Raoul Vaneigem et La Cité du Roc (by José Bastin)
This book by José Bastin recounts Raoul Vaneigem's formative years in Lessines, in the working-class Saint-Roch neighbourhood where he was born in 1934. Before the Internationale Situationniste (Situationist International), before the Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations (Treatise on Living for the Use of the Young Generations) — this formative period, within a labouring population, shaped his thinking.
For the design of this book, I adopted a raw visual approach, stripped of embellishment, echoing Vaneigem's ideas and the working-class world that shaped his childhood. Bold, rigid, high-contrast typography emphasises key moments in the narrative. The palette centres on an evocative red, combined with whites, subtle greys, pinks and tinted near-blacks — a controlled visual tension that resonates with Vaneigem's radical critique without ever illustrating it literally.
Generous white space structures the layout, allowing the text to breathe while highlighting archival photographs. These images, carefully treated, function as narrative elements in their own right — fragmenting and pacing the account as much as documenting it.
The book, in pocket format, aligns with Vaneigem's critical stance on consumerism: no ostentatious luxury, but a carefully crafted object where every detail serves the content.
Client
Vaneigem's early years in Lessines
Hedonist, libertarian, erudite medievalist and specialist in heresies — Raoul Vaneigem has published over forty works, denouncing the constraints that stifle creativity, pleasure and gratuity.
This book by José Bastin recounts Raoul Vaneigem's formative years in Lessines, in the working-class Saint-Roch neighbourhood where he was born in 1934. Before the Internationale Situationniste (Situationist International), before the Traité de savoir-vivre à l'usage des jeunes générations (Treatise on Living for the Use of the Young Generations) — this formative period, within a labouring population, shaped his thinking.
For the design of this book, I adopted a raw visual approach, stripped of embellishment, echoing Vaneigem's ideas and the working-class world that shaped his childhood. Bold, rigid, high-contrast typography emphasises key moments in the narrative. The palette centres on an evocative red, combined with whites, subtle greys, pinks and tinted near-blacks — a controlled visual tension that resonates with Vaneigem's radical critique without ever illustrating it literally.
Generous white space structures the layout, allowing the text to breathe while highlighting archival photographs. These images, carefully treated, function as narrative elements in their own right — fragmenting and pacing the account as much as documenting it.
The book, in pocket format, aligns with Vaneigem's critical stance on consumerism: no ostentatious luxury, but a carefully crafted object where every detail serves the content.
