In solidarity with Paris

American Graphics Institute has a long history of doing work for clients in Paris. It is the city that our staff love to visit because of the creative nature of the city. It goes beyond the many museums and architecture and extends to the people and the fabric of their society. They embrace art, design and free expression. If you are a designer working in any field, the opportunity to live and work in Paris is often a dream come true. The art, design, and free-spirited nature that creative love is at home in Paris. It is this very freedom of expression that came under attack in Paris last night in the most gruesome form.

The attacks on Charlie Hebdo earlier this year in Paris were against artists, these most recent attacks were against all forms of free expression. Rights that are taken for granted here in the United States and in France were attacked. The right to visit the museum of your choosing, to enjoy a dinner out, and to see a concert of the band you prefer were all violently attacked last night in Paris. Artists and creative weren’t the only ones attacked, it was those enjoying their work. While world leaders must join to defend these freedoms, artists and creative professionals cannot be deterred in their work, and the public should not be deterred from enjoying it.

We will continue to work in Paris, and as we do we will remember those who were senselessly taken from their friends and family last night. Those such as Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23 year old student who was studying abroad in Paris at the Strate College of Design. While we pause to remember those affected, we carry on to show that we cannot and will not be stopped by fear. Art and design are all about freedom, and these things can’t be taken from us by force or fear.

En solidarité avec Paris