Official Identification and Authentication System of France
FranceConnect
FranceConnect is the French Government's identification and authentication system that allows French citizens to simplify and unify access to French public administration services. This project is led by DINUM (Interministerial Digital Directorate) in line with the French government's strategic focus on digital sovereignty.
An identity that fosters trust
When public administrations grant citizens access to their online services, logging into a multitude of websites requires just as many usernames and passwords. As a modernization imperative, the creation of a simple, secure, and unified authentication method, similar to Facebook Connect and Google Connect, becomes essential.
To meet this challenge, the French Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM) launched the FranceConnect project in September 2014. Its long-term goal is to provide access to over 1,400 online services through a single, sovereign authentication solution. FranceConnect allows you to log in using an account and password you already have with one of its partner identity providers, while ensuring the security of your personal data.
The visual identity of FranceConnect, which acts as a trusted third party for the State, must embody French digital sovereignty and serve as a guarantee of trust for citizens. By incorporating symbols of the Republic's identity, such as Marianne, in a modern graphic interpretation, the logo functions as an institutional emblem: it validates the digital environment and reassures the user at the critical moment of connection. It is a design that serves the principle of sovereign reliability.
A Sovereign Typography
To embody the voice of the digital state, the typographic choice had to break free from the hegemony of American sans-serif typefaces and transcend mere function to touch upon cultural identity. We selected Allumi, designed by the French typographer Jean-François Porchez (Typofonderie, 2011). This choice is part of a prestigious historical lineage, echoing the Romain du Roi commissioned by Louis XIV, which already signaled the state's desire to possess its own distinct and sovereign script. Allumi perpetuates this "cultural exception": it combines the clarity necessary for digital interfaces with a humanity and elegance characteristic of French tradition. By adopting this typeface, the FranceConnect identity is not merely legible; it becomes meaningful. It asserts a visual singularity that anchors the service in our shared history.
Clarity and Resilience
To reassure the users who access a service via FranceConnect, NoDesign assisted the DINUM teams in designing a clear and transparent user journey. Each step explicitly outlines the available options and the information shared. The goal: to transform a potentially anxiety-inducing moment into a clear, seamless, and reassuring experience, while never losing sight of security and privacy requirements.
To guarantee the continuity of the digital state's identity, NoDesign built a resilient Design System, conceived to preserve the integrity of the FranceConnect brand in the face of the fragmentation of digital practices. This system relies on the profound consistency of all its elements: from the authentication buttons integrated into third-party websites to institutional banners and social media variations, each component adheres to strict rules of clarity and unity. This harmonization ensures that the voice of the state remains clear, legible, and unalterable, regardless of the technical context or medium. By multiplying the identity without ever diluting it, this system offers the institution a coherent and controlled visual presence, transforming graphic repetition into a strength of recognition and legitimacy.
