OUR PARTNERSHIPS

Drawing and colouring are known to be a source of joy and calm. That’s why Caran d'Ache supports Paint a Smile, a foundation whose objective is to brighten up healthcare and hospital environments with murals.

Each year, Caran d'Ache provides the paints that the foundation's artists need to make their décor ideas a reality and make a real difference to patient care, with input from medical staff.

When drawing is involved, Caran d'Ache can't help but support the cause, and in this case the cause is respect for other cultures and human rights. The company supports the foundation Cartooning for Peace whose mission is to promote freedom of expression through drawing.

It is the perfect way for the Geneva-based company to unite its work and its social responsibilities.

Writing and drawing are first and foremost about creating a connection. Working in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Caran d'Ache is therefore launching a limited-edition pen to give cause for hope, with the profits going to support the family reunification work that the Geneva-based institution does on the ground in Syria. This represents the very first opportunity for Caran d'Ache and the ICRC to put their shared humanitarian values into action.

Art schools are breeding grounds for innovation and talent to flourish. It was therefore a natural step for Caran d'Ache to form a partnership with HEAD. The result has been collaborations including shop-window projects and the creation of a prize that has been awarded annually since 2010 to young graduate artists for works of exceptional pictorial expression.

Promoting young talent has always been very important for Caran d'Ache. It is a commitment that is expressed in the Caran d'Ache x ESBDI partnership, which was launched in 2017 to celebrate creativity and drawing technique. An annual prize is also awarded to one of the institution's students in recognition of their outstanding work.

Museums are wonderful places that let imagination take flight by bringing art to the public. That’s why Caran d'Ache puts on creative workshops, guided tours and events to encourage the public to explore their imagination. The company has been supporting the work of the Fondation de l'Hermitage museum since 2011, encouraging visitors to extend their visits with creative experiences inspired by the techniques or subjects developed by the painters exhibited at the museum.

How do you transform a boring pedestrian underpass into an immersive work of art? With colour! That was the solution proposed by Giordano Favi, a teacher at EPFL, for one of the main underground access routes to the famous Lausanne campus. Using the location’s geometry and starting from its centre, the mathematician devised a rainbow made of 24 colours that feature quotes, formulas and symbols in perfect harmony.

He succeeded in transforming a grey place into somewhere that is full of life, whilst also demonstrating that art owes much to science and that reason owes much to the imagination. The project was made possible thanks to the support of Caran d'Ache.