Olivier Bertrand designs and publishes page-based objects.
His research into publishing focuses on typo·graphic practices that play with the limits of the visual representation of language
and question the relationship between the notions of legibility and visibility. That's why he runs a publishing house called Surfaces Utiles, where he also experiments with alternative economic models for the publishing industry. Since 2015, he has edited La Perruque, a 90 centimetre long magazine printed in the margins of regular documents, and publishing nonstandard type specimens.
He has designed and/or edited some books including Publi Fluor, Letter Business in Brussels, the essential How to Survive After Art School?, Baukunst monograph, a glossary for the use of asthenic villains, the fictional biography of Stéphane Mandelbaum, a book-pendulum, the last misdeeds of Maxime Le Bon, Le Gamin, SPEED, a brick by Jack Spicer and another by Hans Faverey, Armand Schwerner’s Tablettes, Pierre Leguillon's Légende punaisée dans le ciel, Dieter Roth au Frac Bretagne, Adelheid Duvanel’s monads, The Space in Between, Landing Gardens catalogue, Quaderni magazine, an issue of Camera, other poetry books. And other typography works.
He contributed to the Not Comic typeface and designed Pogge,inspired by Carolingian minuscule.
In parallel with his design and publishing activities, he teaches typography and editorial design at ESA Le 75, Brussels.
He also wrote Froncer les sourcils(.pdf), a critical essay about the economy of contemporary publishing practices, and Les clôtures du paradis, a walk from enclosed gardens to illuminated pages.
Olivier Bertrand designs and publishes page-based objects.
His research into publishing focuses on appropriation and hacking the leftover from industrial production. With similar mindset, he runs a publishing house called Surfaces Utiles. Since 2015, he has edited La Perruque, a 90 centimetre long magazine printed in the margins of regular documents, and publishing nonstandard type specimens.
He has designed and/or edited some books including Publi Fluor, Letter Business in Brussels, the essential How to Survive After Art School?, Baukunst monograph, a glossary for the use of asthenic villains, the fictional biography of Stéphane Mandelbaum, A Few Homers, the last misdeeds of Maxime Le Bon, Le Gamin, SPEED, two bricks, Armand Schwerner’s Tablettes, Pierre Leguillon's Légende punaisée dans le ciel, Dieter Roth au Frac Bretagne, Adelheid Duvanel’s monads, The Space in Between, Landing Gardens catalogue, Quaderni magazine, an issue of Camera, other poetry books, and a medievalist typeface.
In parallel with his design and publishing activities, he teaches typography and editorial design at ESA Le 75, Brussels.
He also wrote Froncer les sourcils(.pdf), a critical essay about the economy of contemporary publishing practices, and Les clôtures du paradis, a walk from enclosed gardens to illuminated pages.
Olivier Bertrand
contact@olivierbertrand.com
+32 (0) 484 30 65 94
Meyboom Artist-Run Spaces
1070 – Brussels [BE]
Exhibitions
2025
Le XXIe siècle au prisme de la création ou de l'édition, during Quand la création s'empare de l'édition symposium, Université de Lille.
2024–2025
Sous couverture : les stratégies éditoriales de Surfaces Utiles, ésam, Caen.
2024
Library of Artistic Print on Demand, group exhibition curated by Annette Gilbert and Andreas Bülhoff, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich.
2023
DESIGN-A-BOOK, group exhibition, Wittockiana, Brussels.
2022
La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #4, École de recherche graphique, Brussels.
2019
Even Smaller, Even Better, group exhibition, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2019
La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #3, Maison du livre, Brussels.
2018
One Piece at a Time: les arts tactiques au travail, Cabinet du livre d’artiste, Rennes.
2018
L’occasion fait le larron, Surfaces Utiles and Pierre Martel, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2018
Les Nouveaux objets, Reciprocity triennale, design and social innovation, Espace St-Antoine, Liège.
2018
Ce n’est pas la taille qui compte, group exhibition, MABA, Nogent-sur-Marne.
2018
The Smaller The Better, group exhibition, 本 \hon\ books, Paris.
2017
Prix de la gravure et de l'image imprimée, group exhibition, Centre de la gravure, La Louvière.
2017
La/Le Boîte N°31, group exhibition curated by Pierre Leguillon with Ivo Denicolaï & Simona Provoost, Saskia Gevaert and (SIC) in Marie-Ange Guilleminot's bouquiniste-box, Paris.
2017
Surfaces Utiles, installation during WIELS Art Book Fair, WIELS, Brussels.
2017
La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #2, Atelier Bek, 2017, Brussels.
2016
European Maker Week, group exhibition, iMAL, Brussels.
2016
La Perruque, Rencontre typographique #1, Atelier Bek, Brussels.
2014
Du design graphique au FRAC Bretagne, entretiens, ÉESAB, Rennes.
2014
Brassaï/Brașov, a proposal by George Dupin and Olivier Lebrun, Institut français de Cluj & Alliance française de Brașov, Brașov.
Public Lectures
2026
Les moyens du bord, HEAD, Geneva.
2025
Figure Chiffonnier, in the exhibition “Rien de neuf” by Gaëlle Clark and Didier Decoux, Odradek Résidence, Brussels.
2025
Écrire et chercher ensemble, with David Le Simple, Journée art/recherche, a/r, IAD, Louvain-La-Neuve.
2025
Payez l'imprimeur, ESA Saint-Luc, Brussels.
2024
Sous couverture : les stratégies éditoriales de Surfaces Utiles, Impressions Multiples #13, ésam, Caen.
2024
Publi Fluor, with David Le Simple, TRANSAT GRAPHIQUE festival, Fig. and ÉSAC, Les Brasseurs, Liège.
2024
Tu me fais me sentir (très très réel): Publi Fluor, une typographie orientée with Nathan Izbicki, David Le Simple and Ludi Loiseau, Brussels Ass Book Fair, KANAL Centre Pompidou, Brussels.
2024
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) with David Le Simple, Paris Ass Book Fair, Palais de Tokyo, Paris.
2024
Éco-conception dans la production de livres, de quoi parle t-on? conversation with Media graphic and La Cabane Bleue, “Écologie du livre et de la lecture” seminar, Mobilis and BUT Métiers du livre de La Roche-sur-Yon – Université de Nantes, La Roche-sur-Yon.
2024
L'occasion fait le larron, Biennale Exemplaires, Formes et pratiques de l'édition, ÉSAD, Valence.
2023
Les clôtures du paradis, “À la marge” seminar, Institut Page, ÉSAL, Metz.
2023
Emil Lime, with Esther Gatón, WIELS, Brussels.
2021
Books by Maxime Le Bon, conversation with Maxime Le Bon, WIELS, Brussels.
2021
Croître ou ne pas croître, ÉSAC, Cambrai.
2020
Comment survivre après l'école d'art, ésam, Caen.
2019
Publish on the side, P-A-G-E-S, HEAD, Geneva.
2019
Les banquiers aiment parler d’art, les artistes aiment parler d’argent, during “Économies/Interstices” seminar, erg, Brussels.
2019 · Livresse, typography round-table discussion, Vecteur, Charleroi.
2019
Introduction to typography, ESA le 75 (BA Photography), Brussels.
2018
Publier en douce, in the exhibition “One Piece at a Time : Les arts tactiques au travail”, Cabinet du livre d’artiste, Rennes.
2016
Faire une perruque, La Perruque Typographic Talks #1, Atelier Bek, Brussels.
2015
Du design au Frac Bretagne, “Le commanditaire, le graphiste et l’imprimeur” seminar, Frac Bretagne, Rennes.
Workshops
2026
L'occasion fait le larron, HEAD, Geneva.
2023
Resharpening Blobby, with Publi Fluor research group, Ultradependent Public School, BAK, Utrecht.
2022
Publi Fluor, lettres autocollantes, Laboratoire de recherche Crickx, Spec, Brussels.
2022
Not Comic Sans type specimen, La Perruque type magazine, ArBA ESA, Brussels.
2022
Écrire l’espace (v.2) with Alexandre Liziard, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2021
Exemplaires, with Saskia Gevaert & Alexia De Visscher, La Cambre, Brussels.
2021
Dear Vilches, with Carlo Goncalves & François Vliebergh, Faculté d'Architecture La Cambre Horta, Brussels.
2020
Écrire l’espace (v.1) with Alexandre Liziard, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2020
Nonstandard type specimens, Fig. Festival, Liège.
2019 · Mesdames et messieurs, nous sommes pauvres, pas riches, erg, Brussels.
2019
Dérive photographique, ESA le 75, Brussels.
2019
Économique & numérique, with Stéphanie Vilayphiou and Diego Thielemans, erg, Brussels.
2018 · Promotion d’un caractère typographique, La Cambre, Brussels.
2018
Lieux communs, ESA le75, Brussels.
Teaching
2024
Festival publiek> éditer et publier en pratique, with David Le Simple, Michela Sachetto and Francesca Valentini, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
2021–2022
Laboratoire de recherche-création Crickx, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
Since 2019
Editorial Design & Typography, BA Graphic Design, ESA Le 75, Brussels.
2016–2017
Typography (teaching assistant), MA Graphic Design, erg, Brussels.
Jurys
2024
MA Typography, La Cambre, Brussels.
2024
MA Book and paper design, La Cambre, Brussels.
2022
MA Design and politics of the multiple, erg, Brussels.
2021
MA Typography, La Cambre, Brussels.
2021
MA Book and paper design, La Cambre, Brussels.
2020
CASO du Livre, La Cambre, Brussels.
2018
MA Editorial Practices, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.
2018
Book art and publishing workshop, Académie de Molenbeek, Brussels.
Writings
2024
“Verso↔Recto” & “Draw me a bike”, in Publi Fluor, Affaires de lettres à Bruxelles | Letterzaken in Brussel | Letter Business in Brussels, Surfaces Utiles, Brussels.
2021
“Maquetter une revue: des formes aux positionnements scientifiques et des positionnements aux formes”, with Étienne Candel, in Quaderni, no 102, Éditions de la Maison des sciences de l'homme, Paris.
2018
c'est beau un bit, afterword to Armand Schwerner's “Tablettes”, Vies Parallèles, Brussels.
2017 · Les clôtures du paradis, Surfaces Utiles, Brussels.
2017
“no drama house”, une composition typographique, self-published.
2017
Froncer les sourcils, master thesis under the supervision of Camille Pageard, erg, Brussels.
Credits:
Page escaping from a book thanks to Maxime Le Bon.