Swiss creative agency Raffinerie displays expertise in graphic and type design

Zurich-based agency Raffinerie has been creating graphic design that displays expertise since it started in 2000. Its approach is to create long-term relationships with renowned clients, practising in fields of identity, campaign and editorial design.

Despite its larger projects, two projects from Raffinerie that really caught our eye were poster campaigns, displaying the creative agency’s proficiency across graphic and type design. For instance, a poster and postcard series created for Campus Kappel, a one week event of the Reformed Church, “to initiate an exchange between adolescents on theological and philosophical subjects”. Raffinerie created a series of works that mirrored the graphics of the weekend festival in an aim to “promote the event with a fresh and modern touch”. Created in collaboration with illustrator Kleon Medugorac the result uses varying typographic styles, from tastily curled titles to elongated serifs that look three dimensional.

Another project that showcases Raffinerie’s design personality is a larger campaign for the national Swiss film festival, Solothurner. The studio built a backbone design template concept to be “adapted every year in a playful way”. The basic and constant elements are the “’S’ for Switzerland or Solothurn and an ‘O’ which stands for film or the canvas. The ‘O’ can adapt new free forms in every years campaign design,” says Raffinerie.

Annually, the studio adapts its design to reflect the films showcased that year. “Film is an area where different cultures and attitudes collide,” it explains. “In this case graphic free forms enter into a dialogue with film stills. The visuals can be used in all kinds of mediums, even the festival-teaser is an animated version of the campaign-visuals. The five motives/subjects are to be found on all other applications such as invitations, catalogues, programmes and signage.”