Promoting architectural, urban and environmental quality

CAUE 17 (Council for Architecture, Urbanism and Environnement in Charente-Maritime) is a departmental organization that supports local authorities, private individuals and professionals in their construction, development and sustainable development projects. Its role is to promote high-quality architecture and urban planning, while ensuring that projects blend harmoniously into their environment. CAUEs are present in every département of France, forming a national network. Although each CAUE is an independent structure, they all share the same brand block, symbolizing their common mission throughout France.

Graphéine’s mission was to design a visual identity that reflected the specific local characteristics and values of CAUE 17, while respecting the brand block established by the CAUE network on a national scale. This approach enabled us to strike a balance between regional uniqueness and global consistency, in order to reinforce the recognition and impact of CAUE 17 within its territory. This graphic charter is the result of enriching exchanges between the agency, the CAUE 17 team, architects and landscape architects. Together, we co-created a visual universe firmly anchored in a constantly evolving territory. The layout and design of the visuals offer unlimited flexibility, giving this identity a lasting perspective.

The skyline

Charente-Maritime is an area with little relief, stretching between land and ocean. CAUE 17, with its broad range of skills from architecture to landscaping, needed a graphic vision that would integrate these various dimensions. The horizon line, symbolizing the balance between these elements, naturally emerged as the visual leitmotif, structuring the entire new graphic charter across all media.

Unique colors

A territory is a mosaic of landscapes with a thousand nuances. In collaboration with the CAUE teams, we have developed a color palette reflecting the unique essence of Charente-Maritime. The vibrant greens of the vegetation blend with the deep blues of the ocean, the dark hues of the foreshore contrast with the bright colors of the flowers, all enhanced by warm tones of brick. This palette embodies the diversity and richness of the area, providing a strong, evocative visual identity.

A landscape generator

Charente-Maritime’s landscapes change with the seasons, whether you’re in the countryside, in town or by the ocean. A tool has been designed to generate a multitude of landscapes and moods, allowing users to create unique visuals adapted to each project or season. The horizon line always remains at the same height, while landscape elements such as curves and colors can be modified. The final visual can be exported in .SVG, .IDML or .PNG, offering great flexibility for use on different media.

Development and programming: Benoît Wimart