Vela is a three person design studio
Visual identity, websites and printed matter. Mostly for cultural institutions, manufacturers and brands that sell something you can hold.
- Based in
- Nantes, France
- Working since
- 2016
- Taking projects from
- March 2026
Selected work
Four projects, start to finish
Identity, website, printed matter, and the system that keeps them together. Each one has a case study: the problem, what we did, what changed.
What we do
Three things, done all the way
We do not subcontract the part that matters. The people who show you the work are the people who made it.
01
Identity
Logotype, type, colour, and the rules that let people who are not us keep it alive. Delivered as a manual and the source files, never as a slide deck.
- Logotype and marks
- Type and colour system
- Manual, 20 to 40 pages
02
Websites
Design and build, static by default. We write the front end ourselves, so the site that ships is the site we drew.
- Design and build
- Content model and editing
- Handover, plus a year of support
03
Printed matter
Books, catalogues, packaging and signage. We prepare the files, talk to the printer, and go on press when the run is worth it.
- Books and catalogues
- Packaging and labels
- Signage and wayfinding
How a project runs
Three steps, one direction
We present a single direction and defend it. Three directions is the client doing our job, and two of the three were never serious.
01
Two weeks of reading
Fixed fee, weeks 1 and 2
We read what you already have: the archive, the site, the complaints, the numbers. Then we write down what we think the problem is, before anyone draws anything.
02
One direction, argued
Week 3
One route, the reasoning behind it, and the two we set aside with the reason why. You approve it, or you send us back to the first step.
03
Built and handed over
Weeks 4 to 12
Files, code, printer, install. You leave with the sources, the fonts licensed in your name, and the right to change anything without asking us.
Recent clients
Six of them have a case study on this site.
RessacFondation MarinCycles BoréalFestival CadenceLaminaireAplombAteliers VasseMusée du SelÉditions du QuaiBrasserie Vent d'Ouest
Two slots open for spring
We take on eight to ten projects a year, two at a time. Tell us what you are making and when you need it. We answer within two working days, including when the answer is no.