EN
Lya Burdet
in Geneva
August – October 2023
The social vision of culture promoted by the Transforme Festival is interesting. In fact, in addition to bringing together some of the most prominent rappers from the French-speaking scene, it also serves as a launching pad for younger artists. To this end, it is supported by interns from across the canton of Geneva, who help with tasks such as event setup, supervision, on-site services, and, of course, communications.
Designing the poster for this festival was a great opportunity for our entire class, because, at the start of our second year, it was the first external project we were offered, as well as our first step into cultural graphic design. Taking into account the audience of young contemporary music fans and Transforme’s editorial focus on urban culture, my concept was to feature a mascot in the form of a dancing, dynamic, monstrous – but above all fun – kebab, and to complement my poster with impactful typography. When it came time to present it – because that’s how it works when the CFP Arts receives a commission: each student proposes a concept and then presents it orally to the client – I concluded my presentation by saying: “To wrap up, with this poster, the Transforme Festival invites you to listen to upbeat music, enjoy the start of summer, have a good time with friends… and eat a delicious kebab !” Even though my poster wasn’t selected, our client liked it and mentioned me in their final selection for my originality.
February – May 2024
In the second semester of our second year, our typography professor, Mr. Huegi, assigned us the following project: to present a musical genre in the form of a newspaper, using nothing but typography and a single font that we did not choose ourselves. We had other constraints as well, such as the format, a minimum number of pages, margins that couldn’t be exceeded, and the requirement to include at least one interview in the layout. The goal was clear: to teach us how to play with typography, the hierarchy of different text sizes, and the various visual weights on the page, while also having us meet specific requests from our future clients. And I must say that the assignment was fruitful, because it was this professor who truly began to instill in me a passion for typography, precise grids, and layout rules – a love that I continue to cultivate today.
May – June 2024
As a first step in letter design, I also had the opportunity in my second year to create a typographic lettering piece, with the main assignment being to write the name of a Swiss city of my choice.
At first, I thought writing “Zürich” with geometric letters would be a simple task, before realizing that it required a different kind of work: that of drawing my characters in such a way that they looked geometric. However, I didn’t get stuck on it, and I feel I succeeded in this challenge. In addition, I decided that this lettering would be “variable,” meaning it would be possible to freely adjust the weight of this typeface, should it ever be produced. So I had fun creating variations – bold, thin, and even special characters. At the same time, I was able to experiment with the Glyphs software and better understand how it works.
Therefore here is my lettering, presented as if it were announcing the upcoming release of a new font that would pay homage to the city of Zurich, which I simply called “Geometrich.” Since then, I sometimes find myself doodling characters, their concepts, their weights, and other variations.
January – June 2024
The CFP Arts program gives us the opportunity – and it’s a real privilege – to experiment with different ways of creating, to play with materials, to develop our projects, and finally to print. Among other things, we learned screen printing. My classmates and I first received specific instructions on the assignments: one color, then two, a project on paper, then another on tissue. Afterward, we were able to explore more freely while becoming familiar with this technique and its tools. This allowed me to truly experiment with inks, different surfaces, overlapping layers, and even glitter colors.
Unfortunately, since the lessons were too short and the printing stations weren’t always available, I wasn’t able to complete as many projects as I would’ve liked. But I was able to gain the knowledge I needed, which I hope will even allow me to put on an apron again if the opportunity arises !
May 2024
When my photography teacher assigned my classmates and me the task of taking pictures in “a place where a specific activity is carried out” – he called the exercise “a place, an activity” – I decided I would photograph manual labor, preferably related to music. I had the opportunity to visit two workshops. Here is the first one, that of the artisan luthier Bernard Bossert.
My assignment was to create a variety of images – focusing, for instance, on gestures, objects, and tools, but also on portraits and views of the locations, both indoors and outdoors. I found this rewarding, as this assignment forced me to experiment with framing and try compositions that wouldn’t have naturally come to mind, allowing me to make subjects photogenic that didn’t initially appeal to me. Despite this, I must say that it was the interior scenes that interested me the most. I found a certain satisfaction in playing with the dim lighting in the workshop, the antique objects, the tools I would have attributed to another era, and the furniture, all made of wood. And it was a pleasure, at the same time, to watch the craftsman at work – silent most of the time, yet letting his hands speak through the instruments he was making – and he would call me over from time to time when his tasks lent themselves particularly well to the glassy eye of my lens.
May 2024
The second workshop I had the opportunity to photograph was at Servette Music. The instructions were the same: capture different perspectives that, taken together, show how the space operates – from close-ups of hands to shots of the storefront. Here, the dynamic was completely different: the team was large, everyone had their own role and tasks, and they all happily talked to me about their craft and current projects.
In the shop, I focused on expressions: I loved seeing the concentration on the artisans’ faces or the group dynamics as they explored a new instrument. In the store, it was the neat rows of well-organized objects that interested me. Finally, on the workbenches – which I found less romantic than Bernard Bossert’s – I preferred to zoom in on details to highlight them: metal dust, the bristles of a brush, or the scale on a machine. What was traditional in the luthier’s workshop became more mechanical and industrial here, and that allowed me to highlight the objects in a different way.
September – October 2024
The VIVA Festival is a performing arts festival dedicated to young people aged 12 to 20. It takes place every two years and is a collaborative effort between the Comédie de Genève, the Théâtre Am Stram Gram, and the Pavillon ADC. For two weeks, the public has the opportunity to attend a variety of dance, theater, music, and other artistic performances free of charge.
In 2024, the organizers approached third-year graphic design students at the CFP Arts, asking each of them to design their own poster for the event. To explain my work, I’ll start with my oral presentation. I introduced it as follows:
“Why the CFP Arts? Why did you specifically come looking for us? The answer is: because we are the target audience, and so we know what interests us. Following this line of thought, I went in search of small fragments of ourselves, elements that represent us, with the goal of creating a dynamic and playful visual that reflects who we are and evokes both the performing arts and youth. That’s why I chose: Naïa’s mouth, for her piercings and because it evokes singing, voice, and joy; Alvaro’s hand, for his rings and because it evokes movement, dance, and theater; and Lix’s eye, for its expressiveness, and because it represents the audience, its attention, and its admiration.”
Indeed, on my poster, I chose to feature body parts of three of my classmates, each representing an aspect of this festival, so that the target audience is represented at the very core of my concept. In terms of design, I decided to create separate elements so that they could be easily adapted for different media, particularly animated formats. However, I liked the idea that the typography could interact with these elements – moving in front of and behind them, connecting them, and dancing with them. I chose bright, contrasting, and vibrant colors so that the visual would stand out and be memorable when displayed on the street. I selected a geometric and contemporary typeface. During the presentation, I added: “VIVA with a unique A – a letter in full costume, if ever there was one !” – referencing the theater world.
It was one of my best presentations to a client. I truly connected with my audience through my extravagant and theatrical personality, and presented them with a poster and variations that they genuinely loved. At the end of my presentation, I concluded:
“The visual I’m proposing is vibrant, easy to adapt, it grabs attention, and it perfectly represents the target audience. With that, I thank you for listening, for this project that has truly fulfilled me, and, one day, who knows, we might find ourselves wandering backstage at the ADC, AmStramGram, and the Comédie, where we’ll discover, hidden in a corner but as enthusiastic as ever, Naïa’s mouth, Alvaro’s hand, and Lix’s eye.”
— Pulp Fiction
November – December 2024
In 2024, our typography professor asked us to choose, from a list of films she had selected for their artistic merit, a title that we would layout, thereby creating a “graphic film library.” I chose Pulp Fiction because I knew how much of a staple it is, I loved its style and direction, and finally because, although I had already seen it, I was eager to understand it better. The assignment required several things: a free-form but substantial text, images representative of the chosen film, and graphic elements to enhance the layout.
For the text, I chose to cover the context, the production, the themes, and what makes Pulp Fiction iconic. I then combined this with corresponding images. On certain spreads, I deliberately created a frenetic interplay between typography and photography, evoking the rhythm of cinema. To represent the most famous scenes, I created vignette compositions whose form matched the content. To give the reader room to breathe, I decided that the chapter titles would occupy entire double-page spreads. I also produced graphic elements made from colored boxes to punctuate the different sections of the book.
Finally, I wanted the book’s cover to reflect the film’s dark tone and highlight its mysteries. That’s why I had it printed in black with dark gray type, so that the title remains legible while still being enigmatic.
April – May 2025
In their third year, the CFP Arts requires all its graphic design students to complete a 19-week internship to develop their skills and gain exposure to the professional world. I chose Éditions Héros-Limite, a small company located in La Jonction in Geneva. It was an opportunity for me to learn how to correct mistakes and format texts meticulously, design mockups and layouts, print covers, and even introduce elementary school classes to the book-making process. The experience was fabulous. I came away enriched, more professional, having acquired new skills and a deeper sense of motivation.
In addition to the tasks assigned to me in the workshop, I had to write, format, and print an internship report for school that not only documented my work but also demonstrated my abilities. I love writing. So, crafting beautiful sentences in my book to recount my little adventure in publishing was a real joy, and the teachers who evaluated my work even highlighted my “beautiful writing style.” In terms of layout, I chose to draw inspiration from certain classic books around me and reinterpret them with a contemporary twist that matched my writing style – marked by inclusivity – as well as my flamboyant personality. My layout grid, though complex, was thus created using simple mathematical rules, and I chose Eugénie Bidaut’s Adelphe typeface to highlight inclusive writing. My images were intended not only to document the creative processes and the various tasks I was asked to perform, but also to showcase the beauty of the locations and the finished work. Finally, on the cover, I wanted to highlight the invisible work of graphic designers, which is why I emphasized the hidden characters, the grid, the templates, the placement of elements, and the various text blocks that I had carefully considered.
February 2025
In February 2025, in the middle of my internship at Éditions Héros-Limite, an unexpected situation arose: the entire studio was going on vacation, while I had to stay in Geneva. Rather than interrupt my training, I proposed an alternative: spending the week at the Noir sur Noir printing shop, with Ché, whom I already knew. This solution was accepted, and that’s how I had an enriching, if unexpected, experience.
That week allowed me to discover offset printing, a technique I still knew very little about. I was able to observe, experiment with, and, above all, better understand this process by working directly on the machines. We printed two two-color images on large formats:
The first was an old photograph of a violinist and a pianist, which we produced using two complementary blacks for greater depth. The second, which I had taken myself at Bernard Bosser’s studio, showed an elegant template used in the making of a violin. We chose black and orange to preserve the warmth of the wood, and applied a pronounced screen pattern to give the image character.
Over these few days, I’ve gained a better understanding of all the steps leading up to printing – from preparing the file, choosing the inks and paper, to running the job through the press, and of course cleaning the machines. Beyond the technical aspects, this immersion experience highlights one of the things I’ve appreciated most throughout my training: engaging with the various fields surrounding graphic design, working with materials, understanding the processes, and interacting with passionate professionals. I have fond memories of this “impromptu internship,” as well as deep gratitude toward Ché, who generously shared his knowledge and time.
October – December 2025
The senior thesis project came at just the right time, in my fourth year, allowing me to immerse myself once again in the world of publishing, which I had missed ever since my internship at Éditions Héros-Limite. The idea behind this assignment is to develop a personal project centered around a graphic object of our choice, based on a given theme. Since the theme was “the trace”, I decided to present a fictional publishing house: Sur nos traces, along with its first collection: interviews. The goal would be to introduce and give a voice to people who, outside the radar of fame and fortune, have contributed to making the world a better place and created beautiful things worth remembering.
I had the opportunity to interview Juan José Lozano, a Swiss-Colombian filmmaker who had recently directed Memorias de Chiribiquete, a fascinating documentary about ancient murals in the Amazon. This conversation, which lasted several hours, served as the raw material for the book, which I then enriched with photographs from the film shoot and our meeting. I was thrilled to take full control of the entire publishing process: choosing the format, layout, text hierarchy, and cover design. For example, I opted for a format slightly larger than a standard paperback, so that it would stand out visually. The layout was based on a clear separation between questions and answers, enhancing both readability and dynamism. For the cover, I decided to superimpose the interviewee and their work, creating a direct link between the person and what they convey, and thus establishing a graphic concept that can be adapted for all future volumes in the series.
It was a pleasure for me to work on this project, and I think the excellent feedback I received might one day inspire me to embark on a new adventure: reaching out to readers who are drawn to human stories and curious to discover journeys that are as sincere as they are inspiring, in order to preserve and share the memories of those whose actions deserve to be told.
— Peter and the Wolf
November – December 2025
They shouldn’t have given me the task of creating illustrations for a piece of music of my choice: I got far too enthusiastic about it. Rather than illustrating a single song, I chose to explore a musical fairy tale, Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, whose story provided the perfect canvas for my interpretation.
I went beyond the requested illustrated notebook by designing a full-fledged book, accompanied by a CD, conceived as a complete object. Each spread follows the narrative and its characters, seeking to visually convey the story’s atmosphere while remaining appropriate for a young audience. My work was based on a torn-paper technique. I chose this approach when I began creating the bird, for which the tears perfectly evoked the lightness and texture of feathers. Subsequently, I was able to develop this visual language for the other characters, playing with more angular shapes for the wolf, the cat, and the more general notion of danger. Furthermore, I took great pleasure in playing with the colors of the paper – sometimes bright and inviting, sometimes dark and menacing – to enhance the expressive quality of the story and the music. My illustrations were so well-received by those around me that I decided to go beyond the scope of the book by framing some of my originals, preserved in their raw state, as well as by turning several illustrations into postcards, as a natural extension of the work.
When presented to a jury, this project was very well received and earned me excellent feedback, particularly regarding the visual coherence and expressiveness of the whole. The advice I was given was invaluable, and I was even told that I could easily continue my studies in the field of illustration.
February – March 2026
The various departments at CFP Arts sometimes collaborate on joint projects. For this project, the contemporary dance department asked fourth-year graphic design students to design a layout for a commemorative book celebrating its 15th anniversary.
We worked in pairs; I was paired with Lina Canovas, a talented graphic designer with whom the collaboration went smoothly thanks to how well our skills complemented each other. We had access to extensive archives: photographs of performances, rehearsals, and events, as well as various written materials such as stories, testimonials, speeches, and poems. One of the main challenges was to integrate text and images in a balanced way within a limited space, without making the reading experience overwhelming. We also had to visually convey the spirit of contemporary dance. To do this, we chose a key word: balance.
Our publication is organized into chapters, each dedicated to a cohort of students, opening with a group photo accompanied by their names. To facilitate navigation, the year is listed on the right on almost every spread. The testimonial pages play with the layout of text blocks, as if in balance, while others blend narratives and images. We also incorporated full-page photographs to add rhythm to the reading experience. The “OVNI” spreads, dedicated to poems, allowed us to fully explore our concept of balance.
We chose a neon pink spot color – both contemporary and vibrant – to highlight the names, navigation, and certain pages, reinforcing the book’s visual identity. This notion of balance is also reflected in the titles and the cover. Printed on chrome-coated cardstock, the cover evokes the mirrors ubiquitous in dance and helps the book stand out.
This project was a resounding success: we received an excellent score, thoroughly enjoyed creating it, and our proposal was even selected as one of the three winners of this competition. Our work proved compelling, thanks to both its layout style and our presentation, not to mention the originality of the cover.