Fonds
Born in Montreal in 1929, Gilles Robert showed
a very early interest in drawing. As a student at the School of Graphic Arts,
he discovered the importance of typography and graphic design thanks to his
teachers: typographer Arthur Gladu, painter Albert Dumouchel and graphic artist
Roger Cabana. He also met poet Roland Giguère, with whom he worked closely on
works combining poetry and typography.
After graduating, he worked freelance and
designed many posters for the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. He was also an
assistant artistic director at commercial printer Benallack Press, earning
several awards for the quality of his work. Following these experiences, he was
then named artistic director at La Presse, where he revamped the look of the
paper by bringing in a new graphic style guide. His work at La Presse also
earned him a number of typography awards from the Society of Typographic
Designers of Canada in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1962.
Recognizing the importance of training the next
generation of visual communicators, from 1953 to 1964 he returned to the School
of Graphic Arts (which had become the Institute of Graphic Arts) to teach
graphic design and its vital role in brand image, visual identification and
conveying a message.
From 1966 to 1987, he ran his own agency,
Gilles Robert et Associés. He designed superb posters and brochures, notably
for Canada Post, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Madeira
International Airport in Portugal, along with visual symbols for Place des
Arts, the Montreal Urban Community and its police department, the Commission
scolaire de Montréal, Complex Desjardins, the city of Laval public transit
system and the city of Terrebonne. From 1986 to 1988, he was president and
artistic director of public relations agency Image de Marque Conseil, and
artistic director of Relations Publiques Nationales, a communications firm
known today as National.
Very active in the graphic design milieu,
Gilles Robert was involved in several organizations and events, including the
Fondation du Musée des arts graphiques de Montréal, the 1991 International
Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA) conference held in Montreal,
the 1989 Graphisme Québec competition, the Design Canada awards in 1982 and
1983, and the Institute of Design Montréal competitions in 2004 and 2005. From
1980 to 1984, he was vice-president and then president of the Société des
graphistes du Québec (now known as the SDGQ). When the organization
Liaison-Design was formed, he sat on its board of directors and designed its
symbol and applications. Since then, this entity has merged with the Institute
of Design Montréal (IDM). His incredible talent, extensive professional
experience and involvement in the field earned him numerous awards, including
ones from the Fifth Annual Exhibition of Advertising and Editorial Art of the
Art Directors Club of Montreal in 1956, the Graphica Award in 1967, the Graphic
Designers of Canada award in 1968, the Design Canada communications award and
"25 years of excellence" award at Via Design in 1985. He was a member
of the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the Royal Canadian Academy of
Arts. In 2005, he was elected an honorary member of the Société des designers
graphiques du Québec. Gilles Robert died in Montreal in 2013.
Source: Cloutier, S. and Marinelli, C. (n.d.). "Gilles Robert"
in Société des designers graphiques du Québec - Membres.
Scope and Content
This fonds covers the career of Gilles Robert,
considered a pioneer of graphic arts in Quebec. It focusses on the period from
the early days of his career in the late 1950s, to the first decade of the
2000s. Very active during the 1960s and 1970s, Gilles Robert left his mark by
contributing to the aesthetic of the pivotal time of the Quiet Revolution.
Sketches and mock-ups of logos chronicle his work for various clients like
Place des Arts, whose logo, which he created in 1961, is still used today in a
slightly modified version, the Montreal Urban Community, Place Desjardins
(Complex Desjardins), the city of Terrebonne and the Quebec Milk Producers'
Federation.
The fonds contains sketches, mock-ups,
correspondence, notes, stationery, promotional documents, articles written by
Robert and annual reports. Thanks to pages that most likely came from his
portfolio and a collection of records featuring logos made for various clients,
the fonds has the distinction of incorporating a wide range of his creations.
In addition, the fonds includes documents promoting his agency, Gilles Robert
et Associés.
Several project files provide details on his
creative process. One such file, which is very comprehensive, documents the
creation of the visual identity for the Montreal Urban Community police
department (now the Montreal police department or SPVM).
There are also documents reflecting his later
activities at the Relations Publiques Nationales agency and as a legal expert,
and a file about his contributions to the book Symbols and Trademarks of Canada
with Gérard Bochud (1997). Several items, including a series of certificates of
merit, chronicle his relationships with and the recognition he received
throughout his career from the Quebec, Canadian and American design industries.
Along with textual archives are several
portraits of Gilles Robert and photographs illustrating various moments in his
life and career, his Montreal studio at 306 Place d'Youville, his colleagues
and employees, the honours he received, his interest in typography and examples
of some of his creations.
A set of posters, mock-ups and logos complement
the archival documents and photographs. These items depict Gilles Robert’s
creations, from his time working as a freelance designer to running his own
agency, Gilles Robert et Associés, founded in 1966. His early career is well
represented, notably by an impressive series of posters created from 1956 to
1962 for the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. Also dating from this period are three
posters designed for Montreal firm Trans-Canada Display and a proposed visual
identity for Hydro-Québec, created perhaps for the 20th anniversary of
this Crown corporation. A 1964 poster announcing a special automobile section
of La Presse recalls his association with the Montreal daily, where he had
worked several years earlier as artistic director. The poster's visual is the
same one used on the front cover of the special section published by the
newspaper on April 21, 1964.
Robert's later achievements notably include a
series of posters designed in the late 1970s for the Québec Ministry of
Education to promote the implementation of the International System of Units
(metric system). Logos and mock-ups chronicle the visual identities Gilles
Robert created for major clients like Place des Arts and the Montreal police
department (SPVM) (formerly the Montreal Urban Community police department).
The fonds is divided into the following series:
P811/A Personal Life
P811/B Gilles Robert & Associés
P811/C Graphic Arts Projects
P811/D Legal Expertise
P811/E Other Business Activities
P811/F Professional Activities
P811/G Publications
P811/H Awards and Honours
P811/I Posters
P811/J Photographs
Source of title proper: Title based on the
creator of the fonds.
Physical description: The fonds also contains
694 iconographic records, 3 sound documents, 1 moving image document and 1
object.
Given that the creator of the archives worked
as a graphic designer, it is impossible to separate iconographic documents from
textual records, notably in the project management files for the Gilles Robert
et Associés (P811/B) series and the Graphic Arts Projects (P811/C) series.
Therefore, it was decided to acknowledge this reality in the physical
description. In addition, some iconographic documents like photographs were
also counted as such in the physical description.
Physical condition: Overall, the documents are
well preserved.
Immediate source of acquisition: The fonds was
donated to the McCord Stewart Museum by Gilles Robert's son, Simon B. Robert in
2017. However, the elements that make up the fonds were compiled by the Société
des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ) and proposed to the Museum by Carina
Marinelli, a chartered graphic designer and SDGQ member, who is in charge of
the organization's honorary members and archives.
Arrangement: The fonds was not organized in any
specific order when it was acquired. The classification plan created was
therefore based on the creator's activities.
Language: The documents are in English and
French.
Accruals: No accruals are expected.
Related groups of records: The McCord Stewart
Museum preserves collections of documents associated with the history of
graphic design in Quebec and how it relates to Montreal's economic and
institutional history. In addition to the fonds of Réal Séguin (P791), Rolf
Harder (P810), Roger Lafortune (P797) and Georges Huel (P790), all of whom are
honorary members of the Société des designers graphiques du Québec (SDGQ), the
Museum holds the John and John Henry Walker Fonds (P729).
Last update: 24th of February 2023
Information about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.Information about rights and reproductions is available here.
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.