Clem Rousset

Hello I'm Clem. I'm a French designer with a strong interest in print and a mild obsession with grey things. I am currently working and living somewhere in between London, Lyon and Lausanne.

My work involves graphic design, writing and publishing. Most of it deals with grey — which happens to be my favourite colour — but is also a theme I use as a metaphor to approach topics such as neutrality, non-binarity and liminality.

While being a designer, I'm also an amateur baker, a cat person and a game master.

Recipient of The Augustus Martin Prize

Let’s talk about grey.

I write about, think about and look for grey things because they are small gateways out of the binary and out of labels. Grey things are little prisms that can project non-binary fragments if you shine a light at them. They can become an invitation to whoever is interested to take a look at labels and categories, at how they are made, at what is crammed into them and at what falls through the cracks in between. Inviting is important. Because it is not about being right. It is about generosity. It also implies that the invitation can be turned down.

I like grey things, and most greys, but I do have a favourite grey; the grey of my favourite shirt. 

Shopping for a shirt won’t make you feel better. It’s probably true. And I don’t really care.

I wasn’t planning on buying that shirt. I was out on a Saturday to buy a shirt, but a white one. Actually, I was out to buy anything. I walked into a shop and found where the white shirts were pretty fast. But next to them was a pile of very grey shirts. 

I bought it, my shirt, and I put it in my bag. Then I stepped out of the shop and into a glossy puddle.