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Firm Project - Studio Overall
By : Studio Overall
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN 19th edition
Distinctions
Discipline : Firms & Studios
Categories : Emerging Practice / : Gold certification
Founded in 2022 through the merger of Design par Judith Portier (Judith Portier, Myriam Peixeiro) and Visou design (Frédéric St-Laurent), Studio Overall is reshaping Quebec’s creative and tourism landscape. Our story is rooted in the intersection of a practice forged in the effervescence of major festivals (the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Igloofest) and the narrative rigor of exhibition design developed within national museums (the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian War Museum). This synergy has allowed us to develop a unique approach centered on the visitor journey at all scales within the public space.
Today, Studio Overall is positioned as an expert in the visitor journey. Powered by the MT Lab incubator, our approach is applied to iconic sites (the Port of Montreal, Olympic Park, Montreal Botanical Garden) and complex territories (Manic-5, Mont-Orford). We design signage, interpretation, and scenography tools that highlight the history of these sites and promote user ownership. Enriched by tools co-created with the Bureau du design, our approach focuses on informational clarity and identity-driven design to redefine the user experience.
Led by three partners—including two women, one under the age of 35—the studio brings an inclusive perspective to project management and innovation. From the initial sketches, we integrate local materials (granite, certified wood), transport reduction, and modular systems. Certified ÉCOLeader by EcoCert Canada, we create robust objects adapted to extreme climates that respect universal accessibility. The multi-award-winning Nanouk project embodies this vision, focusing on reuse, durability, and smart handling to transform environments without leaving a footprint.
At the heart of our success lies cross-functional collaboration with a solid network of engineers, manufacturers, and local communities. Integrating the Innu-aimun language with the community of Pessamit at Manic-5 and our work with Hydro-Québec's experts illustrate this synergy, which is essential for delivering complex, turnkey projects where technical rigor meets uncompromised artistic sensibility. By merging inclusive design, industrial rigor, and narrative sensitivity, we provide site managers—whether urban, heritage, or natural—with high-performance tools to welcome, orient, and inspire wonder.
Studio Overall actively participates in the evolution of the discipline through conferences, juries, and publications, bringing a fresh, playful, technical, and poetic perspective to public design. Our impact extends beyond borders, as demonstrated at the UN Headquarters in New York (A Nomad Heart exhibition) and in Helsinki, a UNESCO City of Design. We believe that our expertise in cognitive ergonomics makes us an indispensable partner for the future of tourism and urban planning—an engaged next generation transforming spaces into memorable destinations.
Collaboration
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