IFAS 30 Year Publication

Client: French Institute of South Afric

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Period: 2025

Development & multilateral

Not-for-profit & civil society

Education & knowledge

01 The sneak-peek

Thirty years, bound in one book

To mark three decades of French–South African artistic exchange, BBA Liminal designed IFAS's commemorative coffee-table publication — thirty projects for thirty years, forewords from the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of France, and a map of a reach that spans South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi.

02 The liminal moment

The French Institute of South Africa came to BBA Liminal at a threshold worth marking: its thirtieth anniversary. Since 1995, IFAS has championed cultural cooperation between France and Southern Africa, supporting artists, researchers and creative entrepreneurs across South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi. Thirty years is a moment to look back and forward at once — to honour what has been built and set the tone for what comes next.

The brief was a visually-led, coffee-table publication: thirty key projects, forewords from the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Ambassador of France, sponsor acknowledgement, and a map of IFAS's regional reach. It had to carry IFAS's 30th-anniversary visual identity while staying readable and celebrating the vibrancy of the work. The deeper task was telling the story of an institution whose role is to enable others — keeping IFAS present on every page without letting it crowd out the artists it serves.

03 The transformation

We built a visual language that connects continents. Drawing on IFAS's 30th-anniversary identity, we turned the 'confetti' motif into a design element that cascades through the pages without overwhelming them. The Roman numeral XXX became a quiet watermark — present but never dominant, much as IFAS works behind the artists it supports.

We told the story strategically. Working with the IFAS team, we chose projects that show more than geographical reach — the relationships and entities IFAS has formed over thirty years, and the breadth of work it has enabled. The book measures an institution by what it made possible.

We brought the book into the world in the right room. Ambassador David Martinon launched it at Dibukafé in Braamfontein on 14 October 2025, with a performance by the Windybrow Arts Centre and the opening of the 'Cultural Crossings' photographic exhibition — artists and Friends of IFAS together.

04 The craft

Design meets diplomacy

Thirty projects for thirty years, with cultural intelligence on every page: the confetti motif cascading through the spreads, the XXX watermark present but quiet, the work of artists kept firmly in the foreground.