The logo of the conference is the phonetic representation, via the IPA alphabet, of the French word graphématique. The bars are phonetic representation delimiters.

The explicit reference to phonetics can be considered:

  1. as a pun based on the rivalry between phonology and graphemics,
  2. as a reminder of the fact that the sciences of phonetics and phonology (like any other science) would not exist without writing, and hence without graphemes,
  3. as an example of a typical case of graphemic variation: the letter <ʁ> of the International Phonetic Alphabet represents a phoneme related to /r/ and this relation is reified by the shape of <ʁ> which is an inverted capital (in small-caps size to avoid the semantics of the uppercase function): even readers unfamiliar with phonetics will recognize this letter as representing some kind of /r/ sound,
  4. a hint to “phonetization” of writing inherent in the practice of texting, an issue that will be discussed at the conference.

Furthermore,

  • the bars, just like tags in computer data, represent explicit modality of grapheme representation, and hence are a hint to one of the fundamental questions: what does a grapheme represent?
  • the font used is ITC Bodoni Six by Sumner Stone and his team, a font designed for the size of six points with imperfections similar to those of lead types. It is a reminder of the fact that typography―by being a first ad hoc standardization―has changed the way humans perceive graphemes.

The photograph has been taken by André Saunier from the seventh floor of Brest's City Hall, it depicts the symmetry of a town reconstructed after its complete destruction during WWII.