Fonds

Réal Séguin was born in Montreal in 1932. Influenced by his uncle, a lettering artist, he developed an interest in graphic arts at a young age.
From 1949 to 1951, he studied at the Montreal School of Graphic Arts, where he was mentored by painter Albert Dumouchel and graphic artist Roger Cabana. He became the latter's assistant at Montreal printing company Thérien et Frères in 1952, before joining forces with him and his brother Marcel Cabana in August 1959 to found the firm Cabana Séguin et Associés Inc., a name that was often shortened to Cabana, Séguin Inc. or simply Cabana Séguin.
In the 1960s, Réal Séguin became known for developing the agency's "total image management" philosophy, emphasizing branding and advertising consulting services. As vice-president and artistic director for many years, over the course of the decade he helped create brand names and visual identities for Provigo and its subsidiaries, executed projects for Hydro-Québec, and designed logos for the Canadian National Bank and the Provincial Bank of Canada. Several of these contracts were signed by Acco Inc., a Cabana Séguin subsidiary created in about 1965.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Séguin left his mark on many well-known brands in Quebec culture: the James Bay Development Corporation, the Desjardins movement, Culinar, Québon, Secur and Vidéotron. During this period, his company diversified its activities, focussing more on the areas of advertising and public relations. Séguin was involved in the Air Canada open house to introduce the airline’s first Boeing 747 and orchestrated the "On s’attache au Québec" ("We buckle up in Quebec") campaign for the Quebec Ministry of Transport. Acting as a brand consultant for the Montreal Olympic Organizing Committee in 1976, he took on the artistic direction of the event's programs and official report. He then became president of Cabana Séguin in about 1977. In 1979, Roger Cabana (1924-1990) left the agency to enter politics. From 1980 to 2003, the firm sometimes used the name Cabana, Séguin – Design Inc.
Very active over the years in various professional associations like the Société des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ), the Publicité-Club de Montréal and the National Council of Graphic Design Firms (NCGDF), Réal Séguin also played a key role in organizing the 14th Congress of ICOGRADA (International Council of Graphic Design Associations), an event held in Montreal in 1991.
In 1992, his associates Martine Gadbois and Sara McKenna established the Réal Séguin Scholarship in his honour; it is awarded annually to a graduate of UQAM's graphic design program. Réal Séguin has been recognized numerous times by the Publicité-Club, Grafika Awards and various international competitions. In 2000, the Quebec Institute of Graphic Communications (now called the Institute for Graphic Communications and Printability) awarded him the Prix Louis-Philippe Beaudoin for lifetime achievement. In 2002, Réal Séguin became chair of the board of Cabana, Séguin – Design and Martine Gadbois took over as president. In 2003, the agency officially adopted its current name—Cabana, Séguin Inc.

Réal Séguin died in Montreal in 2023.

Sources :
Cloutier, Sylvie et Marinelli, Carina. (s.d.). « Réal Séguin » in Société des designers graphiques du Québec - Membres.
Mélançon, Alain. (2009). « Penser l’éducation artistique et technique pour pratiquer le design graphique : Historique de la formation en design graphique au Québec avant 1970 ».