Guided by Tiles

Guided by Tiles is a tile design consisting of a set of 24 tile shapes used to form both arrows and words (signage) and drawings (art integration). The tile design was created for the renovation of the Le Vilar theatre in Louvain-la-Neuve. The signage transcends the purely functional and prioritises active engagement with the space.

The jury on Guided by Tiles:

In a fast-paced world where design is often cheap, Guided by Tiles stands out because of its tactility and choice of the centuries-old crafts of mosaics and ceramics. This looks fresh and innovative, fits into minimalist architecture and conveys a message. The human input in creating the tile is valuable and poetic. The project was not born out of the urge to innovate; instead, it fully commits to quality, a quality we often regard as lost.

How did the idea for this project come about?

As a graphic designer, you are often at the tail end of the production chain, but since Dear Reader, and Ouest Architecture physically shared the same space, I (Eva Moulaert, ed.), as a graphic designer was involved in the architects’ design process early on. This encouraged me to create a signage design intertwined with the architectural concept. Hence, the idea of designing a tile that could be used for the theatre’s signage. Since part of the construction budget was to be spent on art integration, I was able to invite artist Robin Vermeersch to help develop the tile idea. We designed a set of 24 tiles that can be used both to form arrows and words as signage and to create drawings as part of the art integration.

What makes your project so special?

In construction projects in the semi-public space, both signage and art integration are usually considered only at the final stage of the design process. Consequently, they often form an isolated layer that is literally and figuratively disconnected from the architectural concept and adds little to it. How can we dissolve the boundaries between the functional and the artistic and merge the two? How can we develop signage that transcends the purely functional and prioritises active engagement with the space? With this project, we want to initiate a process of reflection on shifts in customary collaborations within a design process and how such shifts can influence the final result.

Do you have any further plans for this project?

Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to share a wish: Dear Reader, would love to be asked to design a tile for an underground station. In fact, a few more female designers or female artists could be added to that list. Perhaps my dream can come true thanks to this award?