Discovering Paper Design: A Paper Design Journey Related Through Internship Experiences

Discovering
paper design
A paper design journey related through internship experiences
Internship report
Alexandra Jordão ⋅ 201301739
MGDPE ⋅ FBAUP ⋅ 2015
Report of internship for obtaining a Master grade
Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto
Master in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects
Director: Dr. Eduardo Aires
Supervisor: Pr. Rui Vitorino Santos
2015
2
− Index
Preface 4
Credits 5
Introduction 6
1. Chapter I: Practical research 9

1.2 Hartiatoys 14
1.3 Bel Epok 22
1.4 Ink Studio 30
1.5 Logbook 44
1.6 Impact 48
2. Chapter II: Theoretical reflection 51

2.1. What is tactile and paper design? 54
2.2 Short history and contemporary situation of paper design 58
2.3 Overview of techniques, artists and projects 64
2.3.1 Ollanski 66
2.3.2 Zim & Zou 70
2.3.3 Victoria Bee 74
2.3.4 Fideli Sundqvist 78
2.3.5 Jaqueline Diedam 82
2.3.6 Tougui 84
2.3.7 Maud Vantours 86
2.3.8 Yulia Brodskaya 88
2.3.9 Helen Friel 92
2.3.10 Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud 96
2.3.11 The Makerie 98
2.3.12 Rob Ryan 102
2.3.13 Marc Hagan-Guirey 106
2.3.14 Mademoiselle Maurice 108
2.3.15 Julianna Szabó 110
2.4 A lesson to learn 112
2.5 The future of paper design 116
3. Chapter III: Paper Design Manual 123

3.1 About 126
3.2 Process 128
Conclusion and future research 134

Bibliography 136
Appendices 140
3
− Preface
I was a paper enthusiast since I was little. As far as I remember, I was drawing, cutting and gluing to create things. Later,
I got more and more interested about this medium and I decided to orientate my studies and career to design, and
especially editorial design. At the end of my bachelor in visual communication, I did a revealing internship in a little design
studio, in Montréal.
Later, I continued studying and I ended up at the Fine Arts faculty of Porto's University. In order to conclude my studies,
I did two more internships in studios which both had different visions of design and got my second paper design working
experience which was a life changer.
When it was the time to choose the subject of my final year project, it was naturally that paper design came up. Since
2013, I discovered a big and eclectic world which -at my opinion- deserves to be known for his specificities and pos-
sibilities.
I started looking for existing publications, articles and videos. There are very few publications or research about paper
design. Some books are offering a window for artists or papercraft' tutorials, but you can mostly find some short articles
online explaining this type of design. This report will explain you my journey and will be my contribution to enhance and
explore the world of paper design.
4
− Credits
For Pr. Rui Vitorino Santos for his help, sympathy and guidance through the whole year,
For Dr. Eduardo Aires for his guidance,
For Stefan for being at my side at any moments,
For my parents and my friends.
5
− Introduction
«Paper Lemonade», 2014

Adrian & Gidi
6
This report has for objective to research and discover paper design and will be divided in three parts. The main question
we will try to answer was: "What is paper design?"
The first part will be a practical research. Since the best way to learn and discover something is to make the experience,
internships was the most relevant way to do it. I will report my experiences in several design studios, with a special
attention to the internship realized at Ink Studio. This process will allows us to create some rough idea of what paper
design is and how it can exist in "business world". The reason why I decide to emphasize the experience at Ink Studio
is because it's a Belgian studio known for its paper design projects and it was the most relevant to this report and to
the paper design manual which resulted. I learned a lot during those three months as a paper designer intern, with
international impacts and I wanted to develop this knowledge. Through those several internships, we can collect infor-
mation about paper design but also learning about basic techniques, rules in paper design or small advices.
In order to dig deeper in the subject, the second part will be a theoretical reflection about paper design. Its objective
is to explain as best as possible paper design, its history and facets. To provide a wide diversity of paper design styles,
we will discover a range of chosen artists which are working with paper and therefore discovering their process and
specificities. Some of those artist had been contacted by email or Skype and were asked several questions about their
background, thoughts about paper, process and projects but also what future they would imagine for paper design in
this actual design world. Others had been giving interviews in other publications which were relevant for this research
and I choose therefore to integrate them in this report.
The third part will be a report about the paper design manual which I created and which can be used as a starting
package about paper design. We will go through the reason of its creation and its process of creation.
Finally, we will make the conclusion of what we've learned about paper design and discuss some thought about future
research.
7
Chapter I
Practical research
Chapter I · Practical research
My love for paper design started in December 2012 when I arrived in Montréal. I was about to start a 6-months-intern-
ship to conclude my bachelor program in visual communication. I was going to be an intern in a small design studio
with one special characteristic: They were specialized in papertoys design. This experience will become the funda-
mental cornerstone of many of my choices, years after. During this internship, I discovered the basics of paper design
and the world of papertoys and the passion for paper design.
The year after I started a masters program at the Faculdade de Belas Artes in Porto and decided to do another intern-
ship to conclude my masters program because I felt that I could learn more by experiencing than by studying a subject.
This subject will be "paper design" and at the end, I did two internships.
The first one took part in November 2014 in a communication design studio in Cologne and didn't fulfill my expectations
in paper design so I decided to do another internship which I started in January 2015. I was a graphic designer and
paper designer in a studio based in Brussels and it was revealing.
In this practical research chapter, I will report those three internships, explaining how they were relevant, show what I
did, the paper projects I've worked on and what I learned in order to lead to the second chapter which will be a theo-
retical reflection about paper design.
Those three internships allowed me to discover that there was more than one way in paper design and I became curious.
I wanted to learn more about paper design and that's when I decided to write this report based on this.
This chapter will divided in chronological order and will start with the internship report of the Hartiatoys studio and the
papertoys collection which were developed. Then we will jump two years after this first experience for the internship
report of Bel Epok and its achieved projects. And finally the internship report at Ink Studio with a close-up on the "2015"
paper design project which was created but with a short view on the other projects which are not paper design related.
After going through my logbook, we will finally determine the impacts of the internships.
11
− Chapter I
Index
1. Chapter I: Practical research 9
1.2 Hartiatoys 14
1.3 Bel Epok 22
1.4 Ink Studio 30
1.5 Logbook 44
1.6 Impact 48
13
− Hartiatoys
«Far West» toy collection, 2013

Hartiatoys
14
15
Hartiatoys
The first steps to paper design
Hartiatoys is a French-Canadian company based 3D thinking. I did my first internship in this company and
near Montreal (Canada) which creates paper crafting that's where I caught my love for paper and especially,
toys called Couplicoles; an invented word for "couper, paper design. I worked on two papertoy collections: Far
plier, coller" (cut, fold, glue). With almost 20 themes, West and Paper theater but also on smaller kits called
Hartiatoys proposes to children to learn motor-skills and "Kirigami mobile" on the theme of Christmas and Easter.
− The agency − The location
Hartiatoys is a very small studio based in Deux-Montagnes, The studio is located in 425 Rue Antonin Campeau in
near Montréal in Canada. They are part of another design Deux-Montagnes, at 20 min from Montréal. The atmo-
studio called SadDogDesign but Hartiatoys is mainly in sphere is really friendly and with a family atmosphere
charge of the creation of papertoy. Their name comes because it's inside a real house and everything happens
from the slavic word Hartia which means paper; in fact, there: the creation, the test, the photoshoot, the creation
the art director himself is Bulgarian. Their concept is to of the manuals, the packaging creation and the delivery.
conceive paper toys to entertain children ages 6 to 12 and
to allow them to develop their motor skills and three-di-
mensional thinking.
Based on the kirigami model, Hartiatoys tries to reduce − The papertoys
as much as possible the difficulty and gluing parts. They
have more than 50 colorful models of animals, birds, and
other lovable characters available in a very simple but ef- Divided in three categories, each one has his specialty:
ficient design.
× Couplicoles
× Creation of full size characters
× Each box contains 12 characters, the landscape
− The team and a manual
× 19 themes
× Postal cards
× Atanas Mihaltchev Art director × Creation of small characters
× Maria Valkova Human resources × Each package contains 12 characters
× Sophie Casalini Strategic planner × 12 themes
× Borislav Nicolov Translator
× Anna Mihaltchev Translator × Kirigami mobile
× Alexandra Foriers Intern graphic design × Creation of small characters into a mobile
× Each package contains paper sheets, instruct
tion guides, scoring tool, thread to build a mobile.
× 14 themes
16
− The experience and learnings
Duration of the internship: 6 months

Date: December 2012 - April 2013
Position occupied: Graphic designer & toy developer
Working at Hartiatoys allowed me to take a first step into paper usually which has the same grammage than the
the world of paper design. Before starting my internship final paper. It allows you to check if the character is cor-
there, I didn't know what paper toys where, like many rectly build, if the size is good, if it's easy to create for a
people. It looked pretty easy and basic from the outside, children and if there isn't too many creation steps. This
mainly because of the design style of the toys; but, trust part always gives surprises and it's the most important
me, I learned the hard way what "it's complicated to do one because maybe a flap is too short, there is 3 millime-
uncomplicated". The style of the toys is pretty simple ters too less or this folding step could be easier. It was
and represent simple iconic figures. This choice has been such a brain-teaser, it was driving you crazy sometimes
made in order to facilitate the creation of the toys by the but when you had the solution, you felt so proud!
children alone. Actually, the toys have been created for After this, I was
children from the age of 6 years old to 12 years old. submit ting the
Hartiatoys has 3 products: Couplicoles, postal cards and white out to my art
kirigami mobiles. director and, if it
was accepted, I
During my stay in the studio, I created two complete sets was starting to
of characters and their landscape; "Far West" collection develop the charac-
& "Paper Theater" collection, but also their postal cards ter on Illustrator
versions and two entire kirigami mobiles collections; software. I was also
"Christmas" & "Easter". In total, I developed from the adding the folding,
scratch 36 characters including 2 mobiles and 2 land- cutting and gluing
scapes. Yes, it's a lot. marks and starting
to think about how
The process was quite hard to get at the beginning but to explain clearly
the more I was practicing, the faster I was going. At the and properly to the children the different creation steps in
end, I felt like a little papertoy machine and I was reusing the manual. I usually printed out this digital version and
the models I created earlier and learning from my mistakes. building it, without any design on it obviously. If this step
Each creation of a new collection was starting with a to-do was a success, I was starting the real creative part of the
step: a brainstorming with the whole team. We were all job: Creating the design of the toys. This part was restric-
taking the morning to speak about the team, do sketches tive because I had to follow the design direction of the
together and think about the landscape. studio. After all those try out, color tests and building
moments, the character was finished. For the kirigami
This step done, we were choosing 12 characters (or 6 for mobile, it was the same process except that the charac-
the kirigami mobile) that we would develop and then we ters where a bit smaller and I had to balance the weight
decided by which character we could start. Usually, I was of each character so the mobile is balanced is stable.
working on his step alone because we had clients projects That's it for the toy creation part: It was a mixture between
going on in the studio on the side. paper engineering and paper design.
Concerning the landscape, it was really easy and fast
I was doing sketches with 3D view that I will, later, submit
because it consist in 4 sheets of paper which are glue
to my art director and, usually, I had some details to modify
next to each other and display a landscape from a sky-
and I could start the "blanco" step.
view. I was creating everything in a few hours with he help
"Blanco" is the French word for "White out" which is the
of Illustrator.
first try out of the project in paper. It is made on a white
17
My work wasn't ending there though. I was also creating

the manuals for every collection and papertoy. I discovered
there that it was hard to explain to someone, especial-
ly children, something that you are doing instinctive-
ly. We were also helping on the box creation itself, the
packing (which gave me several hand burns) and even the
marketing part. I was lucky enough to participate to the
New York Toy Fair of 2013 in New York City where I could
meet clients and sell what I created weeks before. This
even last a full week, it was exhausting but I've met so
many interesting people and build a network. I learned so
much in this company because I was really doing a lot, on
every side. It was tiring, stressful and blow-minding but it
On previous page:
was so rewarding to build something from nothing, some-
Far West paper toy collection
thing that children will play with and to be really part of it
On this page:
at 200%.
Paper theater paper toy collection
On next page:
Papertoys close-up
18
19
20
− Learning about papertoys
When we started working on the Far West collection, we first did a big brainstorming of the character which could be
represented. We stopped our mind to 12 characters including this trapper. The first step was the sketches (which I didn't
keep) and the creating on Illustrator followed (see the picture below). As you can see, I divided the character in several
parts which the user will assemble later on by following the steps written in the user's manual.
roll up
glue line
fold out
You will find three different marks. The one gluing line is represented with (............), the
"mountain" fold will create a fold in and is represented with regular lines such as (- - - -)
and the "valley" fold will create a fold out and is represented by irregular lines and dot
alternated (- . - . - . -). Those lines are very usual in papertoy design, they help the user fold in
into the different steps and they became an untold convention.
Once that the marks are done, I started creating the design by using mainly the mirror tool in order to create a symme-
try and a coherence. Knowing how to create patterns, mirrors effect and the pantone colors are the basic.
The final result is a A4 sheet with simple shapes

that the child needs to cut out with scissors and
assemble later by following the users manual.
Concerning the user's manual, we were in charge
of writing it, step by step,
and then translate into
English (in bigger com-
panies there is a transla-
tion team but here we
didn't) but also to give a
difficulty note for the re-
alization so the children
can adapt and ask for
help if needed.
21
− Bel Epok
Bel Epok studio
22
23
Bel Epok
Time to affirm the choices
Bel Epok is a German design studio based in Cologne in 2014 in order to discover if I could fit in a more corporate
(Germany) which works for fashion, cosmetic and and luxurious environment but nevertheless in contact
luxury industries. They create publicities, publications, with the edition world. This part will be short because
product design as well as interior design; they are a 360° I didn't learn about paper design strictly speaking but
communication agency. I did my second internship there more about myself in this short-time internship.
Founded in 2001 the agency has steadily grown its inter- The studio is located in 14A Weißenburgstraße in Köln. The
national customer portfolio with clients such as Adidas, neighborhood is called Agnesviertel and it’s quite a fancy
Bulgari, L'Oréal, M2 Beauté, Peek & Cloppenburg or Swar- residential area with a church, a kindergarten, yoga studios,
voski. fancy restaurants and two metro stations. The studio itself
Bel Epok is a 360° design and communication agency it's placed in a old typical building from Cologne and
built around a core team of 20 designers specialized in consists in a big open space with separate work stations.
product, interior or graphic design. The studio focuses its
work on the fashion and cosmetics industries and by
nature understands the design and manufacture of exqui-
site, intelligent products. Bel Epok has its headquarters
in Cologne and a branch office in Zurich. − The competences
− The team × Brand development

× Corporate design (in Zurich)
× Product design
× Packaging design
× Tobias Müksch Art director
× In-store design
× Judith Riemenschneider Design director
× Showcase design
× Viktoria Kappe Human resources
× Communication (in Zurich)
× Dominique Streffens Assistant HR
× Art & culture (in Zurich)
× Eva Hartmann Graphic designer
× Frauke Müller Comptability
× Jan Strelow Graphic designer
× Lukas Friedrich Graphic designer
× Marcel Spohr Graphic designer
× Stephanie Herse Graphic designer
× Carmen Nacher Graphic designer
× Amanda Selvi Intern graphic design
24
Duration of the internship: 1 month

Date: November 2014 - December 2014
Position occupied: Graphic designer
Unlike my previous internship at Hartiatoys, the one at Bel

Epok left me quite defeated. It was a very short internship
from a duration of only one month.
I started this internship in order to try out a more conven-
tional design division (if you consider that paper design is
unconventional) and check if I could develop myself in a
more-business-than-creative working environment. I liked
pretty much the fact that this studio was doing a lot of
editorial projects, which would allow me to stay in the
world of paper. But I felt really quickly that I didn't fit prop-
erly to the spirit of the studio. It's the inexistent link to paper
design which make me decide not to pursue my way in
this studio.
I was very motivated when I started for many reasons.
First, it was my last internship as part of my studies. Sec-
ondly, I was starting my path in Germany with a train-
ee-program who lead to a fixed-term contract. In conclu-
sion, it was the perfect deal. During the interview, we spoke
a bit about the company, a lot about my projects, my
work at Hartiatoys and my interest for paper design. They
told me that they wanted me to work on tactile design
projects in order to bring along my knowledge and allow
them to provide new services to their clients, something
more fresh. It sounded very interesting. The reality was
slightly different. I did very few tasks and I felt so neglect-
ed as a graphic designer that I decided to abort this in-
ternship and try my luck somewhere else (which will lead
me to a great adventure but I didn't know it at this moment)
During this month, I mainly worked for other graphic de-
signer of the company by doing small editorial design task
and I didn't work properly speaking on paper design.
During my free hours, I started thinking about paper design,
about my future in design but especially about this report
and the publication that I will create. I started the main
part of my research at this period and I got the certain-
ty about my love for tactile design and paper design in
particular.
It's for this reason that I think it's relevant to include this
experience even if it's not paper design related because
it put me on the path of this report and the creation of
the paper design manual.
25
− Achieved projects (paper design unrelated)

× Svarowski elements (Crystal products)
Image retouching for the cover of a presentation guideline folder for the client and image retouching for jewelry table
presentation on Illustrator.
Swarvoski guideline folder
× Kurz (Jewelry and watches)

Creation of a paper model for a packaging box already imagined. Photoshooting of a Kurz catalogue. Christmas
front-design concept for the Kurz shop in Zurich which was a composition of different Christmas gifts surrounding
watches.
Kurz paper model
26
Kurz Christmas front-design in Zurich.
Kurz photoshoot and retouching
27
× Montblanc (Luxury products)

Creation of several Illustrator models from the Montblanc collection available online. Those Illustrator models will be use
as a guideline.
9 cm
16,5 cm
11 cm
11,5 cm
14,5 cm
11,5 cm
7,5 cm
19 cm
9 cm
3 cm
10 cm
15 cm
12,5 cm
8 cm
19,5 cm
10,5 cm
16 cm
15,5 cm
7 cm
19 cm
8,5 cm
23,5cm
3 cm
9,5 cm
11 cm
20 cm
12 cm
10 cm
8,5 cm
24 cm
16 cm
11 cm
20 cm
9 cm
4,5 cm
10 cm
12 cm
12 cm
32 cm
9 cm
11 cm
24,5 cm
16 cm
10 cm
12 cm
25 cm
6,5 cm
12 cm 14 cm
21,5 cm
10 cm
22 cm
16 cm
33 cm
11 cm
10,5 cm
19,5 cm 25 cm 16 cm 7 cm
28
× Jake*s (Clothing line)

Logo development.
PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S
ROUTE 1
BEL EPOK LOGO

ENTWICKLUNG
PEEK & CLOPPENBURG c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n
CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S
A B C
KÖLN, 13. NOVEMBER 2014
2 BEL EPOK 2014
PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S
ROUTE 3 ROUTE 4
JAKE*S JAKE*S
LOGO ENTWICKLUNG LOGO ENTWICKLUNG
c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n
c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n
A B C D A B
3 BEL EPOK 2014

4 BEL EPOK 2014
PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S
ROUTE 6 ROUTE 7
JAKE*S LOGO
LOGO ENTWICKLUNG ENTWICKLUNG
c o l l e c t i o n collection c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n
A B C A B
7 BEL EPOK 2014

8 BEL EPOK 2014

ROUTE 5
ROUTE 4 SIGNET
JAKE*S
JAKE*S LOGO ENTWICKLUNG
LOGO ENTWICKLUNG
A B
A
5 BEL EPOK 2014
6 BEL EPOK 2014
29
− Ink Studio
On the right:
Working on the «Paper Project 2015», 2015
On the left:
"Lost Boat", 2012
Ink Studio
30
31
Ink Studio
Where paper became the answer
Ink Studio is a Belgian studio based in Brussels (Belgium). some years now, they are creating more and more paper
In general, it's a very classical design studio except design projects. I did my last internship there, I learned
that they are becoming the best paper design studio in a lot about the creation process and all the techniques
Belgium. Working for national and international clients, around paper craft. It's where I found that paper was my
small or big, they have a very diversified portfolio but for favorite way to design.
Ink Studio is a Belgian design company born in 2006 which The studio is located in the municipality of Saint-Gilles in
offers multiple design services like visual communication, Brussels, Belgium. The neighborhood is quite poor but
branding communication, web design, illustration or even easy to access from the train station of Bruxelles Midi. The
photography. studio is based in a business incubator; meaning that there
They have a consultancy approach and they try to find is a lot of start-ups sharing the same building, resources
solutions through graphic design. In general they propose and, if needed, helping each others. It's a very young,
the normal vision of visual communication but their big dynamic and creative environment.
strength is their paper design part. For a few years now,
Ink is producing more and more paper projects for clients
– but also personal projects – and they are becoming a
figure of paper art in Belgium. − The competences
× Visual communication
× Paper design
− The team × Front store design
× Web design and web development
× Illustration
× Photography
× Cédric Philippi Art director
× Thibaut van Boxtel Illustrator
× Michäel Collin Administrator
× Damien Crémer Web developer
× Gregory Mattheus Web designer
× Jessica Duquesne Intern graphic design
× Victor Destrebecq Intern graphic design
× Simon Van Cauteren Intern marketing
× Victor Bouchentouf Intern marketing
× Marie Evrard Intern web design
32
Duration of the internship: 3 months

Date: January 2015 - March 2015
Position occupied: Graphic designer & paper designer
has been drawn by the illustrator of the team, Thibault and

Ink Studio was the revelation. I was so happy that they
we could all add things. Of course, this draw was prelim-
directly admitted me in their studio in such a short time
inary and it will probably change during the realization.
for a such long internship. I started looking for a new in-
We decided one night where we could all stay at the office
ternship place as soon as I left the one at Bel Epok. In less
in order to create this project and it was a Thursday. We
than one month, I contacted Ink Studio which I knew from
finished working at 17h and started directly by creating
their projects and name, I got an interview and I started
the number "15" which will be the center of the creation.
the next month for a three months internship. It was great!
Made with foam board and masking tape, I learned
Next to the daily work which consisted on classic graphic
some special cutting techniques in order to make the
design (flyers, layouts, front store design, etc) I was working
link-ups invisible (I will explain the techniques I learned in
on a lot of paper design projects. My first experience at
the third part of this publication).On top of this foam board
Hartiatoys encouraged them to let me work on tactile
shape, we glued paper and decorated. Around it, we could
design projects and I had the chance to work on the annual
create what we wanted; diamond rocks, a yellow building
paper design project of the studio and even a project for
crane, a bird, flowers, trees, etc.
Alexander McQueen brand.
× First project : The annual paper design project

My paper design experience started directly on my arrival
in the studio. It was January and we had one month to
create from ashes a full large-scale paper design project
to give our wishes to clients. It was a challenge! Of course,
we couldn't do it during the working hours because it was
an internal project and we had a lot of things already going
on. The first step was the reflection. The paper project
had to represent the spirit of the studio and the new di-
rection that they are taking this year: Paper design and
ecological awareness. We got one week where we all
thought about the project separately, we had to present
at the end of this week sketches, researches and mood-
board (Pinterest and Behance became my best friends).
We got a brainstorming at the beginning of the following
week where we decided what we will do. The final sketch
The project took us the whole night, we left the studio at

6 in the morning. No need to say that we didn't work the
next day. For some objects (like the bird or the platform
itself), we used a 3D software in order to visualize in the
space how the project will look like before actually starting
because if a mistake was done, we would have to start
everything all over again, which will be a waste of time and
33
material. The next week, we prepared the shooting, we

did the last alterations on Photoshop and our marketing
team (which also helped on the paper design creation)
prepared the wishes newsletter in English, French and
Dutch which were going to be send to the clients of Ink
Studio. When everything was done, we realized how much
this was an amazing professional and personal experience
because we were doing what we all love and we were
surrounded by paper the whole week.
Later, we posted the project on Behance and all other

social medias and we got so positively surprised about
the feedback that the design community gave us. It's an
amazing feeling to experience: Being noticed for a project
you've worked hours for is so rewarding! We got thousand
of views, likes, share so as my personal portfolio account.
Months later, I still have approximatively 10 likes on the
project and 2 subscription to my profile per day. It was a
great publicity and I even got contacted through Twitter
to do a short interview for the Fedrigoni Club Portugal.
This interview was released on the 16th of June 2015 as
"Hand-made e Eco-friendly, o papel inspira jovens talen-
tos" (link available at the bottom of this page).
You can check this project on the behance page of Ink Studio.
There is the final result and some work-in-progress pictures.
URL : behance.net/gallery/23193069/2015-Paper-design
You can find the interview I've realized for Fedrigoni Club PT in
the appendices or on their website with the link down below.
URL: http://oclubedosamantesdopapel.com/feito-com-papel/hand-
made-e-eco-friendly-o-papel-inspira-jovens-talentos
34
35
Sketching page from the development of the "2015" project
36
× Second project : Alexander McQueen

The second paper project I would like to emphasize is the
one I've realized for Alexander McQueen brand. We were
commissioned by a Belgian communication agency called
Wildvertising and they asked us to realize two perfume
boxes which will consist in a white flower-shape kirigami
pop-up. This was challenging because I worked alone on
the development of those two box samples and I had to
create a lot of versions in order to test the folding, strength,
paper type, mechanism and design. It was a very good
paper engineering exercise considering the fact that it
was a client project too. First, I had to take the dimensions
of the two boxes and do a little sketch in order to check
out the rough dimensions of the papercraft. I passed then
on Illustrator where I could vectorized my shape and print
it out to have a perfect balance and symmetry. Then I
glued the flowers to two pieces of foam board which were
at the size of the boxes and I was checking if the opening
system was working. If not, I had to check the angle of
opening in order to create a tension which will bring the
pop-up effect. It was only trying and trying again until we
found the perfect size, flower shape and pop-up effect.
We used a thick white cream paper which was resistant
to folding and which has a soft touch.
The result was two boxes with black interior and white
flowers which were popping out from the box when you
open this one.
In conclusion, Ink Studio teach me a lot of things about

paper design, design in general and myself. I knew already
some basic techniques that I learned at Hartiatoys but I
learned a lot of new techniques about paper engineering
(pop-up methods, tension on paper, paper grammage,...)
but also on paper sculpting, especially during the 2015
Paper Project (using foam board to create a strong basis,
creating paper pattern, specific paper design tools, geo-
metric shapes,...). It's at this exact moment that I thought
that it could be interesting and relevant to collect all the
things I knew about paper design, and especially the things
that I've learn during those internships into a publication.
At first, I wanted to do it only for myself and keeping it on
a notebook but then I realized that it could be useful to
other people interested by paper design. That's how my Top picture: Trials of flower shapes, pop-up effects and sizes.
paper design manual was born. Bottom picture: The final result on one of the boxes.
The graphic designers which are working at Ink Studio

are all passionate and they were able to transfer their love
for paper design and tactile design to me. I would never
thank them enough to have giving me this opportunity.
37
− Achieved projects (paper design unrelated)

× Vegasme (Vegan restaurant)
Logo research, logo development and client presentation. The client is a vegan restaurant which will open in a nice
neighborhood of Brussels. The key words are ‘bio’, ‘nature’, ‘fresh’, ‘young’ and obviously, vegan.
38
× Service Citoyen (Citizen service project)

The ‘Service Citoyen’ — Platform for a Citizen Service — is a non-profit association which wants to create a citizen
service for 18 to 25 y.o. young people in Belgium. We had to modify their existing identity and communication (website,
folders, flyers,…). The new logo should be attractive to young people but also politics to gain some founds. For now, I
don't know which logo has been chosen but I know that those four had been selected by the client.
PLATEFORME
POUR LE
SERVICE CITOYEN
plateforme
pour le
service citoyen
SYMBOLE
La forme, volontairement minimaliste, représente un

cadre, un objectif.
Il s’agit d’une métaphore pour l’encadrement du
Plateforme
19
jeune, le but qu’il essaie d’atteindre, de ténacité, de
détermination et de volonté.
Pleine
De plus, chaque arrête du cadre peut être réutilisé
comme élèment décoratif pour habiller les supports
et apporter une cohérence graphique, créant une
identité singulière (cfr. simulations).
Le symbole existe en 2 versions : Pleine et explosée.

L’utilisation des versions dépends du support de
communication. On utilisera la version pleine pour
les supports promotionnels et la version explosé
pour les supports administratifs.
Explosée
39
× Altissia (E-learning company)

The client is a already-existing e-learning company based in Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo and Casablanca. They
want a new graphic communication, oriented corporate in order to present their services to potential clients. The com-
pany's logo is already fixed and is quite difficult to marry with a contemporary design.
40
× Marlière (Bakery)
Marlière is a bakery located in Brussels which needed a new front shop design. The project was very interesting and
complete. We had to create different versions of the project, meeting the clients and speaking with them, looking for
decorations items (lamps, plants,...) and even sending the projects to the organism which gives works allowance.
41
× Ferme du hameau du Roy (Bakery)

La Ferme du Hameau du Roy is a institution in Belgium. They only have 3 shops around Brussels, they product every-
thing themselves (flour, milk, eggs, everything) and they target a well-off costumer base. They are a long-term client
with Ink Studio and we had to modify their new menu for 2015 while keeping their universe.
LES PAINS LES SPÉCIALITÉS GÂTEAUX ET PIÈCES MONTÉES
• Notre fameuse miche au • Bûche sans levain • Riz • Croûte • Marbré • Choux choux (24 ou 48 pièces)
levain cuite au feu de bois - blanche - fraise (trio de mousses au (pyramide de petits choux
- grise • Riz macaron - framboise chocolat noir, blanc et lait) fourrés d’un mélange de crème
- fermier
- 8 céréales - épeautre (grise) (massepain) - banane fraîche et pâtissière)
- blé noir - citron meringuée • Passionata
- épeautre • Fromage (mousses au chocolat noir • Crème fraiche fruits
- seigle - fruits
et fruits de la passion) (crème fraiche, génoise
• Brique • Fromage spéculoos • Amandine et fruits frais de saison)
(froment, seigle, malt, (frangipane et fruits) • Moelleux au chocolat
• Flan (on ne présente plus • Forêt noire
lin et tournesol) - myrtille ce grand classique) (mousse au chocolat,
• Flan brésilien - abricot
- rhubarbe crème fraîche et cerises griotte)
• Framboisière
• Tarte Tatin - pomme (bavarois aux • cake au beurre
LES PAINS SPÉCIAUX - cerise framboises fraîches) (nature, marbré ou pomme)
• Moelleux au Chocolat - prune
- poire chocolat
- pépites
• Cramique • Bouchon aux noix - noix • Marbré
(trio de mousses au chocolat
(raisins)
• Bûchette • Crumble Agrémentez votre gâteau d’une plaquette
noir, blanc et lait)
• Craquelin - oignons lardons - fruits rouges en chocolat (joyeux anniversaire, prénom, âge,…),
(sucre) - noix noisettes - pomme spéculoos • Passionata d’un décor de votre choix (sous réserve de faisabilité),
- tournesol potiron • Macaron
(mousses chocolat noir
• Cramelin - figues amandes et fruits de la passion) d’une bougie « chiffre » ou d’un feu de Bengale
(sucre et raisins) - tomates séchées olives (biscuit macaron,
mousse de fruits rouges) • Dacquoise
• Brioche • Pain toast - fraise (succès noisette fourré
- au beurre
- pépites de chocolat
- blanc
- gris
- framboise à la crème au beurre moka)
prix àPlaquette
partir de 2,80 € (par pers) - Minimum 6 pers
: offerte - Décor : 5 €
• Choux choux (24 ou 48 pièces) • Framboisière
(pyramide de petits choux (bavarois aux
fourrés d’un mélange de crème framboises fraîches)
fraîche et pâtissière)
LA FINE BOULANGERIE
L’AMOUR
Merci de commander 48h à l’avance - 50% d’acompte à la commande
• Baguette • Fougasse
- à l’ancienne - olives
- épi - tomates confites LES TARTES SALÉES PAINS SURPRISES
ET LA
- grise
• Pistolet cuit sur pierre
• Pavé • Sandwich mou
• Quiche - asperges saumon fumé NOUS VOUS PROPOSONS
TRADITION
- blanc • Muesli
- pavot - oignons lardons - poire chèvre
- sésame • Briochon au beurre - épinards chèvre Notre fameux pain cuit au feu de bois fourré
• Tarte al djote
- gris • Mini cramique - tomates roquefort de triangles de pain ou de mini-sandwichs
DU PAIN
(bette et fromage
- noir • Mini craquelin - poireaux jambon
- brocolis saumon boulette de Nivelles)
- champignons lardons • Feuilleté
- courgettes poivrons
- chicons saumon fumé
camembert pomme GARNITURES
LA VIENNOISERIE
CUIT AU
• Jambon cuit • Pâté de campagne
• Fromage Gouda • Crevettes fraîches
• Croissant au beurre • Pain aux amandes • Fromage frais • Thon mayonnaise
FEU DE BOIS LA FINE PÂTISSERIE

• Pain au chocolat • Tortillon au sucre • Rosette de Lyon • Salade de crabe
• Couque au beurre • Couque à la crème • Poulet curry • Saumon fumé
• Couque aux raisins
• Couque à la crème chocolat
• Suisse • Éclair au chocolat • Dacquoise
- ronde • Baulus aux fruits confits
• Boule de Berlin (succès noisette fourré à la
- longue • Miroir à la crème
• Cornet à la crème crème au beurre moka) prix Triangles
30 pièces : 40€ - 50 pièces : 60€
• Gaufre de Liège • Merveilleux
• Bodding • Amandine Mini-sandwichs
• Maton (frangipane et fruits) 30 pièces : 45€ - 50 pièces : 65€
LES TARTES (disponibles en 23 ou 32 cm)
• Gosette - myrtille
- pomme - abricot
- abricot - rhubarbe
• Sucre blanc • Prune - cerise - pomme Merci de commander 48h à l’avance - 50% d’acompte à la commande
- cerise
• Cassonade • Pêche • Cannelé - prune
• Cassonade pomme • Reine-claude • Chou crème fraîche - pomme spéculoos
• Cerise • Mirabelle • Moelleux au chocolat - fruits rouges
- poire chocolat
• Cerise couverte • Poire • Mousse au chocolat Les Boutiques
• Abricot • Myrtille • Cake au beurre • Linzer
• Abricot couverte • Rhubarbe - nature - frangipane • Av. de la Forêt de Soignes 326
- marbré - prune
• Cerise abricot • Royale La Ferme 1640 Rhode-Saint-Genèse
- pomme
• Quatre fruits (pâte feuilletée, frangipane) • Tarte Tatin Tél. : 02/358.34.45
www.fermehr.be • Croûte
design by inkstudio.be
• Pomme tranchée - pomme • Flan caramel • Chaussée de Bruxelles 70
- poire - banane 1472 Vieux-Genappe • Chaussée de Waterloo 1090
• Pomme couverte - fraise
• Paysanne • Fraise - framboise Tél. : 02/387.15.15 1180 Uccle
(pomme et cannelle) • Framboise - citron meringuée www.fermehr.be Tél. : 02/375.64.00
- fraise des bois
42
× Creative Skills Europe (European platform for audiovisual and live performance sectors)
CSE is a new European platform employment and training in the audiovisual and live performance sectors. We had to
create a whole identity and propose several ideas which the client will choose at the end. The result is very corporate
and modern.
43
− Logbook
44
45
46
47
− Impact
«Christmas Marquet», 2012

Noelia Lozano
48
There is a lot of informations that we can extract from those internship experiences. I worked in 3 different places in 3
different countries -even continent!- But, above all, with 3 different vision of design and spirits. Hartiatoys was a small
Canadian design studio, doing very few business-related projects and a lot of papertoys, with a very strong design and
handmade spirit; they were doing everything by themselves, from the creation to the sales by passing to the packaging
and wrapping of the products. Bel Epok as a serious German company was bigger, had very selected clients with a
predefined design style and was therefore more international. Ink Studio was the balance between those two previous
studios; A small and young team with a start-up spirit and with innovating and experimenting projects. And of course,
a publics recognition in term of paper design in Belgium.
At Hartiatoys I learned to respect a predetermined style of design, I had no pressure of deadline or monitoring and
above all, I learned the basis of paper design and tactile design through the development of papertoys collection. I
worked on all aspects of a company which sells also its products: I was designing, packing, wrapping, meeting clients,
answering calls and selling products (without forgetting the great adventure at the New York Toy Fair 2012). I liked pretty
much this realistic part of working in a studio. And I was getting more and more curious about paper design in general,
starting even to do it on my spare time to decorate my home or creating gifts for friends. Hartiatoys made me realize
that we could have fun while working on design, that we could live from our love for paper. I started thinking that I could
maybe work in this field, one day.
Two years later came Bel Epok. I wanted to try out another design field, see if I would like to work in a less experimen-
tal design studio, creating traditional projects such as layouts, logos,... The experience didn't meet my expectations
and I came back to my first love: Paper design. I started thinking about this report, doing research paper design, reading
articles and thinking about what the future could bring and what I would like to create. Bel Epok was the first steps for
the creation of my paper design manual and for this report; I started contacting artists for the interviews, writing some
ideas on my logbook and also contacting Ink Studio to ask them if they were looking for an intern next month.
That's how Bel Epok lead me to Ink Studio. I developed myself and my skills at Ink, I was part of a team which I liked
and which liked me, I was even in charge of the other interns (because I was older, I already had previous experiences
and I knew about paper design) and I could experience everything. I was asking questions about paper design and the
previous paper projects of the studio, I was reading all the paper design related books which were in the bookcase and
trying out techniques and new type of paper. I was working a lot, on different type of projects but on two paper design
projects which gave me confidence in my paper design skills, knowledge, techniques, professional contacts (through
Behance or meetings) and an overview about paper engineering. Ink gave me the wish to discover more about paper
design, to learn more techniques and tricks and to build my own projects and post them on Behance or Instagram and
therefore, starting this report and giving content to the paper design manual.
After those three experiences, I had things to say and to discover about paper design and that's by keeping those
learning in mind that I started doing my research about paper design and creating the paper design manual.
49
Chapter II
Theoretical reflection
52
Chapter II · Theoretical reflection
− Chapter II
Index
2. Chapter II: Theoretical reflection 51
2.1. What is tactile and paper design? 54
2.2 Short history and contemporary situation of paper design 58
2.3 Overview of techniques, artists and projects 64
2.3.1 Ollanski 66
2.3.2 Zim & Zou 70
2.3.3 Victoria Bee 74
2.3.4 Fideli Sundqvist 78
2.3.5 Jaqueline Diedam 82
2.3.6 Tougui 84
2.3.7 Maud Vantours 86
2.3.8 Yulia Brodskaya 88
2.3.9 Helen Friel 92
2.3.10 Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud 96
2.3.11 The Makerie 98
2.3.12 Rob Ryan 102
2.3.13 Marc Hagan-Guirey 106
2.3.14 Mademoiselle Maurice 108
2.3.15 Julianna Szabó 110
2.4 A lesson to learn 112
2.5 The future of paper design 116
53
Chapter II · Theoretical reflexion
− What is tactile
& paper design ?
«Berlin Guide», 2014

Lobulo
54
Design is always changing, evolving. The last past years, handmade form of design started to appear more often in the
design field. More of design creations which were once made by digital imagery are now being replaced by pictures of
real, handcrafted sets and illustrations. Some of them are made with fabric, metal, ceramic, clay, cardboard or paper.
They are all part of the movement called tactile design.
But what is tactile design? Well, there was no official definition and it’s quite hard to define itself. Something tactile is
something that you can experience, that you can touch, that has a texture, that has a dimension.
We could say that tactile design is a type of graphic design. It offer another way to express an idea through a more
manual than digital result. The purpose are the same, the rules are the same but there is a prominence of handmade
techniques in tactile design. Cutting, gluing, sewing, layering, knitting,… The techniques and medium are infinite and
can be combine. At the end, what matter is the creative process.
And we arrive to what is important; The creative process.
Paper
«Paper Game»
Paper design project, 2010
Zim & Zou
VS
Digital
«Nintendo Game Boy»

Digital project, 2015
Xavi Serrat
55
Let’s take the example of Toyota Europe’s publicity campaign called “Stories of Better”, a series of paper crafted ani-
mations, which was developed by Saatchi & Saatchi London and introduces Toyota’s concept of “Always a Better Way”
in a colorful and dynamic stop motion animation. The animations are bursting from the pages of a pop-up story book.
Everything could have been designed with a 3D software. It would have been neat, clean and probably much faster
and cheaper than creating it on paper like they choose to do.
The result is completely different from what you have seen before; it’s mixing animation and story telling, in a more
human than digital way, you can actually see that paper was used to create this publicity spot.,The creation process
was tridimensional and that’s why the final product, the publicity spot which result, is stimulating the notion of space
between objects, dimensions but, most importantly, the textures.
«Stories of better», 2013

Mandy Smith
Paper is the one of the best medium to work with while doing tactile design projects. It’s cheap, it’s easily replaceable,
it’s noble but simple, it has a lot of characteristics and offers a huge panel of possibilities. This is paper design.
56
Paper design is an old tradition and its techniques are existing for years but it became more present recently and can
be considered as a trend of those days in the world of design.
In the meanwhile, paper design can be call in several ways: paper art, paper craft,... Trice Boelens, a former art director
who release the book “The Complete Photo Guide to Paper Crafts” refer to paper design as a “collection of art forms
employing paper or cardboard as the primary artistic medium for the creation of three-dimensional objects”.1 It’s a good
definition. But is also very diversified. In that way, paper design can be collage, papier maché, paper cut, piñata, paper
toys, silhouettes, paper layering, paper folding,... It’s almost impossible to list them all because there is so many ways
to mix those techniques and there is no specific words created for that. Paper design is at its beginning and there is so
much to learn from it.
After this small clarification concerning tactile and paper design, we will go deeper in the subject from its origins and
by meeting designers and analyzing their interviews and discovering their projects.
1
Trice Boelens, The Complete Photo Guide to Paper Crafts, Minnesota, Creative Publishing International, 2009
57
− Short history
of paper and
paper design
«OFFF Unmasked», 2015

Lobulo
58
Short history of paper...
Very few books or articles are writing about paper design, tactile design or even paper cutting design. I orientated myself
with a publication from the English designer and illustrator Owen Gildersleeve called «Paper Cut: An Exploration into
the Contemporary World of Papercraft Art and Illustration» published in 2014 and i tried to find a clear history pattern
for the emergence of paper design. Nevertheless, I couldn’t start writing this project without speaking about the medium
which allowed paper design to exist - Paper.
Through the history of civilization, we can elect paper as one of the most important invention made by humans. This
thin material made from moist fibers was use over the centuries to spread text and images and allow communication
across cultures and generations. Inexpensive, accessible, convertible, natural and lasting, its is the perfect tool to allow
images production and written word for the mass production.
Paper was invented in ancient China during the Han dynasty and spread slowly to the west via the Silk Road. Therefore,
papermaking and paper manufacturing in Europe was started by Muslims living on the Iberian Peninsula. Earlier, other
paper-like materials were in use including papyrus, parchment, palm leaves and vellum, but all of these were derived
from materials which were expensive or in limited supply, or required extensive hand-processing to produce a satisfac-
tory finish. In the contrary, paper was made from wood or rags and could be produced anywhere, and once large scale
production techniques had been developed it could be manufactured in almost any quantity at moderate cost.
Etymologically speaking, the word “paper” is derived from "pápyros", the Ancient Greek word for the papyrus plant.
Papyrus is a thick, paper-like material produced with the Cyprus papyrus plant which was used in ancient Egypt and
other Mediterranean cultures for writing, long before the making of paper like we know it, in China.
The history of modern paper starts during the Eastern Han Dynasty in the second century BC in China when a Chinese
eunuch called Cai Lun invented the pulp paper making process. Before, the documents were originally written on bone
or bamboo which was heavy and hard to transport. An alternative exist
which was silk but it was too expensive. Cai Lun was an official attend to
the Imperial Court and he created a sheet of paper using mulberry, bark,
silk and other bast fibers suspended in water. Although there was already
some forms of ways to keep track on something by using one or bamboo
but it was not very convenient to use, transport or keep and that is why Cai
Lun’s invention was so revolutionary; It was the improved version of paper
with a better durability and production system. Over the next 2000 years,
the craft and tools used to produce paper have become more complex and
efficient even if the principle and process is almost the same.
The Chinese were using paper exclusively for the imperial courts (for pur-
poses of wrapping or padding protection for delicate objects or for safety
reasons as the padding of poisonous ‘medicine’)1 but, over time, the pro- The Chinese eunuch Cai Lun
1
Tsuen-Hsuin Tsien, Paper and Printing, Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Vol. 5 part 1, Cambridge 59
University Press, 1985
duction spread to the whole China. It was use to letter writing, transcrip-
tion of text but also as a creative medium for leisure purposes. One of
the most enjoyable moment in Chinese life tradition is the festivals and
celebrations. It’s around this time that paper-cutting appeared. The
Chinese were using paper to create decoration for those parties by
cutting banners, butterflies and pieces of money that they will place in
women’s hair at spring. They were also creating scenes and decorations
for people’s home or even Chinese theaters.
After its origin in central China, the production and use of paper spread
steadily through the Middle East to medieval Europe in the 13th century
but the art of paper-cutting began to spread in the sixth century from
China to the Buddhist monks in Vietnam and Tibet to Japan.
Although cheaper than any other writing medium (such as vellum or silk),
Illustration picturing the Chinese
papermaking process in the Ming dynasty paper remained expensive, at least in book-sized quantities, through
the centuries, until the advent of paper making machines in the 19th
century, which could make paper with fibers from wood pulp. The Fourdrinier papermaking machine was patent in 1801
and was the basis for most modern papermaking. Together with the invention of the practical fountain pen (by Lewis
Edson Waterman who patented it in 1884) and the mass-produced pencil of the same period, and in conjunction with
the advent of the steam driven rotary printing press, wood based paper caused a major transformation of the 19th
century economy and society in industrialized countries; Paper was becoming cheaper to produce which means that
you could find cheaper paper products such as schoolbooks, books and newspapers but it was also the beginning of
personal diaries and writing letters.
Illustration depicting the Fourdrinier papermaking machine
60
... Connected to the short history of paper design
In Japan, the art of kirigami was developed and consisted in a mixture of origami and paper-cutting (More infos on
"Paper Design manual: An introduction to the world of paper design"). In the eight century, the Silk Road brought this
art form to spread until Middle East and the reaches of Europe. In India for example, paper-cutting was used for the
worship of Krishna and involved cutting intricate stencils scenes from the life of the god. In the 1300s, paper-cutting
began to appear in Israel and was used by the Jewish community to create religious artifacts and decorations for the
On the left;
A Krishna worship paper-cut
On the right:
A Jewish paper-cut
On the bottom:
A Scherenschnitte
Jewish holiday of Shavuot.
At the end of the fifteen century, paper-cutting finally reach Europe in countries like Ukraine and Poland on the upper
classes. When paper became cheaper and more accessible, this art dorm spread to countryside. Farmworkers were
creating decorative pieces called Wycinanki for their homes or for some religious celebrations. Those pieces were
usually representing people, animals or plants.

Slowly, paper-cutting made his way to whole Europe and
appeared in Switzerland, France and Germany in the
sixteen century where he was called Scherenschnitte
(can be translate by « scissor cut »). Those creations were
created with black and white paper using symmetrical
shapes, valentine silhouettes and love letters.
A huge step forward happened during the mid-nineteenth
century in the world of paper production with the mech-
anize production of paper. The demand of paper, craft and
reading material was higher but the production was faster
which allowed paper to be acquired extremely cheaply,
61
making it indispensable for art and craft creations.
Over the twentieth century, a lot of artists started working with paper-cutting as a art form, while the traditional forms
which were already known were still going. One of the best example is the French artist Henri Matisse which devoted
14 years of his life to creating decoupages. He was diagnosed with abdominal cancer in 1941 and was wheelchair-bound
after a surgery. This new state made a real challenge to paint and sculpt so he turned to a new medium. He was ar-
ranging pieces of colored paper into compositions. Those compositions allowed him to have a second life and led him
to create some of his best creations.
Sorrow of the King", 1952

Henri Matisse
Handcrafted creations and digital world
With the arrival of the early mechanical analog computers and the blooming economy which followed the end of World
War II, graphic design and illustration was experiencing a new birth. By the 90’s, digital medias were more advanced
and Internet was born; Paper became a obsolete way to communicate and emails took over written letters, newspaper
started to be replaced by an online version and advertising started to turned to digital solutions. The artists were moving
from handcrafted image-making to pixels and vectors with softwares like Aldus Freehand or Corel.
More recently, there was a resurgence in handcrafted illustration and artists were trying to find a way to create pieces
less perfect, more human. This new wave of handcraft raised with digital media and the two are strongly linked. For
most of the paper design artists now, digital is a inevitable step in their creation; With 3D softwares you can model you
art work, print the plans and cut them out or you can retouch the image after the image has been photographed.
62
In order to be used, the handcrafted sets need to be photographed; before the days of digital photography, it was la-
borious and expensive but the advances from now allow the sets to be shot and edited in the same day.
Julianna Szabó work on SRFF Festival poster; from 3D model to digital photoshoot
Internet is also a big player in the story of tactile design because it promotes papercraft on a way which would have
never be possible before. That's how websites such as Behance or DeviantArt allowed the artists to present their work
and style to the world/ Styles were before specific to a culture but nowadays, technologies facilitate the mobility of those
techniques and styles who can be combines and developed to create a new approach on design.
In a wish to complete this research and have a wide panel of the variety existing in paper design existing, I interviewed
contemporary designers which are working with paper as a medium in a way which can be describe as paper design.
Those 15 designers will describe themselve and their work, explain their specificity and vision of design but will also
contribute to a better understanding of what is paper design and the diversity of techniques which are existing. Later
on, we will analyze those interviews which will lead us to another step.
63
− Overview of
techniques,
artists and
projects
«ING talks», 2014

Ryan Romanes
64
In order to present as many techniques and types of paper design as possible, I decided to select a range of designers
who are working with paper. All the designers which are interviewed are different from their vision, their approach, their
process, their inspirations and of course, their projects.
I contacted them, some of them accepted to be interviewed by me, others didn't answer. I also regrouped a series of
articles and interviews found online, but also books, and I transcribed some of the most interesting interviews.
× Ollanski Papercraft 14
× Zim and Zou Papercraft 18
× Victoria Bee Papercraft & stop motion 22
× Fideli Sundqvist Papercraft 26
× Jaqueline Diedam Papercraft 28
× Tougui Paper toys 32
× Maud Vantours Decorative papercraft 34
× Yulia Brodskaya Quilling 36
× Helen Friel Pop-up 40
× Boisrobert and Rigaud Interactive pop-up books 44
× The Makerie Fashion 46
× Rob Ryan Paper-cut 50

× Marc Hagan-Guirey Kirigami 54
× Mademoiselle Maurice Origami 56
× Julianna Szabó Stop motion 58
NB: The different techniques presented in this section will be developed and analyzed as the second object of this report as a publication. See "Paper design
manual: An introduction to paper design".
65
Papercraft
Ollanski
Born in 1981, Oliver “Ollanski” Bieräugel is a Berlin- Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin. However, in
based multi-media illustrator and award winning paper December 2008 he quit his PhD position to pursue his
engineer. He's drawing, painting and does papercraft true passion and has since been working as a freelance
work. Everything is handmade. Ollanski is very talented illustrator for a worldwide clientèle. Using only paper,
and dedicated to what he does. His background double- sided tape and a scalpel, Ollanski’s hand-
is from a totally different field - he holds a degree in crafted creations are highlighted by their hyper-realistic
Biomedicine and he has worked at the Marx Planck designs with punchy colors and playful mies-en-scene.
Why changing from biomedicine to graphic design? Wasn’t it scary to change so drastically your field of ex-
pertise?
I was always interested in science, linguistics and art so I did never feel that it was a dramatic or scary change in my
field of expertise or profession. I was always doing what I liked so in that regard I never changed. The reason why I
changed in the first place was because I was unhappy working in science. Studying science was fun but working in
science was horrible and so I just decided to do something else I would like. In that case drawing and crafting.
What is your usual working process on a paper project?

Compiling ideas, working on a concept, fine tuning the concept, producing the paper crafts, photographing the crafts,
delivery of the images to the client.
How is it to be an award winning paper engineer?
It is a lot of hard work. I work almost every day all year around. It’s the opposite of glamorous and sometimes it can get
quite isolated because it’s long hours at my desk. However it is fun and I get to listen to a lot of radio from around the
world, music or watch series…
What are you favorite tools to work with?

The crafting knife and scissors I bought in Tokyo.
Perfection!
What is your favorite project you’ve worked on so far?

I have a couple of favorite projects. But I guess the fast
food and the “believe” special for Nöjesguiden are my two
favorites. They really let me do whatever I wanted and it
was a lot of fun. I also particularly like the projects I’m
working on now for myself such as my private projects.
But I don’t know if or when I’ll be finished with those…
You did a lot of project with Cris Wiegandt. How did

you two meet? What is your force when working to-
gether?
I knew of her and I knew she was also living and working
in Berlin like me so I just contacted her. We met and got
along great and eventually we have been working on many
projects with each other.
«Kangaroos», 2015
Ollanski
66
What do you think the next generation of young creators (like you) have for advantages or disadvantages with
the new technologies in design? Do you think that tactile design (especially paper design) has a future?
Basically I only see advantages with the new technologies in design for me because I produce all the actual work by
hand and I don’t technically need any technology for that. But the technology makes it easier which is cool. Also the
technology allows me to distribute my work easily, it makes networking around the globe possible and social media is
only possible through the technology we have these days.
I do definitely thing that tactile design has a future. The hype will probably go up and down as time passes - like any
hype or fashion. But there is always demand for good design and even paper design.
«Schott Ceran©», 2015

Ollanski & Cris Wiegandt
67
What’s next for you?
I’m working on several bigger advertising projects right now - some as a team with Cris Wiegandt and some alone.
These are projects for some big names: Pepsi, Playstation, Rauch juices from Austria but I’ve also been commissioned
for magazine illustrations and an exclusive art piece. I think I’m booked until mid September. After that I will go on a
two week vacation I think. And then I would like to work on my own project and I want to apply for artist residencies
in Japan and Korea. Let’s see if that works! But I recently got a new agent in the UK and since spring I’m with a new
Scandinavian agent on top of my German and Dutch agents so I’m sure they will keep me busy :) .
68
On the left page, top left: On the left page, bottom
«Nöjesguiden ISM», 2013 «Schott Ceran©», 2015
Ollanski Ollanski & Cris Wiegandt
On the left page, top right: On the right page:

«Nöjesguiden Home Sweet Home», 2013 «Nöjesguiden Fast Food», 2013
Ollanski Ollanski
69
Papercraft
Zim & Zou
Zim & Zou is a French studio based in Nancy formed I couldn’t imagine writing this project without them, that
by Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmerman. When just why I took the opportunity to retranscribe the interview I
twenty-five, the duo met while studying graphic design at found on the «Paper Cut»1 publication, written by Owen
art school and later decided to join forces. Gildersleeve, here since they didn’t answer my interview
The studio likes to approach design in a contemporary proposition.
manner, experimenting in various fields such as paper
sculpture, installation and illustration.
Thibault, can you tell us a bit about your background and how Zim & Zou formed?
We met while studying graphic design at art school. After the diploma, we worked as freelancers with our own
clients, but we helped each other so much on every job that we decided to team up.
You both studied graphic design but now work predominantly as image-makers. Why the transition? Does
your training in graphic design play a part in the way you work now?
Yes, you’re right - today we don’t really feel like we’re graphic designers. I guess our initial training led us to find our
style as illustration. Now, I think our graphic design training plays a part mainly in the way in which we compose the
installations.
On the top:
«Back to Basics», 2011
On the bottom left:

"SXSW", 2014
On the bottom right:

"Vitamins & Placebo", 2013
Zim and Zou
70
«Edible monsters», 2015
Zim and Zou
What led you to start using paper in your work, and what is it about the material that attracts you to keep
using it?
We felt like we needed to get away from our screens and start working with real materials. That’s where paper came
in; it’s a material with an infinity of shades, sizes, thicknesses, and textures. It’s quite a cheap material that almost
everyone can access in one way or another. We find that paper gives an illustration warmth and depth.
Your work is extremely vibrant, using bold colors and forms. How did you develop this style, and what were
your inspirations?
We started using our particular color palette while working on the Paper Game project for which we re-created two
Game Boys out of paper. The first one was a scale replica, with the Game Boy gray color scheme. We found it was
quite a good reproduction, but with a flashy new harmony of color, the project took a whole new direction. We found
it very interesting to create as true a reflection of the original as possible, but with a totally different color scheme.
We then tried to explore different colors and treatments. Our work is always inspired by a lot of things; we always try
to be aware of our personal environment as well as the world in general, so everything we see can be a source of
inspiration. We’re very curious people in everyday life.
Could you briefly take us through your general working method, from the initial ideas stages to final
outcome?
After receiving a commission, we start talking about concepts, then we draw our ideas, considering the materials
we’ll be using and all the technical aspects involved in working with them. Once the concept has been chosen by
the client, we begin creating the pieces. That probably takes the longest because we like to work by hand; we don’t
usually work on a computer. When the elements are finished, we install them for the photo shoot in our studio, or at
a professional photographer’s studio if the project has a bigger budget. Depending on the kind of installation we’re
working on, it can take a lot of time to build the set, especially if we have to hang elements.
71
You are based in Nancy in the northeast of France. What is the current illustration scene like where you are?
Is paper a popular illustration tool?
Here in Nancy, there is a very dynamic graphic design scene; it’s home to one of the last galleries to exhibit graphic
design: MyMonkey gallery. Paper is not really well represented in illustration because Nancy is a quite small city, so
the art form remains rare in the area. Thanks to the Internet, we can work on an international stage, but we often
have to travel to Paris for photo shoots and meetings.
How do you manage your time, and what tricks have you discovered along the way to help you speed up the
process?
We’re always trying to be more precise in the planning stages before we begin the modeling process. We produce
accurate rough to avoid late changes. When we’re cutting shapes, we try to align them on the paper sheets and then
cut them in batches.
Looking forward to the future, what direction would you like to take your studio?
In the future, we would really love to keep working on window displays, we love the fact that people can see our craft
directly - there’s more complicity between the viewer and the project that way. We would love to keep exhibiting in
France but all over the world too. Being able to travel thanks to what you love
to do is really a great opportunity.
«Cabinet de curiosités», 2012

Zim and Zou
72
Finally, what words of wisdom would you give to people who are just starting out?
We’d just say something very commonly heard but still so true: Believe and take pleasure in your work.
In our opinion, there is not right or wrong answer in art. You just have to understand why one answer might be better
than another. Put briefly, we all started from nothing - so just go ahead!
«The Future of Food», 2012

Zim and Zou
NB: Transcribed interview from “Paper Cut” book from Owen Gildersleeve. References available on the bibliography. 73
Papercraft
Victoria Bee
Victoria Bee is a Belgian paper designer and illustrator. Her work consists in graphic paper sets and paper
She is graduated in Belgium from the same bachelor cut projects but are also punctuated by projects using
than I (ESIAJ, Namur, Belgium) and I knew her projects painting, she likes to play with words and colors.
for long time. She worked and lived in Montreal, Paris
and London but she’s now in the vibrant city of Berlin.
Why did you choose design?

As a child I used to draw non-stop, manufactured things with what I found, I was making necklaces and bracelets,
decoration for windows, bag, t-shirt, I drew on my bag to make it unique,… I spent hours in magazines cutting everything
that inspired me to make large unrealistic collages. So I think that design has always been part of my life, every detail
account and I find inspiration in everything and anything.
Why did you orientate your work to paper design? Was it a client proposal?
During my graphic design studies I didn’t do so much « tactile design », and besides it does not really interested me
because I felt stressed and limited by time, I did not like the pressure and competition with others. But once out of
school, when I was waiting to go to Canada, I spent five months in my room asking myself what I would do. I started to
make paper illustrations for fun because I had found a packet of cardboard sheets left. I was surprised but soon I was
asked to do more and we even offered to pay me. A few months after I landed a position of junior art director in an
advertising agency, far from scissors and cutters. I was bored and the only times that I liked were during the client
presentations because I had to stick everything on the big cardboard. I thought it was lame to do that, until I realized
that the other people working in the studio started to asked me to prepare presentations for them. A year after my arrival,
I decided to leave the agency and I promised myself to get a more manual work in a design studio. A person who had
seen my previous projects commissioned me to create the paper masks (which I never do before). After that I was able
to create a beautiful portfolio and I got my first job as paper engineer in a studio in London.
«Une petite gâterie pour vous», 2014

Victoria Bee
74
What is your creative process - from inception to creation - ?
For a personal project, I start with a small sketch then visual test with the right materials and if it pleases me I start the
creation, even if I need to trash everything if I am not happy with the result in progress. I am an interior structure and
covers everything with paper to give the desired effect and adds details. I adapt as and when my ideas. For a profes-
sional project is start with a sketch, a PDF presentation, tests and then we discuss with the client. Once I started working,
I send some «work in progress» to the client if I have a doubt or a question. From a technical perspective it happens in
the same way as a personal project.
What are you working tools?

For the sketch I need pencil and paper of course. For the construction itself I need paper, cardboard (and foam board),
cutter, scissors, masking tape, gel glue, cutting board.
«Nearly Normal Calendar 2014», 2014

Victoria Bee for Nearly Normal studio
75
You create paper cut scenes but also objects and set in paper, oscillating between 2D and 3D. What type of
paper design do you prefer?
Undoubtedly 3D, although this is much more work and it tend to be more complicated. We can afford more things and
above all, we can turn around the project to see the multiple angles.
You lived and worked in Montreal and London and now Paris. - What do you think is the most inspiring city of
the three?
To be right, I just moved to Berlin! I spent 14 months in Montreal and I was impressed by the freedom in art. It’s a North
American city, everything was quite far from the little old Europe heavy history, where you learn the basic principles of
Art. I spent six months in Paris and I took the opportunity to see lots of museums and all the art the city could offer, but
the arrogance of the people irritated me and I got a little disinterested in all that because I don’t want to be part of this
world. In London, I finally breathed and I could visit major museum collections which are quite impressive, the English
people have great taste and dare much more than in France, I was very impressed and inspired. But of all the cities
where I stepped, it is undoubtedly Berlin where I was most shocked! This city is full of creative studios and artists, they
are at every street corner and every wall of the city. The city has over 160 museums and rich history. It’s exciting and
for the first time I feel really good somewhere. And art shops are a must here! Nothing comparable with those in Paris,
Montreal and London.
Do you think he can compete with “traditional” design (creation of 3D software, ...)?
In one sense it is already in competition, but I’m pretty sure it will never outperform 3D creation. I ran many times into
the lack of budget of client who eventually create everything in 3D for less time, less equipment, fewer people and paid
a much simpler delivery. People do not have patience if it’s just business.

Test new materials and make much larger projects! And collaborate with other artists.
On the right page, top

«Love my cats», 2012
Victoria Bee
On the right page, bottom:

«Highly modified corn», 2015
Victoria Bee
76
NB: Original interview in French available in the appendix. 77
Papercraft
Fideli Sundqvist
Agnes Cecilia Fideli Siri Charlotte Sundqvist, or Fideli her paper design career by creating a tale book for her
Sundqvist for short is a Swedish artist based in Stock- graduation project called Tilly and Gul entirely made out
holm. She calls herself image maker, prop designer and of paper. She is now counting clients such as Louis Vuit-
paper artist but for sure, we can say that she is a very ton, Canon or Ibis Hotels. She also wrote one of the few
talented paper designer. She graduated in 2001 with a books speaking about paper design called "I love paper".
degree in Graphic Design and Illustration and started
Tell us a little about your background — what path led you to what you’re doing now?
I was born and raised in Uppsala, a small university town c. 40 minutes north of Stockholm. My mother is a potter and
an artist and my father is a scholar and he often worked at home. So you could say I grew up with two parents whose
work and interests mingled with each other, where they could also work, but on their own time. The fact that I can
choose how to utilize my workday lets my work and passion merge since that’s what I have experienced since I was
young and I have never thought about my profession as conventional “work”. When I was 14 years old, I became very
interested in music, I played in bands and gathered vinyl records. In doing this I began to see illustration and design as
an art form and I had never seen it in that way before. It was like a real “eye-opener” and I was completely mesmerized.
There was one albums artwork that struck me in the heart. It was Bright Eyes “Lifted – or The Story Is In The Soil”. The
cover gives the illusion of being an old book, with illustrations carved in linoleum.
This is where my interest in “cutting” began. My mom and I took the train to Stockholm and bought all the material I
needed for linoleum cuts. Then I was swallowed up in the craft. I cut a series of images that were about a boy (I called
him Isma) who lived at a lighthouse with all his longings and dreams.
How did these experiments with lino cuts eventually lead to your working with paper?
Both in terms of craft and graphic expression, the linoleum technique reminded me a lot of paper cuts, both in craft and
graphic expression. Then my brother went as an exchange student to China and came home with a book of paper-clips
(real silhouettes behind plastic pockets). I was 18 years old and completely moved by this technique. The thought that
someone worked with so much detail and time, touched me in a special way. So I started to make my first silhouettes
and that was the funniest thing I had ever done. And so I thought much more about the expression on paper cuts than
the linoleum.
78
Shortly thereafter, I discovered a book of Rob Ryan illustrations in a shop in London. I was really astounded by his poetic
images. I think that handcrafts really inspire me. You can manipulate paper in a variety of ways, its function and its style.
I liked making the linoleum cuts very much, but I thought that the result were too rustic and old-fashioned. With paper,
I could get an airier, modern feeling, which is important to me. As I worked on more 3D projects, I felt even more strong-
ly that paper cutting went hand in hand with what I want and strive for.
What led you to your transition from creating 2D to 3D paper cut artworks?
My 2D paper cuts were really just another type of drawing, and I had no idea that I would be able to build 3D illustrations
with paper - I had never seen that kind of images before. I remember the first 3D project I did: a product with folding
On the right page

«Ibis Styles», 2013
Fideli Sundqvist
On the right page,

«Breakfast», 2014
Fideli Sundqvist
79
animals. I was very excited about the transformation from the flat sheet to a 3D object. I was very fond of it, but I did
not know how to use it. What was it? A sculpture, a product, or an illustration?
At the same time, I started thinking about what to do for my final project at school. I spend months thinking about what
i wanted to do, but I never felt that I really loved any of the ideas I came up with. But then one evening I imagined a 3D
set in my mind that made for an interesting illustration context. I was very curious and expectant to develop what I had
in my mind. It felt so right, even before I had started doing it.
Your work explores the theme of everyday life using bright but sophisticated color palettes. How did you develop
this style and what were your inspirations?
I tend to find inspiration in a lot of Japanese design, and in some fashion designers. When I find it hard to find the right
colors for a piece, I usually start Googling. I can often, almost straight away, think “This is good, this feels right”, but
sometimes it’s hard in the sketching process on the computer to find exact color matches. When I go to buy paper, I
usually put together color palettes in the shop, because it’s easier to get the feeling of it when you see it there and then.
When it comes to creating shapes and style, I don’t think I’m able to be so precise - it just seems to turn out the way it
turns out. There always seems to be a common thread to the lines and shapes I make, which is both good and bad.
For a while I hated it, but now I feel more comfortable with it. But I have found out that, by experimenting with colors, I
can control the feel of a piece, while the shapes and lines are still made by my own hands.
Could you take us through your general working method?

I mostly work with briefs and the client usually has a pretty clear idea of what they want. So first I’ll go to meetings and
we’ll discuss the idea, color, size and composition. Then I start sketching and writing in my notebook. Once I have a
quite clear idea of what I want to do, I make pretty accurate sketches in Adobe Illustrator - these will be very similar to
the final piece. These sketches bounce back and forth with the client, which I think works really well. I used to do
sketches in paper but it took such a long time to amend them, or change the color scheme. As soon as the sketches
are approved, I start to build. Now that I’ve been working for some time, I can convert them to 3D in my head without
having to make physical sketches.
The sketching part is the longest part of the process.
When I do my own projects, I spend the most of time
thinking about ideas. Once I’ve decided what I'm going
to do and how I want it to look, the cutting stage often
goes smoothly and is the fun bit, even though it usually
takes a while to start cutting. But as soon as I’ve started,
I feel like I become a little paper-cutting machine.
When all items are complete, they are packed and it’s time
for the photography. Most of the time, my works are pho-
tographed in studio by professional photographers, along-
side the client and me. Once the photos are taken, my
work on the project is done.
What would you say have been your most challenging

projects so far?
My most challenging project was probably my final degree
project because everything was so new for me - working
on it felt so lonely. I had so much self-doubt and was so
unsure of how the piece would turn out because I had no
reference points at this stage: how I would make it, what
it would look like. I just had an image in my head. It was
also important and nervous time in my life. Soon I’d have
to finish university and start living a life in the real world.
80
Working by hand can be quite time consuming? How do you manage your time and what tricks have you dis-
covered along the way to help you to speed up the process?
It does not take as long as people think, or rather, I think I have an ability to work super-effectively and accurately when
I have some time pressure. I have learned a neat way to create a schedule for a project. I write a to-do list with everything
that must be done: the paper that need to be bought, a list of meetings that need to be arranged, and a list of pictures
with the exact items that will need to be made. Maybe it sound a bit boring, but it is so easy for me to make a big mess
of it all in my head (and on my desk!), So this is really helpful. And I really like crossing out jobs I’ve done on the list. It
works as a motivation to carry on working. The more you plan and know exactly what you’re doing, the better the chance
of getting things done and staying in a good mood.
Looking forward to the future, what direction would you like to take your work?
I would like to work more on artistic projects. I hope I’ll become better known and move outside of Sweden. And I think
I will move further away from the “sweet” expression of paper, still working with my hands, but exploring other materials.
I can even imagine working in teams and collaborating with different disciplines, including music, theatre and stop-mo-
tion. Simply put, making fun and exciting projects!
On the right page

«Smaklöst», 2015
Fideli Sundqvist
On the right page,

«Malmstenbutiken», 2013
Fideli Sundqvist
Papercraft
Jaqueline Diedam
Jaqueline Diedam is a freelance designer and illustrator She is passionate about the fields of illustration ranging
from Brazil, she is currently living in Cologne. She is in from watercolor and gouache but she created two works
her final year of study as an Integrated Design student in three-dimensionally crafted paper designs.
at KISD (Köln International School of Design - Germany). The case study of the Cologne Guide follows.
And she studied two years of Product Design at the
UFPR (Universidade Federal do Paraná - Brazil).
Can you present yourself?

My name is Jaqueline Diedam, I’m Brazilian but I live in Cologne (Germany) since 4 years.
What first got you into design? Why did you decide to use paper for the «Cologne Guide » paper project?
I first started studying Product Design, in Brazil, because I love to create 3D objects and the process. But now, I study
Integrated Design at KISD, because it mixes different areas in the course of studies.
During my study at KISD, me and my group decided to use paper because we wanted to illustrate Cologne with an
abstraction of reality. Illustrations with other mediums or photographies would not have the impact we wanted.
What was your working process on the « Cologne Guide » paper project?
Our process was very intense, we decided first on the topics, then we conducted surveys to find out what was import-
ant for the students that would receive the guide, after that, the creation part was a lot of sketching, to be able to find
a scene that would look nice made of paper. All the cutting, gluing and putting the scenes together was the funniest
part.
What inspires you?

I get inspired by people that are not afraid of trying new things.
What do you think the next generation of young creators (like you) have for advantages or disadvantages with
the new technology compared with the traditional techniques?
In my opinion, you have to learn how to do it without technology as well as with it, and then choose if you want to take
the shortcuts, or not.
What is, for you, the future of paper in graphic design?

I think the future for paper design has a lot to do with laser cutters
and 3D printing.
How do you enjoy living and working in Köln? Is it inspiring

you?
I love Cologne, I’ve been in love with this city since my first day
here, it’s a city that is very open, and very tolerant, people are
easy going. I love the Sudstadt area, because is calm and fresh.

For me, I plan to graduate next year, and to continue working as
an illustrator.
«Not just another guide to Cologne», 2014

Jaqueline Diedam, Raoul Döring and Yuki Fukuda
82
Being part of KISD and the Cologne University of Applied Sciences enables students to participate in a growing exchange
program that connects universities around the globe. Being confronted with a new culture and city, many students can’t
help but feel a bit lost. So how can a university help international students to settle in faster and provide a ‘tool’ for
exploration?
This was one of the central questions that we asked ourselves when coming together to tackle the problem in the
context of a self-initiated project. Although there were information brochures provided by the faculty, material dealing
with the local culture simply didn’t exist.
With these issues in mind, we evaluated the existing information and developed their own concept to fill this gap and
to provide a helpful tool for international students coming to Cologne.
The result is Not just another guide to Cologne, a guide book giving first-hand, direct information, made by students for
students. It features twelve categories, from food to seasonal events, cultural and emergency information, as well as
regional travel tips.
To make this happen, the visual concept took a different direction to that found in the ordinary tourist guide. Leaving
the two dimensional, digital world, we decided to visualize the cover, as well as the title pages for each of the twelve
sections of the guide, with photographs of detailed scenes from Cologne constructed from colored paper. These col-
orful paper models took about three hundred working hours to complete and, in the end, around a hundred meters of
tape was used to fix 120 square meters of cardboard and paper together. The layout was kept visually simple and clean,
to provide an easy-reading experience and to enable the reader to quickly take in the content.
While still finalizing the project, the concept was presented to Cologne Faculty of Applied Sciences’ International Office,
since the goal was to provide as many new students of Cologne with this information as possible. After great interest
in the final product, a first-edition print run of 1,000 guides was agreed upon and was published and financed in coop-
eration with KISD.
NB: This text is from the behance link of the project. The link is available in the appendix. 83
Papertoys
Tougui
Papertoys are also a consequent part of paper design. mainly in papertoys. Tougui is one of several proponents
Sure, it had been create for recreational reasons but, of a growing paper toy scene, especially in France.
now more than ever, those little creations are real design You can find some of his toys in free-download
masterpieces and some artists are excelling on it. on specialized websites such as paper-toys.fr or
It’s the case of Guillaume Pain, also called Tougui papertoysart.com.
which is a freelance graphic designer established near
Annecy in France. His work consist in illustrations but
Can you present yourself? What is your professional journey?

My name is Guillaume Pain a.k.a Tougui, I'm an artist, illustrator and freelance papertoy maker. I have graduated sec-
ondary school in applied arts, i did a bachelor in visual communication and i have a graphic designer degree from the
Gobelins in Paris.
You are an multi-skilled artist, but what really interests me in this interview is the papertoy! Why have you
chosen to focus your work to this form of design?
I came across this medium by chance, while surfing on a website. The concept of materializing a physical object from
A to Z, to be able to transpose my characters in 3D without any intermediary, especially in manufacturing seduced me
a lot.
Can you tell us more about papertoys in general? About their origins?
I think papertoys are present for quite some time. I remembered that when I was a kid, some cereal boxes already
offered to cut the packaging to create characters. Even my father told me that in his time the phenomenon was already
present.
In terms of origins, papertoys reminds me origami, but I think the similarity stops there because the creation starts from
a single sheet and you need to respect a certain folding
order to obtain the final shape. Papertoys are using paper
in a less poetic way. You are never stuck with a folding
step, if it does not pass, cut it! And the most important is
especially the design, the paper does not remain white.

For the design on screen, mainly Illustrator. For more
complex shapes, I am using Blender (a 3D software). Then
the basics: paper cutter, scissors, glue and ruler.
What is your creating process?

I usually start from a sketch, then I work directly on a flat
shape. I print the prototype to see the actual 3D rendering.
I check if the connections are good, if the balance is OK.
Once everything is validated I pass to the colors. I print
once more to make sure the connections are good on the
complex patterns and I repeat the operation until I am fully
satisfied with the papertoy.
84
We really feel the influence of street art in your work. What are the artists or the things that inspire you the most
for your papertoys creation?
Indeed, I am actually quite influenced by street art, it is what shaped my graphic style. I’m also very influenced by the
cartoon style of the 50’s and all the wave of post-war commercial illustrations. My graphic style is becoming more as-
sertive and I tend to emancipated myself more and more from my inspirations to affirm the « Tougui » style.
Have you ever tried to create other graphic projects which include paper (like papercut)?
Yes, since i know a bit about 3D I tend to do other creations, less illustrative, more conceptual. Like “low poly » projects,
etc ...
Do you think that, in some ways, the economic climate is helping the popularity of paper toys?
From an ecological perspective, it is on trend right now I suppose. Economically, I didn’t really ask myself the question
before... It’s true that sharing and exchanging papertoys is (in most cases) free of charge, and this plays a critical part
in its popularity. What we can be sure of is that the papertoy is a trend, and people in our society like what’s new and
fashionable.
But there is a community growing more and more each day around the papertoy, and I think it is really starting to play
a serious part in our visual environment. But for now, I can’t say if it will last or not...
The great thing is that the atmosphere among the community is good, and people are receptive to this medium, let’s
hope it will keep going this way.
Do you think that paper has a future in design?

I think paper is inseparable from the « design ». It’s such a perfect medium, easy to work, printable, foldable, which can
be cut, which has an enormous palette of color, the grain of the material,…At my level, only the imagination can be a
barrier to its use.

Exhibitions, a short papertoy film, illustrations and ... more papertoys!
«Pirates», 2013
Tougui
85
NB: Original interview in French available in the appendix.
Decorative papercraft
Maud Vantours
Maud Vantours was born in 1985 in France. Designer and Maud manage to create inspired paper patterns in three
visual artist, she lives and works in Paris. Color, graphic dimensions. The paper material sculpted by Maud turns
design and material have a prominent place in her work. into a valuable object.
Maud like to start her work from a simple 2D design, and Unfortunately, she didn’t answered to my interview pro-
then break it down to develop the volume and express posal but i translated here two of her former interviews
all its facets. Paper has become over time her favorite which are very enlightening.
subject. Paper is blended, cutted accumulated, layered.
What is your background?

After a general baccalaureate, I made the MANAA (upgrade of Applied Arts) and i did the first year at the Fine Arts
section of DNAP. More interested in applied arts, i joined Dupérré and followed the textile materials school section. I
made a BTS and a license in 2008, since then I am freelance.
What was your graduation project?

It all started with a trip to Cuba where the colors of the houses change at every layer of paint. Because of the wet climate,
the paint is peeling and appears the previous colors, making color strata. I developed wall-coverings paper based on
the principle of layers and accumulations. Since then I have done much research, worked with different techniques,
developed principles that have gradually led me on a more personal style colorful, graphic, volume, dense and very
detailed. Six years later, my work is a bit different but it always follows the same logic
What materials and using what tools do you work?

I work the metal, leather, plastics and especially my personal part rotates around the paper.
I shape by hand and rarely uses digital cutting. My own party is more research, it is free. I also want to test new things.
What I like is to variate the activities, that is why I’m freelance.
On the left page:
«Papercuts»,
On the tight page, top:

«Papercuts»,
On the right page, bottom:

Adidas ZX Flux
86
How did you come to work the paper?
I started working paper during my studies of art.
Paper is my favorite material, I like his side both fragile and malleable, this bracket is almost imperceptible, but accu-
mulated becomes dense and resistant. I superimposed on the cutting layer by layer to make it gain volume and give it
a third dimension. I like the idea of using a common material in the reworking and the sculpting becomes a noble ma-
terial.
What are the different stages of your work?

First I conducts research in hand or Illustrator. Then I
develop the colorful range and i cut. Finally comes the
assembly. Concording to the project I can spend 27h, 50h
or more on the assembly.
I choose my papers according to the project: thicker, more
fibrous, more colorful, more pastel but still dyed. In my
work there are two parts: the graphics and colors are
taking me more time.
What do you use qualifiers when speaking of paper?

I love paper for its fineness, flexibility, malleability, fragility,
an endless choice of colors and textures.
What do you like most about what you do?

I love the creation process, the beginning of the project,
it has something exciting mixed with a small dose of ap-
prehension. Still not knowing where we are heading, feel,
try to innovate, create a new story, a new aesthetic, then
find the idea, develop it and finally produce. In fact it is
quite the creative process that I like.
NB: Original interviews from Emballez-moi and Partfaliaz, available in the appendix
87
Quilling
Yulia Brodskaya
Russian born Yulia Brodskaya moved to London in Her paper design work use a very specific technique
2004. Her interest in papercraft has seen her develop called «Quilling».
an incredibly distinctive style that is recognized world- This interview is from «Paper Cut» book, written by
wide. Yulia’s modern take on the papercraft practice Owen Gildersleeve. I took the opportunity to retran-
has since helped her to build an impressive list of scribe it here since Yulia didn’t answer my interview
clients. In 2009, she was named as that year’s «break- proposition.
through star» by Creative Review Magazine.
First, can you tell us a bit about your background? What brought you to the U.K. from Russia?
I was born in Moscow in 1983 and later moved to U.K. in 2004 to get a masters in graphic communication at the Uni-
versity of Hertfordshire. During that year, I always felt the “creative vibe” around me, which never happened in Moscow,
so I decided to stay and pursue my career here. I started working as a graphic designer in 2006, but quickly abandoned
computer programs in favor of paper-based art. Soon after discovering my passion and unique style, I was lucky enough
to earn an international reputation for my paper artworks. I have calculated recently that I’ve worked on more than 120
projects over the past five years!
The techniques you use is called quilling, which is a very traditional method of papercraft. What led you to start
working this way?
I’ve always had a special fascination with paper. I’ve tried so many different paper-based methods and techniques, such
as origami and collage, but the quilling technique turned out to be “the one” for me. I started using it about five years
ago when i was creating a self-promotion to send out to potential clients. I was looking for an eye-catching image with
my name on the cover. I created a number of hand-drawn variants, but I didn’t like any of them, and then I remembered
an image from an old schoolbook. It shower paper strips standing on the edge, so I tried to make the letters of my name
using this technique, and apparently the attempt was successful; over the next couple of months, I switched to paper
illustration completely.
Your work is often bold and playful, using bright color palettes against clean white backgrounds. How did you
develop this style, and what were your inspirations?
I think it just evolved over time. I started with predominately white paper images, then I tried to use some limited colors.
It turned out that the edge-glued color strips against a white background reflect the light in a very interesting way. (The
color shadows of the adjacent strips blend and make the whole image richer and visually more interesting).
If your work were a song, what would it be and why?

Interesting question. I can’t name a particular song, but I think it would be something melodic, but not in a sad way - a
light “easy-flowing” melody.
Could you briefly take us through your general working method and how you go about planning your artworks?
I always make pencil sketches first and don’t start the paper work until the sketches are approved by the client (or until
I’m totally happy with the result, if it’s a personal work). Sketching is a very important stage because once I’ve glued a
piece of paper, I can’t remove it, so there is no place for errors. I need to have a very clear idea about what I’m doing
from the beginning. However, there is always room to experiment when the actual paper work starts because sometimes
it is difficult to see what will work best at the outset. Once the paper is ready, it is photographed. This is a very import-
ant stage because lighting can make or break this type of paper artwork: It shouldn’t be complex, but there are certain
“no-nos” when it comes to photography.
88
89
What tools do you use to create your work? Are there any particular paper stocks that you favor?
I use a cocktail straw and little cocktail sticks for rolling the paper strips. (I didn’t know that there are specially designed
tools available when I taught myself to shape the paper strips). I use lots of different types of paper, but in general, I
prefer heavy ones that are still flexible enough to be rolled without creasing or exfoliating.
You’ve recently been developing a range of personal works that take a more artistic approach focusing around
portraiture. What was you inspiration for this series?
I’m happy to get as many commissions as I do, but after a while, I started to think that I was missing something, so
that’s why I decided to dedicate some of my time to personal work. I’ve chosen to work with portraiture because I’m
always curious to find out what can and cannot be said within the boundaries of a chosen medium and material - if it
is possible to successfully convey meaning and emotions. And what’s more challenging than a person’s face?
Very true! Most of the characters in your personal portraits are based on elderly people. What led you to choose
these particular characters to illustrate?
There are two main reasons, I think. One is related to the theme of death in art; there are hundreds and hundreds of
works art devoted to the subject. My personal interest is the aspect of approaching death - old age. I’m fascinated by
it; It worries me. I have really strong, mixed feelings about it and that make me look through photographs of old people
in a search of inspiration for my personal work. Another
reason is material - and technique-related: The edge glued
paper strips are a great way of depicting the wrinkles. For
a younger face, I would probably look for a slightly different
paper treatment, but I’m definitely going to attempt that at
some point too.
What would you say have been your most challenging

project so far?
In general, I enjoy projects most when I’m given creative
freedom to follow my own vision and direction; the more
rigid and controlling the client, the more stressful any co-
operation becomes, and often the result is not as good as
when I am given more freedom and control. I suppose this
is a common thing among designers and artists.
Looking forward the future, in what direction would you

like to take your work?
I would like to explore the fine-art direction a bit more, and
maybe look into mass production. Also animation. I have
many different plans. I’m sure that the most exciting project
in my career is yet to come.
Previous page:
"Old lady",
On the left page, top:

«Fish»,
On the right page

"Old man"
Yulia Brodskaya
90 NB: Transcribed interview from “Paper Cut” book from Owen Gildersleeve. References available on the bibliography.
91
Pop-up book
Helen Friel
Paper engineer and illustrator Helen Friel graduated from able for me to forget pop-up design and Helen’s amazing
Central Saint Martins of London in 2009 with a B.A. in work. She unfortunately did not respond to my interview
graphic design. She now works in London and has cre- proposal but I was able to combine two existing inter-
ate, next to her papercut creations and model-making, views. Here they are.
some amazing pop-up books. With a desire to talk about
all forms of paper design in this project, it was unthink-
You studied graphic design but now work predominantly as an illustrator. Why the transition? Does tour train-
ing in graphic design play a part in the way you work now?
The first year of the graphic design degree at CSM gives you a chance to try everything. I was very tempted to pursue
typography, but in my second year, I decided to specialized in illustration; it gave me more options to develop my own
images. Although the result of my work is now illustration, I think I approach projects from a graphic-design perspective.
I love nets and grid systems!
What led you to start using paper in your work, and what
is it about the material that attracts you to keep using
it?
I loved pop-up books when I was little, and when I was at
university, the paper trend was just starting. People like Rob
Ryan were becoming better known, and I was drawn to the
precision that’s involved in paper engineering. I’m not very
good with the hit-and-miss nature of painting and drawing,
whereas with paper, you can keep evolving the work until
it’s exactly as you want it. While I was studying, I did a couple
of projects using paper, which went well. It followed from
there.
Could you briefly take us through your general working

method?
Once I’ve nailed down the concept with the client, I go away
and create a sketch of the final image. This is crucial because
once a set is made, photographed and retouched, it’s tricky
to make changes. The next stage is designing the nets for
the models, which is done in Adobe Illustrator. I don’t usually
make prototypes, because it’s time-consuming, and dead-
lines are often short, but by cutting pieces on a plotter, any
mistakes are pretty easy to rectify. The models are all put
together using a glue syringe and UHU glue - it’s the most
precise method I’ve found and creates a very strong bond.
Then the sets are photographed. If they need to appear to
float, they’re wired up, and the wires are retouched out.
What tools do you use to create your work? Are there

any particular paper stock that you favor?
To cut the work, I use a combination of scalpels and a plotter.
92
I always have on hand: metal rulers, glue syringes, UHU, a print roller, a cradle, and magic tape. My favorite paper stock
is GF Smith’s Colorplan. It comes in a beautiful range of colors and is great to work with.
You are currently using paper engineering to create two stop motion animations for Globo TV with Nearly
Normal. Do you think that paper engineering is becoming a more versatile medium?
I think it’s always been a very versatile medium. Perhaps the difference now is that clients have been convinced that it’s
worth commissioning so we’re seeing it used in more ways commercially. I think something that has changed is that
it’s now being used on a bigger scale. People realize that paper sets don’t need to be tiny, it’s a tougher material than
it might first appear! At the beginning of the year I made a set for a Harrods fashion shoot which included 12ft high paper
windmills. The sticks were made from plastic plumbing pipes and covered in paper - there’s a way around everything!
For the Nearly Normal animations we created two types of paper set, one completely 3D with fully articulated characters
and the other flat, using layers for depth. It’s the first time that something like it will be shown on mainstream Brazilian
television and it’ll be exciting to see how they receive it.
The development of laser cutting must have broadened the possibilities of what can be achieved with paper.
How have you used laser cutting in your projects?
Laser cutting is a brilliant tool but I rarely use it. I have a vinyl plotter in my studio which cuts most of my work, the rest
is hand cut. The plotter works in a very similar way to a printer, it simply has a blade instead of a print head. Laser cutters
are very expensive (especially for a good one) and the plotter means I have control over the work rather than having to
send it off. The automated process is incredibly useful for paper engineers. If I’m prototyping something I can make
small changes and re-cut the models very quickly rather than having to cut the entire thing by hand each time. It’s also
great for designing pop-ups since they need to be as precise as possible.
Are people aware of how much can be achieved with paper more than just a simple pop up card?
Yes, I get less funny looks now when I tell people I’m a paper engineer than I used to. They often know the work of
someone like Rob Ryan or have seen paper used in TV ads. Kyle Bean’s recent animation for Peugeot shows what can
93
be achieved using as little post production as possible. People like seeing things that have been made in real life rather
than created on a computer. Often with paper animations the ‘making of’ videos get more hits than the actual thing.
The V&A’s Power of Making exhibition also showed that there is a resurgence of interest, not just in paper work, but a
huge range of traditional crafts used in modern ways. With public interest behind it it’ll be interesting to see where paper
goes next. High street window displays and laser cut cards in Paperchase means it’s trickled right down into the main-
stream. Eventually people will get used to these and expect to see something new. It’ll be up to paper engineers to push
our work and keep the momentum going.
Historically, paper has been used to tell stories using shadow puppetry and origami. Do you have an interest
in using paper this way?
I used Javanese shadow puppets as an inspiration in my 2011 Christmas Card - If Winter Comes. I’m in awe of origami
artists but it’s a completely different discipline to the work I produce - I think of myself more as a set designer. I’ve read
a lot on the history of paper cutting but it’s less an influence on my work than ideas or facts that I find interesting. The
‘If Winter Comes’ image was based on Mummers’ plays that often depict the death and rebirth of a character, symbol-
izing the end of winter and the coming of spring.
Previous, left and right page:

"Revolution", 2013
Helen Fiel
94 NB: Transcribed interview from “Paper Cut” book from Owen Gildersleeve. References available on the bibliography.
95
Interactive pop-up book
Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud
It was during my second year of bachelor that I’ve met pop-up books. Mixing paper and digital, they propose
Louis Rigaud. He came to animate a workshop about a huge variety of books, going from the pop-up book to
pop-up in my school. Few years later, it’s still a pleasure a combination book/digital game, also called interactive
to discover his work with the graphic designer Anouck books.
Boisrobert. Together, they create fun and educational
Can each of you tell us about your background?

Anouck Boisrobert: I did a formation in crafts at Estienne school, a DMA illustration at Estienne school and then I went
to the Decorative Arts of Strasbourg to learn visual didactics.
Louis Rigaud: I have been following for a year the workshops of Sevres in Paris before going to Strasbourg in visual
didactics where I’ve met Anouck.
What do you read when you were child/teen?

AB: I had a collection of old book I like reading which belonged to a cousin. The novels of “L’Ecole Des Loisirs”, “Le Club
des 5”, “Petit Nicolas”, les “Kamo” de Daniel Pennac... I read a lot of comics too. Teenager, someone offered me a tale
book illustrated by Lizbeth Zwerger and it was my first crush on an illustrator.
LR: I was reading a lot of different things, with a predilection for games books, or books which you are the hero. I spent
a lot of time to dissect “Les Copains des Bois” and other books of crafts, science experiments or small animals. Teen-
ager I read a lot of novels, often fantastic. I loved Poe or Lovecraft for example.
Tell us about your cooperation, how do you work together?

We are quite complementary and the pop-up allows us to come together to work together easily.
96 NB: Original interview in French La Mare aux Mots. Link available in the appendix.
Louis handles paper engineering, and Anouck illustrations. It starts with an idea, a desire that comes from both of us.
We discuss, we let it mature a little bit. Then we both create small models in paper, we draw to find a graphic path,
trying to find a common thread, we continue to do more and more models until we are totally invaded by the project.
We update each other, we discuss with our publisher, and we starts to end up with a final layout.
Louis likes technical challenges and Anouck like complicated ideas to realize.
“Tip Tap”, one of your first book, is release again. Have you been tempted to rework it?
We re-made the cover and changed the colors a bit to make it a little more alive. The book is now more beautiful, and
the game can work directly online without the need of the CD. It even works on Linux.
We would have liked to work on other universes, make a tablet version, imagine a multilingual version ... Maybe one day
all this will happen, but we had already spent so much time on this project that moving on is also a good thing.
Can you tell us something about your latest book Oh! My hat ?
It’s still a pop-up book! But we have this time imagined a
story about a boy, a hat and a monkey thief. It’s a hide-and-
seek in a city, there is game about graphic shapes and the
pop-up is here to unveil “behind the scenes”. We play hide-
and-seek with the little monkey, it’s a story about imagination,
drawing ...
What are your projects ?

We are working on a new project with “Hélium”, we would
like to develop an app together and also think about book
ideas for Anouck and games for Louis.
Left page:
"In the forest...", 2011
Right page, on the left:

"Liberty from Paul Eluard", 2012
Right page
"Pop-Ville", 2009
Anouck Boisrobert & Louis Rigaud
97
Fashion
The Makerie
Paper can be use in so many manners, fashion is also a clients such as Gucci, Vogue and others. Having met
field where this medium can be sublimated. during school, the pair has developed an unique style
The Makerie is Julie Wilkinson and Joyanna Horscroft, a with an incredible attention to detail and a clear passion
design studio duo working between London and Milan. for their craft.
Together, they create lavish set pieces for international
Joyanna, can you tell us a little bit about your studio and your backgrounds? When did you two realize you
worked well together?
A lot of very random and animated chats at university definitely gave us the first hints. We met while we were studying
graphics in Bath (U.K) and soon started working together on off projects. That led to organizing a lovely third-year ex-
hibition, which was a bit mad but was received really well, and that basically sealed the deal. But, because that would
have been too easy, we then ditched each other for a year or two; Julie went off to the high-flying world of advertising
and I explored the wondrous studios of other artists. But we kept regrouping occasionally on weekends to talk about
stuff that excited us. Our experiences during that time made it clear that working together and making beautiful things
in our own way was the best outlet for us.
What led you to start using paper in your work, and what is it about the material that attracts you to keep using
it?
I guess we’re just hoked on its versatility, and love that you can create anything from it - anything! The fact that there
are such beautiful textures and colors available now is really inspiring, and it’s a pleasure to explore and celebrate those
qualities. We’re really into the sumptuous aesthetics that can be achieved by using special and patterned papers, and
how prints influence the overall look of a piece.
Your work has a highly detailed and decorative style. How did this style develop, and what were your inspira-
tions?
We like old things, treasures; things that should be preserved, such as antiques and stories. It’s pretty ironic that pre-
serving 3D paper is almost impossible - perhaps we like the challenge? Or we’re just not very well? Who knows, but
taking time to create something precious is really important to us, especially now - you figure out so many cool little
techniques in the process, which then feed into other ideas or projects. Our overall style has always been very similar
to what it is now though, perhaps just refining itself as time has gone on. The need to make pieces fast definitely helps
us work the best way to do things.
Could you briefly take us through your general working method?

We usually start by talking about something cool we’ve seen recently, or an idea that we’ve had for a while but needs
an outlet. Then we do a lot of incomprehensible drawings to help work out how each part or phase could be achieved;
sometimes looking at the techniques we’ll use to make them can reinforce the concept or spark a new one into life.
After that, it’s lots of tea and biscuits and more drawings, dividing up the work after we’re clear about the outcome, and
then we sit and cut for a few days. Then glue for a few more. We work this way pretty naturally, talking a lot and sharing
opinions on Justin Bieber when the creative chat runs low. There’s also the familiar day-before panic session, but we
embrace that as part of the process now - knowing always turn out okay really helps.
How do you manage your time, and what tricks have you discovered along the way to help you speed up the
process?
The trick to not having time run away is to be very clear about what you are going to make - that and very hard work.
98
100
We often have to give up our social lives for the entire length of a project (and projects usually come in batches) and
work consistently long hours, so knowing what your priorities are is important. Also, as a team making complex or
numerous pieces, it wouldn’t be constructive to let personal whim take over. It’s good to stay focused so everyone
knows what’s going on, but of course, if you think of a better way of doing something halfway through a project - which,
to some degree, is every time - then it’s quicker to say something and put it into action than to keep plowing on.
Previous page
"Paper Dolls, The forest editorial", 2014
Right page
"Paper Dolls, The forest editorial", 2014
Right page
"Madonna", 2013
The Makerie
101
Paper-cut
Rob Ryan
If you’ve read the previous interview, you should have ting, these pieces are based around a single hand-cut
seen the name Rob Ryan passing. Rob is a hugely in- artwork. As a reference and inspiration for many paper
fluential artist based in London who explores a range of designer, Ryan made an interesting interview in the «Pa-
techniques but he is most famous for his highly detailed per Cut» book from Owen Gildersleeve.
large-scale paper-cuts. Inspired by Tyrolean paper-cut-
What led you to start using paper in your work?

I’ve always been a printmaker, so I’ve always worked on paper and never really board or canvas, even when I was
painting. I guess I started to work with paper rather than on it. It’s not a massive leap really because in screen printing,
you often use cut-out stencils, so it was just a matter of making my pictures more about shapes and silhouette than
mark-malign. Having said that, essentially my work is marks on paper because it all starts as drawing, and then I cut
that line and make it solid. The process of making it what it is more about drawing than anything.
Your work features playful decorative imagery often combined with whimsical phrases. How did you develop
this style, and what were your inspirations?
Even when I was at college, I wrote. I kept lots of sketchbooks and wrote down my thoughts - they were kind of like
diaries. At the same time, I did my drawings and my prints, and I suppose the two grew up in tandem, fused together,
and became one. Sometimes I did pictures with no worlds, and sometimes I did pictures that were all words.
102
Could you briefly take us through your general working method?
I’m an avid note-taker; I write everything down - my memory is pretty awful these days, and I presume it’s only going
to get worse! I also sketch and doodle ideas as they come to me. So I suppose that’s the initial stage. Then I’ll very
loosely gather these things together and start to have the beginnings of an idea for a picture. And then I draw. I do
sketches, and I throw them away and do more and then I’ll draw it up as a paper-cut and see how it looks. It’ll get it cut
out and then sprayed (all my pieces starts as white piece of paper and are colored using spray paint). Then I’ll go back
and do it again and improve it. You rarely nail it on the first hit, but that’s how it goes.
What tools do you use to create your paper-cuts? Are there any particular paper stocks that you favor?
I can’t remember the name of the paper I use, but it comes in bigger-than-A1 sheets, it’s about 70-80 gsm, and it’s very
smooth. Somebody told me once it was used a lot in the printing of bibles, but I don’t know if that’s true. I use a Swann
Morton 10A blade, and I use a certain type of retractable pencil that I sharpen on fine-grade sandpaper. And I use a
rubber, a lot!
What have been your most enjoyable project so far?

To tell the truth, I think it always has to be the one I’m currently working on. You have to live in the present and try to do
the best hob you can at the time. I very much like to think that my best project hasn’t happened yet, I genuinely don’t
think that there’s something I’ve done in the past that is better than something I’m yet to do. That’s what keeps you
going.
Left page:
"Look closer", 2010
Right page
"This was our place"
103
Your paper-cuts seem extremely time-consuming. What techniques do you employ to help you speed up the
process?
My workload is really intense, so I don’t really do paper-cutting anymore. It doesn’t really matter whether I cut them out
or not because it just involves following a line, and my eyes aren’t too good anymore either, so it’s become quite difficult.
But speaking from previous experience, I can say that there’s no point holding on to a blind blade - change them at
least every 15 minutes. Move the paper to your advantage so it’s easier to approach. Cut the smallest bits out first and
the largest bit last so it is structurally stronger while you’re working on it.
Looking forward to the future, what direction would you like to take your work?
In the short term, I’m working on a trilogy, a set of three children’s books. I’ve just delivered the first one, and they’re
quite wordy, which is quite a challenge for me! I don’t know if it’ll work, but you have to try! In the longer term, I would
like to take my work in a direction that might surprise me. For the past ten years, my work has been mainly about shape,
it’s been quite monochrome, and it’s been about silhouette. Sometimes, I think that I might want to burst out if those
constraints, not that I find them particularly constraining? But I do sometimes feel that I might return to painting, who
knows? I might even do sculpture! One day, I decided to pick up a scalpel and cut paper instead of drawing on it, so
equally I might decide to pick up a paint brush and say “I don’t want to do this paper-cut thing anymore.” Just in the
same way I picked up a scalper, I might put one down and pick something else up. But it doesn’t make a difference
what medium I work in, so long as I hold on my spirit, and my work still has an emotional impact and vivacity to it. That’s
what has run through my work since I started at art college. Your work is part of who you are, and how it manifest itself
is just a load of stuffs.
104
Left page:
"I wish we had..., 2010
Right page
"The village grew"
105
NB: Transcribed interview from “Paper Cut” book from Owen Gildersleeve. References available on the bibliography.
Kirigami
Marc Hagan-Guirey
Let’s focus now on a special type of paper-cutting tech- famous haunted locations from cult movies. Since then,
nique. Marc Hagan-Guirey, also known as Paper Dandy, Marc has continued working on kirigami commissions for
is a British designer and artist specializing in the Japa- both private and commercial clients.
nese art from kirigami. He burst onto the scene in 2012
with his groundbreaking debut show Horrorgami, which
featured thirteen original kirigami buildings based on in-
You only recently started working with paper, having built up a career as a senior creative designer and digital
art director. Why the transition? Why paper?
It was all a bit of an accident. Up until April 2012, I was head of design for a boutique advertising agency. I’d been with
them for three and a half years, and if I’m honest, I was getting itchy feet. I’ve always been hugely interested in archi-
tecture and property, so when an opportunity arose to invest in a large derelict building with a friend - an experienced
property developer - I looped at the chance. I became jobless. I’ve always been prepared for such events and decided
to take a couple of months off to think what my next move was going to be. That’s when kirigami became my focus. So
although I left advertising to make a real house, I ended up making paper houses.
Left and right page:

"Horrorgami", 2012
Marc Hagan-Guirey
106
The technique your use is called kirigami, which is a traditional Japanese art form, using a single sheet of cut
paper to create the artwork. What led you to start working this way, and what were your inspirations?
I started experimenting with kirigami in October 2009. When I visited Los Angeles in 2010, a friend and my partner had
gone to the trouble to arrange for me to be shown around one o my favorite buildings of all time: Frank Lloyd Wright’s
1923 Ennis House. It’s one of Wright’s greatest masterpieces - you’d recognize it as the exterior of Deckard’s apartment
in Blade Runner. It’s also the exterior to the mansion in the Vincent Price horrer, House on Haunted Hill. Due to unfor-
tunate choices in building materials, it’s long been in a state of despair, and in 1993, a hugely damaging earthquake left
it barely clinging to the hill upon which it was built. The charity trying to restore it had run out of money and was forced
to put it on the market for something like 15$ million. I visited the house with my friends and while returning to the UK,
I wanted to make something to commemorate the experience, and I set my mind to making a model of some kind as
a gift for them both. That’s when I came across kirigami.
You recently created a series of sets based on infamous haunted buildings cleverly titled Horrogami. How did
this series came about, and why did you pick this particular theme?
There are so many existing kirigami replicas of buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral in London, or the Empire state
building in New York, that I really found that area of the art form a bit boring. I’m a huge Addams Family fan and it was
pretty clear that’s what my next subject would be. I managed to get hold of the email address of the chap who designed
the house: Laurence (Larry) Hubbs. I wrote him an email, attaching some photos of the kirigami model, and a few weeks
later, he replied saying how much he loved it. He then sent me super-size scans of his original plans and elevation
drawing. Needless to say I sent the model to him. I’ve always been a huge horror film fan, and it suddenly struck me
one day that coincidentally, I had made two “haunted” movie houses. Once I realized that, my obsession with horror
movies had a new creative outlet, and I set about making more. Thirteen models seemed like a fitting number to work
toward. I made a couple more and then took at them to a gallery that saw the potential in the project, and we struck a
deal. I began working toward my first solo exhibition, which would open on Halloween night.
One evening I was taking pictures on my iPhone of the prototypes. I filled on Adobe Photoshop canvas with a bold color,
set it to full screen, sat the paper model in front of it, and took a picture. It was a bit of a eureka moment really. It sud-
denly became very theatrical. I started showing people photos of the models in this format and saw a developing trend
in their reactions. I felt like it was more than just papercraft now - it gabe the observer an opportunity to connect the
visual with their own memories. Horror movies that we’ve seen as youngsters seem to really resonate with us as adults,
especially those films from the ‘70s and the ‘80s. By giving a viewer a simple snapshot in a very analog format, all their
memories of watching the film come flooding back. I knew at this point that the models had to be presented this way,
so I spend quite some tome working with a framer on developing a display case for them. The result was back-lit acrylic
boxed in which the kirigami is presented. I was really quite excited about Horrogami, but I was in no way prepared for
how it would go so viral.
NB: Transcribed interview from “Paper Cut” book from Owen Gildersleeve. References available on the bibliography.
107
Origami
Mademoiselle Maurice
Mademoiselle Maurice is a French artist of 29 years. Now based in Paris, Mademoiselle Maurice develops
After Architecture studies in Lyon, she moved to Geneve and creates within its mini workpiece countless colorful
and Marseille before leaving one year in Japan. works in origami. With paper, lace, embroidery or other
After the tragic events of March 11 2011 in Japan mixed media, she gives birth to works in direct contact
(earthquakes, tsunami and explosion of the Fukushima with everyday life.
nuclear plant), while living in Tokyo, she decided to start
composing its plastic and urban works in connection
with these facts.
Why did you orientate your work to paper design? Why did you chose origami?
I chose paper as a medium because I wanted to work with a material which is simple, modest but noble. In addition,
the paper is recyclable, can be save and is inexpensive. In addition, the art of paper folding (ORI-KAMI) turns the paper
in something poetically complex. I liked it a lot. Overmore, it was using an ancestral knowledge, and thus highlight the
DO IT YOURSELF. Manual work is so rewarding; although we tend to forget it in the 21 century, when everything is
technology and consumption. Working with paper, folding, it’s like a homecoming, and folding processes has something
meditative. I chose the art of origami as a tribute to Japan, and to resume the legend of the 1,000 cranes, the story of
Sadako and her pacifist scope and this was the basis for my answer “No to nuclear ». I was in Japan in 2011 during the
earthquake, the tsunami and the uncontrolled chain reaction of the Fukushima nuclear plant, so obviously it leaves
traces ...
What is your process of working on a project for a major paper as your plans? Do you have any restrictions?
The process takes place in several stages. First I need to appropriate the place/space where the installation will be
done. Depending this, I need to consider the format and the shape of the project so that it fits to the surrounding envi-
ronment, the traffic circulation, the views, etc. Then it’s folding time! Tons of preparation, then the implementation. I love
not to impose myself any restriction, especially not on the size of the work and the work to be done.
However certain restrictions related to the support and, especially weather for outdoor work are
unavoidable.
What are your working tools?

I have little, especially when I install my spectral compositions containing hundreds of origami. I need
paper, scissors, something to set (like glue or sticky tape) and that’s it. Often a stepladder or a scale
and chalk to draw the forms or lettering on the wall.
You use embroidery and lace but have you tried other forms of design using paper (sculptures,
papertoys, papercut, pop-up)?
For paper, I simply stayed on origami. After I made some « nuggets boxes” with falls that I had, to
criticize junk food, their poor quality and the over-packaging. I also made some sculptural elements
to recreate a « sea floor ». But I haven’t made any papertoys, pop-up or other paper cut projects.
On the other hand, collecting a lot of paper and trying to recycle my raw materials, I am thinking
about creating elements in paper pulp or papier maché that I will paint to create more sculptural
elements.
You work mainly for the cultural sector, which allows more experimental works. Do you think
the advertising industry is a traditional sector too from a design point of view?
I don’t think at all that advertising is too traditional, on the contrary. Sometimes the campaigns are
very innovative and creative. Many big brands contact me but I do not accept everything for ethical
and ecological reasons. Therefore, you have to admit, when the pub seizes the art, it’s not only for
NB: Original interview in French available in the appendix.

108
the beauty of sharing, for poetry and transmission, but primarily for a business issue, to create needs and encourage
the purchase. I’m rather uncomfortable with this Art + Advertising duo. We should not mix everything The few adver-
tising projects that I had accepted in the past were a true collaboration and I like to have a free hand on the project. The
“brands” with whom I worked had an ethical, recycled / recyclable projects (Issey Miyake), or invest heavily in sustainable
development (Google).
”Travel broadens the mind”. You have traveled a lot and lived in different cities, which has been the most in-
spiring?
Tokyo inspired me tremendously is that’s down born my work with origami. Then i love the minimalism and effectiveness
of the Japanese art. San Francisco also inspired me a lot. Its colors, its free and original spirit. At the end, Tokyo and
San Francisco are responding well and are complementing each other in my way to enjoy a city, its landscapes, its
traditions and its users.
"Au Vietnam et à Hong-Kong", 2012
Mademoiselle Maurice,
Between the words « Street-Art » and « Paper Design »,
which one corresponds you the most?
Let’s say « Paper Street » or « Street Craft ». But after all, I
don’t like to be locked in a box or a term, it’s pretty restrictive.

There are many, until 2016. Mainly an exhibition in the Vosges
with my friend Maksim Lopez, an installation for Emmaus
Geneva (a metal origami this time), a residence in Corsica,
installations in Marseille at the POC, some projects in Brazil
and especially my first solo show in Paris at the Mathgoth
gallery! I have a few other projects that I can’t speak for the
moment also.
109
Stop motion
Julianna Szabó
Julianna Szabó is a designer who creates intricate pa- active on Instragram, posting her works in progress, and
per illustrations, carefully crafted paper sets which can that’s through this social media that we entered in con-
be backdrop as stop motion animations or paper instal- tact. Here is her interview.
lations and sculptures. Her work is very elaborate and
precise which gives very graphic final pieces. She is very
Can you present yourself?

I’m a Hungarian illustrator, graphic designer currently living in Ireland. I’m a creator of intricate paper illustrations and
carefully crafted paper sets, installations, sculptures which can be backdrop for stop motion animations. I like to add
another dimension to a sheet of paper, bring it to life through stop motion animation. For me it is very exciting to form
an image in the back of my mind and see it emerge by modifying this simple material.
What first got you into design?

I have a masters degree in Information Technology but I wanted to learn about the design side as well so I went back
to school after we moved to Ireland. I changed my profession because I fell in love with paper craft.
What is your actual project?

At the moment I’m working on a poster design for a Halloween party. I’m using 3D hand crafted cut paper objects to
make the poster.
What is your working process on a paper project?

I always start with a drawing, to pin down my ideas. Then make the plans for the 3D objects, then cut and glue every-
thing. The final stage is to make a good photo of the 3D paper object.
You are using different techniques to create your paper projects (quilling, layering,…), mixing 2D and 3D.
What form of paper design do you prefer?

I prefer making 3D objects, but I really like layering paper as well. Sometimes the mixture of the two.

I love my X-acto knife with Swann-Morton blades. Also a bone folder tool which helps with the folding.
Paper design is not a very common form of design. Do you think that it can compete with « traditional » forms
(such as creations with 3D software,…)?
I think that making something with your own hand is rewarding and unique. If I create a 3D apple I’ll make it differently
then you will and that makes every design different and unique. Also, people can see the amount of time was put in to
the work.
What do you think the next generation of young creators have for advantages or disadvantages with the new
technology compared with the traditional techniques?
You never know what the future will bring, but for example 3D printing has some interesting qualities. I’m interested in
combining the traditional cut paper technique with modern technologies, such as I did with my graduation project. I
combined cut paper illustrations with Kinect (gesture recognition) technology which opened up a whole new possibil-
ities for me.
110
"Silk Road Film Festival", 2015
Julianna Szabó
111
− A lesson to
learn
"Memphilextric" 2014
Noelia Lozano
112
In conclusion...
Of course, there is a lot of lessons to learn in those interviews; from the origins and the passion which host those artists
but also from their techniques and advices to young generations of artists who wants to try out paper design.
Interviewing those designers gave us a quick view from behind the scene, from the tools they were using but also from
their own passion.
If we analyze all interview, the main part of the interviewed artists have a creative and design background, from their
study or previous profession. Some studied graphic design, information technology, product design or applied arts but
all of them got this early passion for design in general and handmade design in particular. Passion is here a very im-
portant factor. They all express an interest for paper, a desire to get away from the screen and digital results and a wish
to come back to a more warm and human side of design. This love for their work is perceptible in their project, in the
hours that they are passing working on it and of the importance they pay to details and to the realisation. The best
exemple to point is Ollanski. He didn't followed any design studies and gave up to his work in biomedicine to follow his
passion in drawing and crafting and do something that he would like.
The passion for the medium they are using is also

an important factor. Paper had been choose by those
artists for many reasons such as its fineness, flexibil-
ity, malleability, fragility, range of choice in terms of
thickness, colors, shades, sizes and texture. You can
almost build anything from paper with the help of
other materials such as glue, rope, foam board, etc.
Zim & Zou find that "paper gives an illustration warmth
and depth", for Fideli Sundqvist paper gave a "airer,
modern feeling" to her cuts and when she passed
from lino cutting to paper cutting, she felt that "paper
cutting went hand in hand with what she want and
strive for". For many designers such as Fideli Sund-
qvist, starting experimenting with paper lead them to
reconsider their work into paper. It's the case of Maud
Vantours which works with many mediums such as
metal or leather but still says that "paper is her favor-
ite material" because of its side "both fragile and
malleable, this bracket is almost imperceptible, but
accumulated becomes dense and resistant."
Their process is quite similar too. A sketch (or several) is the foundation of a good project. The more preparation that
you put in your project before even touching a paper, the more efficient you will become. They can avoid loosing time,
money and material. The planning stages are crucial and can be increased by to-do lists, work in progress projects,
meetings, mind boards and brainstormings. After this period of planning comes the realization. As Fideli Sundvist said
113
"I have learned a neat way to create a schedule for a project. I write a to-do list with everything that must be done: the
paper that need to be bought, a list of meetings that need to be arranged, and a list of pictures with the exact items that
will need to be made. Maybe it sound a bit boring, but it is so easy for me to make a big mess of it all in my head (and
on my desk!), So this is really helpful. And I really like crossing out jobs I’ve done on the list. It works as a motivation to
carry on working. The more you plan and know exactly what you’re doing, the better the chance of getting things done
and staying in a good mood."
I invite you to watch the three videos of the working process of Lobulo, a paper designer located in Barcelona. I used
his office pictures to illustrate this part of my research and you will find the videos in the CD annexed to this report.1
The realisation of paper project can be time consuming and demanding, especially if it include small cutting parts for
exemple. This time can be reduced by practice, experience and the knowledge of some tricks which are simple but
useful like Zim & Zou pointed out "When we're cutting shapes, we try to aligne them on the paper sheets and then cut
them in batches" which allows them to spare time and energy.
All those designers are different from their speciality. Victoria Bee does papercraft, Yulia Brodskaya does quilling, Tougui
creates papertoys and so on. They are all designers, artists and visionary but each one of them has his own preference
to paper design, the technique which works for them and for what they feel connected or good at. The best exemple
is the one from Yulia Brodskaya. She express "I’ve always had a special fascination with paper. I’ve tried so many dif-
ferent paper-based methods and tech-
niques, such as origami and collage, but
the quilling technique turned out to be
“the one” for me. I started using it about
five years ago when i was creating a
self-promotion to send out to potential
clients. I was looking for an eye-catching
image with my name on the cover. I
created a number of hand-drawn variants,
but I didn’t like any of them, and then I
remembered an image from an old
schoolbook. It shower paper strips stand-
ing on the edge, so I tried to make the
letters of my name using this technique,
and apparently the attempt was success-
ful; over the next couple of months, I
switched to paper illustration completely.".
As she says, she decided to completely
leave behind traditional graphic design
to dedicate herself to paper design - and
quilling in this case.
Therefore, there is one factor which distinguish the panel of designers that I decided to interview. It's their location. All
of them are living in a different country and even continent. They all have different cultural background which are build-
ing their design profile, their style. Victoria Bee and Mademoiselle Maurice both travelled a lot. Victoria lived in Montre-
al, Paris and Berlin and Mademoiselle Maurice did a revelation trip to Japan and she says that "Tokyo inspired me
tremendously is that’s down born my work with origami".
Another important factor about style is the inspiration, what the designer likes which will reflect in its project. Tougui is
known for his papertoys with a very strong influence of street style. He says it itself "Indeed, I am actually quite influenced
by street art, it is what shaped my graphic style. I’m also very influenced by the cartoon style of the 50’s and all the wave
of post-war commercial illustrations. My graphic style is becoming more assertive and I tend to emancipated myself
114 1
Videos "A day at Lobulo Studio" , "Making of for Sparkle Telecom Italia 2013" and " Lettering a todo volumen - Un curso de Lobulo, Ilustrador/set designer
en papercraft "are in the CD annexed to this report.
more and more from my inspirations to affirm the « Tougui » style." Those inspirations and cultural experiences are what
makes each designer so special and so different from each other.
Going through those interviews gave us an idea of how complex and diversified paper design is. There is a wide variety
of process and different types of paper design which are existing. We collected a lot of information about types of paper
design, designer journeys but especially about techniques and tricks. In order to collect and gather all those informations
together, I decided to create a paper design manual which will introduce some basics about paper design by approch-
ing the tools, the basics techniques which are specific to a certain type of paper design and therefore offer a large
comprehensive view about what is paper design.
Previous page:
Lobulo at work
"Une petite gâterie pour vous" 2014

Victoria Bee at work
115
− The future of
paper design
«In Vitro», 2014

Adrian & Gidi
116
Now that we have a clearer idea of what paper design is and that we discovered all its complexity and diversity, there
is a relevant question that we are able to ask: "What is the future of paper design in a digital world like ours?"
In a desire to be relevant to this report, we will just concentrate about the advances which have a direct impact on our
subject - paper design. Therefore, we will not enter into technical details about the technologies which are discussed
for the simple reason this is not the subject of this report.
In order to offer a complete answer, we will divide the possible aspects of this question which are paper, mechanical
and digital technologies and trend.
Paper is an old material which had by itself some revolutions and technologie advances in order to allow a faster
production, storage and diversity.
Over the past years, the paper industry tried put the environmental concerns forward which resulted to the creation of
recycled paper but also on the emergence of synthetic papers such as Tyvek or Teslin. Those two synthetic papers had
been introduced as printing media as a more durable material than paper a few years ago (1965 for Tyvek and 1985 for
Teslin) so it's not new but it's only recently that they started to be considered as a possible way to replace paper in daily
usage. Until now, those two synthtetics papers hadn't had impact on paper design but it's a possibility in the future.
In March 2015, Arjowiggins, one of the largest paper manufacturers and the advertising ADSP have partnered to release
the PowerCoat Alive. It's a connected paper which contains a NFC chip (NFC for Near Fiel Communication chip which
allows two compatibles devices to connect on a short distance by using short waves) which is surrounded by an antenna
made out of silver, allowing the connection between the paper and a mobile device with a NFC chip. This connected
paper will allow the advertisement companies to do publicity (for exemple, you put your phone on the connected paper
of a magazine page and you will get a discount coupon on your mobile phone for a product. Except of publicity, this
technology opens a new door on editorial design and paper design.
The combination between new paper technologies and paper design are still to discover and will bring surprises.
Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud are the exemples related earlier which are mixing new technologies and paper
design by proposing a interactive pop-up book. (cf. Video presentation of the project "Tip tap, mon imagier interactif"1)
There is something that can't be taken away from

the use of paper as a medium is that the resulted
creation has something unique. Paper gives a
valor the the project, a more natural aspect, some-
thing human and that's what it makes it so inter-
esting.
With the arrival in the 90's of the first computers

and therefore of internet and other creation soft-
wares, paper became obsolete and it's more
recently that a resurgence of handcrafted illus-
tration arrived. Designers were trying to find a
way to create pieces which were less perfect,
"Tip tap mon imagier interactif", printscreen more human. This new wave of handcraft raised
1
Video "Tip tap, mon imagier interactif is in the CD annexed to this report
117
with digital media and the two are strongly linked. For most of the paper design artists now (and it goes also for some
artists which were interviewed earlier), digital became an inevitable step in their creation. A lot of tools are available to
assist the designers such as 3D modelling software, 3D printer, laser cutter, digital camera, retouching softwares, etc.
All those tools are an alternative and allows the designer to earn time and to discover new techniques - especially with
tools such as laser cutter and 3D printers.
3D software are considered as the main ennemy of paper design because very often, people in need of design will turn
out to 3D instead of paper design. There is a lot of potential reasons to this choice: The budget is smaller on 3D creation
because it takes less time, less material, less people and the delivery is easier. On a business aspect, the commission-
er has everything to win. This trend of 3D creation may tend to decrease because paper design offers a fresh aspect
to design and has this little something that 3D creation doesn't: Humanity.
Laser cutter are already use in the world of paper design, especially for cutting intricate shapes (useful for papercut
techniques) and 3D printer but those two technologies are still very expensive even if it fasten the process of assembling
and cutting. It would be interesting to see how to combine traditional paper cutting techniques and new technologies.
To illustrate this statement, we will take two examples. The first one is the project "What's left behind" of Julianna Szabo
which is a combination of paper cut illustrations and gesture recognition with Kinect. She wanted to bring awareness
to the impact of improperly discarded gum and she tried to find a connection between traditional techniques (paper
cut illustrations in this case) and new technologies. (cf. Video presentation of the project "Whats left behind"1)
118
"The interactive display I created encourages people to bin their gum in a fun and engaging way without directly in-
structing them to do so. Binning the gum makes the display come to life. A door, showing problems chewing gum litter
causes, slides out of view to show a happier more livable city. Through this the display shows that the simple act of
binning the gum makes the city a better place to live in. The user then can animate parts of the illustration through
gesture recognition technology, which also takes photos of the user during interaction." says Julianna2.
The second example is the project "Les aventures du petit train postal" ("The adventures of the little postal train") of
Julie Stephen Chheng which is a is a "new form of postcards with the most delightful combination of paper and digital
design. There are 25 cut-out parts in the box which offer an infinite number of possible combinations. Among these are
some special ones which come alive with the help of a smartphone or a tablet"3. It works in three different steps: First
you need to compose your landscape with the cut-out parts attached by the brass paper fastener, then you download
the free application of "the postal train" by scanning a QR code and when you film your composed landscape with the
app, an animation is created. (cf. Video presentation of the project "Les aventures du petit train postal"4)
To conclude this aspect, we will use the words of Tougui about future of paper design in his interview (page 85 of this
report): "Only the imagination can be a barrier to its use".
1
Video "What's left behind" is in the CD annexed to this report or http://www.behance.net/gallery/20630883/Interactive-display
2
Statement from SZABO Julianna on http://www.behance.net/gallery/20630883/Interactive-display
3
Statement from STEPHEN CHHENG Julie on http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/les-aventures-du-petit-train-postal-the-adventures-of-the-little-postal-train
4
Video "Les aventures du petit train postal" is in the CD annexed to this report 119
Another aspect that we need to discuss are the social medias. They exist in differ-
ent forms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Behance, Pinterest, Dribble, Tumblr, Devi-
antArt are the most known but they are so much more. Those platforms allow the
designers to display their projects, distribute it easily around the globe (you will see
the work of a brazilian designer if you are living in Russia for exemple), to create their
network and get clients. You just need to take a picture of your work, upload it online
and it's almost done.
Communities are existing for any type of design and are allowing you to share your
techniques, discover new techniques, ask questions, get comments about your
work, compare, etc. But also, to create bond and start new partnerships (such as
Ollanski and Cris Wiegandt, Zim & Zou, The Makerie,...)
Paper design can be consider as a hype or a fashion, especially if we take in account

the fact that it exist for long time and that it's popping up again now. Maybe this hype Lobulo's instagram page
will go up and down as the time passes, like any fashion, but there is always a demand
for good design and therefore, for paper design.
Once again, this subject is found to be very complex and diversify and we can't predict the future of paper design for
sure because the technologies still need to develop and be experiment by paper designers but one thing we can say
for sure is that paper design has a long way in front of him and by combining and a bit of imagination, everything is
possible.
NB: For more informations about the technologies mentioned above, please check the links on the appendices.
120
121
122
Chapter III
Paper design manual
Chapter III · Paper Design Manual
− Chapter III
Index
3. Chapter III: Paper Design Manual 123
3.1 About 126
3.2 Process 128
125
− About
My desk in Düsseldorf
126
As we could deduct from the previous chapters, paper design is a very dense, complex and diversified subject.
Since 2012 when I got my first paper design experience and while I was working on this report, I gather so many infor-
mations about techniques and tools that it was quite hard to keep everything clear and organized.
I thought that it could be interesting to create a publication in order to guide future designers who have the desire to
work with paper design and therefore have a small lexicon or compilation of informations regrouping the main tools,
tips and techniques.
I started thinking about how it could exist and I had a look on other publications to see if it was already existing. Since
I'm french speaker and that it's quite difficult to find english books in libraries or to order english books (especially when
you want to have a look to the content before buying), I mainly checked french publications. They are many publications
which are speaking about graphic design in general such as "Petit guide du graphisme" from the Pyramid collection or
the "Guide pratique de la création graphique" from Dunod collection but those kind of publications where not what I
was looking for.
In front of this lack of published books about paper design in french, I started looking on Amazon UK and Germany
websites for english publications about paper design. Those publications were generally very expensive, even more
when you took into account the shipping fees. Since I'm a student, I couldn't afford to buy every publication I wanted
but I order several books for the purpose of this report and gathered even more information.
An interesting publication which I got is from Fideli Sundqvist called "I love paper" and release in April 2015. Inside this
book, there is many paper design templates and tutorials but also some basic techniques and material. However, I
found that there was something missing because this book was only speaking about the projects of Fideli and the
techniques that she used in her projects. There was nothing about other paper design techniques such origami or
quilling for example.
That's when I decided that I will create this publication.
127
− Process
During the development of the papercraft
128
− Concept
Creation of a publication about paper design for beginners.
− Name
"Paper design manual: An introduction to paper design"
− Reason of choice
I choose to do a manual because I want to show techniques and bring an overview to paper design and a manual gives
a more practical and ludic aspect to the publication. I like the fact that there will be a final object which can be keep in
a library, write down notes and consult when needed.
− Content & organization

With all the informations and knowledge that I learned during my internships and research, I decide to create my own
little publications which can be seen as a "survival kit" of paper design and an introduction to all the techniques which
are included in paper design.
I decide to divide the publication in four part:

× Basics: We will first speak about paper (since it's the main used material) and then list all the useful
tools (knives, cutting mats, etc.).
× Type of paper design: It will be a presentation of the main types of paper design (Origami, kirigami,
papercut, quilling, papercraft, papertoys). Each type of paper will have a small presentation and history followed by an
etymological explanation and the presentation of the main techniques used for this type of paper design. If needed, I
will add a "bonus" paragraph if this type of paper design need something special.
× Templates: This part will propose several templates which can be personnalize in order to start build-
ing a paper design project (such as geometric shapes, papertoy shape) but also ideas of paper design projects by
presenting some project of paper designers.
× Notes: This blank space will allow the reader to write down notes about paper design.
− Format
I decided to use an unusual format which is 13 cm x 20 A4
cm. It's smaller than a A4 and a A5. I choose this format
because it's easy to transport and to keep but also not
that small so you can still write notes inside.
200 mm
130 mm
129
− Design black
leather
natural
cardboard
closing
strip
I decided to create a publication with a minimalist design

with a handmade spirit. Therefore I choose materials which
are more human than digital. The cover is out of black
leather and natural cardboard, with no paint or lacquer
on it, to keep a matte finish. At my opinion, cardboard give
this traditional and natural look, also it can get dirty and
used and keeps therefore a touch of life.
On the front of the cover is affixed a white sticker label
with the name of the publication "Paper design manual:
An introduction to paper design" and a space for the owner
of the book to write his name (or something else).
There is a black closing strip which is on the side of the
book in order to close it properly. Label
Concerning the design of the interior of the publication,

it's simple and minimalist with the use of only one font:
Aaux Pro in Bold, Medium and Regular
− Illustration
I decided to use mainly papercraft illustrations to illustrate the content of the publications. Therefore, I will reproduce
the main tools used for paper design in paper craft. I will also create a second "cover" in paper craft which will be the
first page that you will discover when opening the book.
The elements below are made out of papercraft:
- Scissors
- Bone folder
- Pencil
- Eraser
- X-acto knife
- Ruler
- Tweezer
- Etc.
130
− Inspirations
Here are some pictures about my inspirations in terms of form, design and content.
131
132
− Conclusion
and future
research
134
It's now time for conclusions to be drawn.
After a year of practical and theoretical research, we are in a legitimate position of taking lessons from what we've
learned.
In the first chapter, we discussed the practical research made through experiences in several design studios in Canada,
Germany and Belgium. Those experiences lead us to try to know more about paper design in general and started a
theoretical thinking process. In this theoretical reflection, we first differentiate tactile design and paper design in order
to discover that there was more that one type of paper design and that it was a wide subject. Therefore, we continued
the research by discovering designers which were working with paper as a medium. Those interviews were eye-open-
ing and we could put names on techniques, come accross techniques and tricks and working process. Those infor-
mations will be gathered in a publication called "Paper design manual: An introduction to paper design" which is annexed
to this report.
Finally, we took a step back to what we've learned about paper design and we started discussing about how paper
design can evolve in the future with the new technologies which are continuously improving. During this questioning,
we discovered a very important phenomen: The combination of old techniques with new technologies could bring new
techniques and, therefore, bring paper design further. We can state that paper design has a future, in the near as well
as in the distant future.
Paper design is an old worldwide tradition, living for centuries now (with origami and kirigami for exemple) with old
techniques. Of course, those techniques have evolve through the years but remains mainly the same. Therefore, in
those past years, paper design has known a upsurge of popularity towards its public. What has changed compared to
the past? The vision that the new wave of paper designer put into paper design is modifying the idea that the public
has about paper design. Paper design isn't only for sunday crafting with children but is a major player in the world of
design and is an art by itself, as the same right than editorial design, interior design or print design for exemple.
Are paper designers will turn back to digital by using connected papers? How 3D printer will evolve and how could it
help the paper design cause? Paper design is a fashion or is there to stay? What are the technical limits to paper design?
are all questions which are relevant and which can be discussed. We won't go deeper on this subject because of a lack
of time and datas but the redaction of this report led me to think about the future. About the future of paper design, of
course but also about my future as designer.
After more than 3 years of keeping an interest to the subject, I'm even more curious about it and I feel the need to
continue working with paper design and orientate my career to it in order to learn more techniques and create new
projects. It's for this reason that after this report and, by extension, my master program at the FBAUP, I will work in a
field which allows me to create paper design. My path is already established because I found a position starting in
October 2015 as visual communication designer at Trivago in Düsseldorf (Germany). Therefore, I will be able to work in
a field which interest me -travel- but I already know that I will have the chance to propose paper design as an answer
to design question. One thing is sure, I will continue doing paper design as a freelancer because I love doing it and I
feel that it's the right thing for me.
135
− Bibliography
136
- Publications
BIRMINGHAM Duncan, Pop Up 3D, Marabout, 2014
CARTER David, DIAZ James, Elements of Pop Up: A Pop-up Book for Aspiring Paper Engineers, Little Simon, 2009
CARTER David, DIAZ James, Pop-up et techniques, Editions Milan, 2009
EDITION LOVE MARIE, Kirigami : Cartes pop-up et motifs à découper, Marie-Claire Album S.A., 2012
GESTALTEN, R. KLANTEN, B. MEYER, Papercraft 2: Design and Art with Paper, Gestalten, 2011
GILDERSLEEVE Owen, Paper Cut: An Exploration into the Contemporary World of Papercraft Art and Illustration, Rockport Publishers, 2014
HEYENGA Laura, RYAN Rob, AVELLA Natalie, Paper cutting, Contemporary artists - Timeless craft, Abrams Books, 2011
HIEBERT Helen, Pop-up : Mode d'emploi, Edition Pyramyd, 2014
HOGARTH Emily, Le grand livre des papiers découpés, Marabout, 2012
HOGARTH Emily, Scherenschnitt: Schritt für Schritt erklärt. Mit 50 Mustervorlagen zum Sofort-Losschneiden, Frech, 2012
HWANG Cheong-Ah, Creative Paper Cutting, Guild of Master Craftsman Publications Ltd, 2013
JACKSON Paul, Folding Techniques for Designers, Laurence King Publishing, 2011
KLANTEN Robert, Papercraft: Design and Art with Paper, Die Gestalten Verlag, 2009
MATHON Maurice, Architecture en pop-up, Dessain et Tolra, 2012
MATHON Maurice, Paysage en pop-up, Dessain et Tolra, 2012
MELINDA Florian, PAPP WILLIAM James, Rolled, Scrolled, Crimped, and Folded: The Lost Art of Filigree Paperwork, Florian Papp, 1988
SHAOQIANG Wang, Paper works, Gingko Press Gmbh, 2011
SHUFONOTOMO, Creative Paper Cutting: Basic Techniques and Fresh Designs for Stencils, Mobiles, Cards, and More, Roost Books, 2010
SUNDQVIST Fideli, I love paper, Quarry Books, 2015
YOUNGS Clare, Book Art, Creative ideas to transform your books, Ryland Peters, 2012
ZHU LIQUN PAPER ARTS MUSEUM, Paper Quilling Chinese Style, Tuttle Publishing, 2014
- Online publications
Le papier sous toutes les découpes, http://etapes.com/le-papier-sous-toutes-les-decoupes (last access on 23/05/2015)
Why teaching yourself paper craft could earn you more money, http://www.creativebloq.com/creativity/learn-paper-craft-11514069 (last
access on 01/06/2015)
Vallée Duhamel: Eve Duhamel and Julien Vallée Interview, http://www.designjuices.co.uk/2013/11/vallee-duhamel-interview-with-eve-
duhamel-and-julien-vallee (last access on 02/06/2015)
Interview/Vallée Duhamel, http://wertn.com/2013/11/interview-vallee-duhamel (last access on 02/06/2015)
An interview: Vallée Duhamel design studio, http://www.socialyumyum.com/2015/02/interview-vallee-duhamel-design-studio (last
access on 02/06/2015)
Les aventures du petit train postal, des cartes postales qui s'animent, http://etapes.com/les-aventures-du-petit-train-postal-des-cartes-
postales-qui-s-animent (last access on 02/06/2015)
Interview: Liene Birka on digital papercraft project Dawn, http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/interactive-design/interview-liene-bir-
ka-on-digital-papercraft-project-dawn (last access on 02/06/2015)
Interview: Anna Trundle, http://www.gooddesignclub.com/2014/06/25/interview-anna-trundle (last access on 02/06/2015)
Pergunta! Mais alto e em papel, http://oclubedosamantesdopapel.com/feito-com-papel/pergunta-mais-alto-e-em-papel (last access
on 02/06/2015)
Interview Mademoiselle Maurice, http://www.cultures-urbaines.fr/mademoiselle-maurice (last access on 03/06/2015)
Noelia Lozano combina lo digital con lo artesanal, http://www.designboom.es/lectores/noelia-lozano-y-su-mezcla-entre-lo-digital-y-man-
ual-06-02-2015 (last access on 03/05/2015)
O que é Tactile Design?, http://chocoladesign.com/tactile-design (last access on 15/05/2015)
Chinese paper-cut, http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00219 (last access on 10/06/2015)
Headict x Tougui, http://www.headict.com/blog/my-headict-x-tougui-n388 (last access on 10/06/2015)
137
What is graphic design?, http://www.aiga.org/what-is-design (last access on 11/06/2015)
Nook Names presents Design & Animation Cris Wiegandt, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXr1LFj3gdQ (last access on 15/06/2015)
The Kindest Cut of All: Owen Gildersleeve’s, http://www.neenahpaperblog.com/2014/06/owen-gilder-sleeve-paper-cuts (last access
on 05/08/2015)
Interview with Paper Artist Fideli Sundqvist, http://strictlypaper.com/blog/2012/02/interview-with-paper-artist-fideli-sundqvist (last
access 05/08/2015)
Helen Friel Interview - Paper Engineer, http://the-operators.tumblr.com/post/29482439752/helen-friel-interview-paper-engineer (last
access 05/08/2015)
Bringing The Life Cycle Of Water To Life – In Paper, http://sfcb.org/blog/2013/02/23/brining-the-life-cycle-of-water-to-life-in-paper (last
access 06/08/2015)
How to create an intricate pop-up menu, http://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/create-pop-up-menu-41514796 (last access 06/08/2015)
A Noel le livre s'anime, http://evene.lefigaro.fr/livres/actualite/salon-du-livre-jeunesse-a-la-decouverte-des-plus-beaux-pop-ups-1339220.
php (last access 06/08/2015)
The Origins of Horrorgami by Paper Dandy, https://vimeo.com/48139264 (last access 06/08/2015)
9 things you need to know about paper, http://www.modernlitho.com/2014/06/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-paper (last access
10/08/2015)
The paper making process, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4C3X26dxbM (last access 16/08/2015)
Paper Quilling Jewelry – Basic tools and materials, http://jewelgleam.com/paper-quilling-jewelry-basic-tools-and-materials (last access
10/08/2015)
- Interviews
Not another guide to Cologne, https://www.behance.net/gallery/20828081/Not-just-another-guide-to-Cologne (last access 21/05/2015)
Le paper art graphique de Maud Vantours, http://www.partfaliaz.com/fr/graphistes/le-paper-art-graphique-de-maud-vantours
Maud Vantours, http://www.emballezmoi.com/maud-vantours (last access 14/04/2015)
L’interview du mercredi : Anouck Boisrobert et Louis Rigaud, http://lamareauxmots.com/blog/les-invite-e-s-du-mercredi-anouck-boisrobert-
louis-rigaud-et-stephane-nicolet-concours (last access 21/03/2015)
- Future of paper design

Le papier connecté pourra-t'il sauver l'imprimé?, thttp://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/tech/20150618.OBS1101/le-papier-connecte-pour-
ra-t-il-sauver-l-imprime.html (last access on 20/06/2015)
Printed midi, http://www.novalia.co.uk/portfolio/printed-midi (last access on 14/04/2015)
Tyvek website, http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-nonwovens/protective-fabrics/brands/tyvek.html
Teslin website, http://www.teslin.com/en-US/Home.aspxz
138
139
− Appendices
- in addition of this report
1. One copy of the publication "Paper Design Manual: An introduction to paper design"
2. CD with:
- Digital version of this report
- Original interviews of designers in a PDF (if the interview was translated in English for the report):
- Mademoiselle Maurice (in french)
- Victoria Bee (in french)
- Tougui (in french)
- Videos of projects which were presented in this report, including:

- Boisrobert and Rigaud - Tip Tap mon imagier interactif
- Julianna Szabo - What's left behind
- Julie Stephen Chheng - Les aventures du petit train postal
- Julien Vallée (Gestaltens Interview with a Formidable GraphicMotionPapercraft Designer)
- Lobulo - A day at Lobulo Studio
- Lobulo - Lettering a todo volumen - Un curso de Lobulo Ilustrador-set designer en papercraft
- Lobulo - Making of for Sparkle Telecom Italia 2013
- Toyota Stories of Better, "1,000,000 km Courier"
- Toyota Story of Better - Brand Introduction Movie
140
- interview (for Fedrigoni Club PT)
Released on the 16th of June 2015 (http://oclubedosamantesdopapel.com/feito-com-papel/hand-made-e-eco-friendly-o-papel-inspira-jovens-talentos/).
Orginal interview in Portuguese.
Hand-made e Eco-friendly, o papel inspira jovens talentos
Hoje partilhamos um trabalho magnífico, que nos chegou de uma jovem designer que arranca uma bela carreira ao
lado da agência Ink Studio.
Alexandra Jordão, de mãe portuguesa e pai indonesio, não foi uma estudante convencional, e sempre deixou que a
sua formação e interesses a levassem por toda a parte, Bélgica, Canadá, Portugal, Alemanha.
Tivemos o prazer de a conhecer um pouco melhor e de lhe colocar algumas questões sobre a sua participação neste
projecto; “O sonho tornou-se realidade e foi uma grande experiencia!”, e quis partilhá-la com o Clube dos Amantes do
Papel:
Qual era o briefing desta peça em concreto?

Todos os anos a Ink deseja um Bom Ano Novo com um projecto de papel. Este ano foi mais especial para a Ink porque
renovaram a sua identidade e assumiram-se como um estúdio orientado para o tactile design e paper art. Outra im-
portante característica é serem um estudo eco-friendly. É possível sentir isso nos seus projectos e foi o que quisemos
apresentar nesta peça: um mundo onde a Natureza é cuidada e que continua a crescer em 2015.
Quantas pessoas participaram no projecto, qual foi a tua função e quanto tempo levou a terminar?
Eramos 8 pessoas neste projecto. Cada um de nos tinha a sua função, e por fim trabalhávamos todos juntos. Trabalhá-
vamos depois do expediente até ao dia seguinte! Foi bastante divertido, estávamos juntos a ouvir música enquanto
trabalhávamos, a experimentar coisas, a aprender técnicas e a dar asas a nossa imaginação. Depois fizemos a pho-
toshoot e passámos para a pós-produção. No total nao sei dizer quantas horas acumulamos, mas posso dizer que
requereu paciência, tempo, e paixão.
Porque escolhes o papel como material e expressão? Que qualidades procuras nele?
Decidi trabalhar com papel porque e um material simples mas nobre. Existem imensos tipos de papel, cada um com
as suas características. É também ecológico e oferece imensas possibilidades, desde escultura ate brinquedos de
papel, ou até mesmo num simples postal. Nao me agrada muito trabalhar horas à frente de um ecrã, e com papel
podemos criar algo a partir de nada com as nossas mãos. Algo que podemos tocar e ter depois. Acaba por ser um
mix de trabalho e diversão.
A Alexandra está neste momento no seu ultimo ano de mestrado a escrever um estudo sobre o design do papel na
Alemanha antes de voltar para o Porto.
Com o seu entusiasmo inato, finaliza a nossa entrevista com ainda mais energia: “ Eu tenho um monte de idéias para
novos projetos de papel e estou ansiosa para começar!”. E nós para vê-los.
Good luck Alexandra, temos a certeza que vamos ouvir muitas coisas sobre ti no futuro.
141

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Discovering

1. Chapter I: Practical research 9

2. Chapter II: Theoretical reflection 51

3. Chapter III: Paper Design Manual 123

Conclusion and future research 134

«Paper Lemonade», 2014

«Far West» toy collection, 2013

− The agency − The location

− The experience and learnings

Duration of the internship: 6 months

My work wasn't ending there though. I was also creating

− Learning about papertoys

into the different steps and they became an untold convention.

The final result is a A4 sheet with simple shapes

Bel Epok studio

− The agency − The location

− The team × Brand development

− The experience and learnings

Duration of the internship: 1 month

Unlike my previous internship at Hartiatoys, the one at Bel

− Achieved projects (paper design unrelated)

Swarvoski guideline folder

× Kurz (Jewelry and watches)

Kurz paper model

Kurz Christmas front-design in Zurich.

Kurz photoshoot and retouching

× Montblanc (Luxury products)

× Jake*s (Clothing line)

PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S

BEL EPOK LOGO

PEEK & CLOPPENBURG c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n c o l l e c t i o n

2 BEL EPOK 2014

3 BEL EPOK 2014

7 BEL EPOK 2014

PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S

PEEK & CLOPPENBURG CI-ENTWICKLUNG JAKE*S

5 BEL EPOK 2014

6 BEL EPOK 2014

− The agency − The location

− The experience and learnings

Duration of the internship: 3 months

has been drawn by the illustrator of the team, Thibault and

× First project : The annual paper design project

The project took us the whole night, we left the studio at

material. The next week, we prepared the shooting, we

Later, we posted the project on Behance and all other

Sketching page from the development of the "2015" project

× Second project : Alexander McQueen

In conclusion, Ink Studio teach me a lot of things about

The graphic designers which are working at Ink Studio

− Achieved projects (paper design unrelated)

× Service Citoyen (Citizen service project)

La forme, volontairement minimaliste, représente un

Le symbole existe en 2 versions : Pleine et explosée.

× Altissia (E-learning company)

× Ferme du hameau du Roy (Bakery)

LES PAINS LES SPÉCIALITÉS GÂTEAUX ET PIÈCES MONTÉES

FEU DE BOIS LA FINE PÂTISSERIE

«Christmas Marquet», 2012