherlands, where she gained valuable experience as the head designer of art magazine BABY! and by working for renowned studios such as Lust, Daniel van der Velden and Van de Jong.

In 2006, she returned to Switzerland, where she collaborated on the redesign of the visual identities of the Theater der Künste’s and of the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst. She freelanced for Work in Progress (aka Petronio Associates) and created publications for Hermès, as well as designing catalogues for the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris for three consecutive years. She also art-directed the visual identity of art festival Le Printemps de Septembre, in addition to creating its monograph in collaboration with curator Christian Bernard (director of Mamco at that time).

Julie designed the book PIG 05049 which was awarded the 2008 Dutch Design Award for Best Graphic Design. The book also won the Index Award in 2009, and has been acquired by the MoMA. The posters Werk- und Atelierstipendien der Stadt Zürich 2017 she designed for Helmhaus have also been acquired by the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich.

From 2015 on, she closely collaborated with creative director Sandrine Macé Krabal in Paris on various projects for luxury fashion brands like Hermès, Prada and Chloé, as well as on self-initiated publications.

Now Julie Joliat concentrates her design mainly (with a few exceptions) on her own publications under the name Edition Julie Joliat. Her most successful product is a meticulously designed sustainable annual planner, which you can purchase in her online store.

philosophy

After years of experimenting, we have found out what pleases people and established some rules to follow. And this is where everything becomes a pain. […] To make progress in aesthetics, we have to tamper with designs: to introduce flaws to them, imperfections; to deliberately break a few rules[…] The results of this are often strangely pleasing.[…] In order to surpass a style, or school of thought, you first need to master its rules. The pleasure centres in the brain become slightly more active when we are faced with sequences that are unexpected, unpredictable and surprising. It seems to be in our nature to like repetition and symmetry – the comfort of conformity. But studies show that when our predictions turn out to be false – when our expectations are flouted and our senses surprised – then our pleasure centres become a little more active. The things that we know we like certainly bring us comfort; but it is the things that are a little different or abnormal that capture our attention. — Yves Blanc

honors & awards

• 2019, Best architectural book of the year, DAM Architectural Book Award, for the book Lochegut–Ein Portrait
• 2018, Museum für Gestaltung Zurich has acquired the poster series Werk- und Atelierstipendien der Stadt Zürich 2017, Helmhaus
• 2016, Nominated for the German Design Award, Frankfurt, for Agenda 2016
• 2012, Work exhibited at the Tokyo TDC Awards, Tokyo
• 2010, Book PIG 05049 nominated for the Brit Insurance Graphics Award
• 2009, MoMA (NY) has acquired the book PIG 05049
• 2009, Book PIG 05049 won Index Award, Denmark
• 2008, Best Graphic Design 2008, Dutch Design Award, for PIG 05049
• 2008, «Typographic excellence», The Type Directors Club, New York, for the Theater der Künste poster series
• 2008, Nominated for the German Design Award, Frankfurt, for the Theater der Künste poster series
• 2008, Work exhibited at the Brno Bienale, Brno
• 2007, Nomination for the Swiss Federal Design Grants
• 2000, Distinction Book’2000, SGD Prize (Swiss Graphic Designers), at graduation ceremony

selected clients

010 Publishers, Rotterdam
A Matter of Architecture, Martin Matter, architect, Zurich
AEDES, Architecture Forum, Berlin
Anneke von Holst, architect, Berlin
Archiprix, Rotterdam
Christian Bernard, Director of Mamco, Geneva
Christien Meindertsma, designer, Rotterdam
Claudia Stöckli, artist, Zurich
Chloé, Paris
Eres, Paris
Flatland Gallery, Amsterdam
Gioia Dal Molin, curator, Zurich
GXM Architekten, Zurich
Helmhaus, Zurich
Hermès, Paris
Hot hot hot! magazine, Paris
INURA Zürich Institut GmbH, Zurich
Jacques Duboux, artist, Vevey
Kulturbüro, Zurich
L’Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris, Paris
Le Foyer, Zurich
Le Fresnoy, studio national des arts contemporains, Lille
Le Printemps de Septembre à Toulouse, Paris
Les Complices, Art Space, Zurich
Lunettes Kollektion, Berlin
Magazine Magazine, Paris
Maya & Daniele, photographer team, Zurich
Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich
Musées d’Art et d’Histoire de Genève, Geneva
Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI), Rotterdam
Quart Verlag für Architektur und Kunst, Luzern
Rado Watch Co. Ltd., Lengnau
Rue Hippolyte, Zurich
Théâtre du Jura, Delémont
Tobias Preisig, musician, Berlin
PK studio die architettura, Locarno
Prada, Milan
Pro Helvetia, Zurich
Sandrine Macé Krabal, creative director, Paris
Self Service Magazine, Paris
Stadt Zürich, Zurich
Studio Robert Stadler, Paris
Theater der Künste, Zurich
Theatergemeinde München, Munich
Thomas De Monaco, photographer, Zurich
Vdf Hochschulverlag AG at ETH Zurich, Zurich
Veronika Spierenburg, artist, Zurich
Vexer Verlag, St.Gallen / Berlin
Zwanzigquadratmeter (zqm), Berlin