Sophie Alouf-Bertot

Sophie Alouf-Bertot (born 1945) is a Belgian graphic designer, painter, and teacher living and working in Brussels.

Education Sophie Alouf first studied at the Institut Sainte Marie in Brussels. After that, she joined the graphic arts department of the National Superior School for Architecture and Visual Arts La Cambre (ENSAAV), where she received training in the Luc Van Malderen workshop, who was the head of the department at the time. Typography was taught by Fernand Baudin. She has mentioned that it is easy to settle into the world of graphic design because her mother was one of the first students at La Cambre in that field and also taught graphic communication there. Her specialty was everything that concerned the third dimension—shop window design, etc. Sophie Alouf-Bertot obtained her diploma in 1969.

Design practice After graduating from La Cambre, Sophie Alouf-Bertot started working at Elizabeth Arden, where her responsibilities included designing shop windows in the Benelux countries. Despite financial security in the company, after about a year and a half, she decided to leave Elizabeth Arden's and set up her design studio together with her husband, Sami Alouf,

One of their first clients was Woluwe and Westland Shopping Centers, which commissioned them to create a graphic identity as well as posters for thematic exhibitions that were organized every two to three months. This resulted in the design of about 200 posters of a luxurious finish, as they used a screen printing technique to produce them. These posters were produced in small runs, which made this printing method possible.

Sophie Alouf-Bertot and Sami Alouf have designed orientation systems for several institutions. Their conviction was that orientation systems must not only be clear and easy to read but also attractive; therefore, one should not limit the color scheme to the conventional black and white. However, color, in their opinion, must be used primarily to emphasize visual information, not exaggerated creativeness for its own sake. They believe that the task of a graphic designer is to take into account individual characteristics of every project and building, rather than use stereotyped signage.

In the shopping center in Nivelles, they created orientation system that served simultaneously as a trademark, using the basic elements "N" and an arrow. Two illuminated panels made out of those arrows, placed at the main entrance, made it distinct from the entrance doors for the staff. The same arrow-shaped panels guided customers from the parking area towards the main entrance, above which sat an illuminated shop sign of 26 feet. Inside the building, a number of arrows arranged one above another created an impression of a street crossing.

In an interview with Sara De Bondt for the exhibition at the Design Museum Ghent in 2019, Sophie Alouf-Bertot describes her working method. She uses a cutting and pasting technique for designing her posters. Clippings glued on see-through cellophane sheets allow her to experiment with color, shapes, and composition until the desired result is made. After the poster image is done, she would add placeholder text to design the layout, approaching it as a total image, not a separate text and picture. She also uses painting, which gives her even more freedom.