Graphic charter of government communication in France

It was adopted in 1999 by the government of Lionel Jospin and revolves around a logo associating Marianne, the tricolour flag and the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité (transl.

[7] The graphic charter was finally introduced by circular no 4.694 / SG signed by the Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, on 24 September 1999.

[8][4] The circular no 5459 / SG signed by the Prime Minister Francois Fillon, on 8 April 2010, changed the graphic charter for decentralised services.

[9] The circular no 6144 / SG signed by the Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, on 17 February 2020, simplified the graphic charter and made it more suitable for reading on a smartphone.

The design incorporates key elements from its predecessor, including the depiction of Marianne within a French flag and the inclusion of the Republic’s motto.

A new typography, named “Marianne”, was created, and the motto “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” was hand-redrawn in italics and positioned beneath the official title.

[11][16] The logo comprises the following elements: Within this brand block, only the official name of the issuer is subject to change, while the typography remains consistent.

In addition to Marianne, the Spectral font (created by the Parisian company Production Type for Google in 2017)[19] is authorized for quotes, translations etc.

[21] According to the Prime Minister's services, the implementation of the new charter should not generate additional costs, the organizations concerned being supposed to dispose of their old stocks of letterhead.

The graphic charter applies to ministerial cabinets and central administrations as well as to decentralized services in departments and regions, prefectures and embassies.

[25] Frédéric Lambert noted its inspiration from Eugène Delacroix’s “La Liberté guidant le peuple”, a work from the revolution of 1830.

The Flags of the World website suggests that the logo blends the two aspects of Marianne described by Agulhon and elaborated by Michel Pastoureau in Les Emblèmes de la France - being both wise and bourgeois, and rebellious and popular.

Black Thursday Collective) and Macaq (abbreviation of Mouvement d’Animation Culturelle et Artistique de Quartier (transl.