Volumes is an exhibition devoted to graphic design and books, presented at Le Bel Ordinaire in 2018, then at the University Library of Le Havre in 2019 as part of the 11th edition of Une saison graphique. ¹

This project stands out for its integration of code, notably Python scripts, into the design of the visual identity and the exhibition scenography. These scripts were used to generate the graphic materials and calculate the requirements for the scenographic modules. They are available on GitHub ².

At the heart of the system, a shared document, a CSV file initially listing 585 books from 43 publishers (then 521 for the Le Havre edition), made it possible to centralize precise data: publisher, title, author, designer, collection, dimensions, price, URL, and cover image. ³ This data was used to design the full-scale display, generate printed labels with the exact dimensions of the books, and optimize material choices (thickness of wooden supports, reduction of cutouts).

For the exhibition in Le Havre, this information was also used to create a program poster designed collectively by members of the Maison des éditions and screen-printed by Lézard graphique. A Python script generated an SVG file composed of rectangles sized according to the thickness of the books and colored according to the dominant color of their covers. Optimized using the SVGNest script, the final visual translates the depth of the books into an isometric perspective obtained by superimposing and shifting the shapes. ⁴

The project is part of an experimental approach that promotes free tools and alternative production methods, particularly through web technologies promoted by the PrePostPrint initiative ⁵. This approach extends to the production of a “fantastical and polychromatic” catalog, generated from the exhibition website using Paged.js ⁶.

Volumes combines exhibition, visual identity, and computer programming in a single design process, where data from the books becomes the raw material for a scenography and printed objects generated by code. ⁷