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In 2017, the Belgian section of the Fourth International wanted a makeover. The French-speaking group had been known as the LCR (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire), while the Flemish-speaking group was called SAP (Socialistische Arbeiderspartij). I had helped them with a previous makeover, a few years back, but that one didn’t involve a name change. This one did, along with a generational shift. Now they’re called Gauche anticapitaliste (yes, that lower-case “a” is on purpose) and SAP Antikapitalisten. The challenge was to give the organization as a whole a cohesive graphic identity, even though the French and Flemish-speaking groups have rather different internal identities corresponding with the Belgian linguistic and cultural divide..
The organization operates democratically, and decision-making is collective. Four symbols were chosen to represent various areas of struggle, then a color palette and typographic standards were established. It’s so much fun having other colors to play with now besides red!
For me, the most fun part of this project has been applying the new graphic identity to the various bits and pieces the organization uses publicly: flags, banners, the website, and graphics for various events. I especially enjoyed redesigning the organization’s French-language quarterly magazine La Gauche and the new in-depth companion edition Les cahiers de l’anticapitalisme as well as contributing illustrations to both magazines. It’s a refreshing change from the ol’ “fists in the air” aesthetic of years past.
I like the flags, too (photo by François Dvorak).
