I started working on the adaptation in March 2015 and completed it a year later. However, I didn’t spend all my time on it, as I was also working on other projects. I estimate that it took me about six months of full-time work, roughly 1,000 hours in total.

After my studies, I developed a unique visual language using geometric shapes to represent characters in dialogue with one another. I wanted to explore what stories could be told using this system of shapes in conversation. Before venturing into a personal narrative, I chose to adapt a well-known story—Star Wars—because it’s part of our modern mythology, a common tale that everyone recognizes. I was also curious to see if my visual language could adapt to a story that wasn’t originally designed to work with this system. The advantage of working with Star Wars is that it’s extensively documented, giving me a rich foundation to test and refine this visual approach

I primarily used Adobe Illustrator CC, a vector drawing program that offers great flexibility for this type of design, based on pictograms. I work on a Mac and use a screenless Wacom tablet.

The total size was initially 1024 x 465,152 px, equivalent to 27 x 12,307 cm or 10.6 x 4,845.3 inches. The image was divided into 157 sub-images, and when put together, the full original image reached this size. In 2024, I updated the files to a higher resolution, and now the total size is 2160 x 981,180 px, with a total of 2,119,348,800 pixels, measuring 57.15 x 25,960.39 cm or 22.5 x 10,220.63 inches.

Of course, this is the maximum size—it ultimately depends on the screen on which it’s viewed.

SWANH is an acronym for Star Wars, A New Hope, which is the full title of the first film in the saga.

No. I considered at one point creating an adaptation of the sequel films, but it’s an extremely demanding project, and I currently don’t have the time to dedicate to it.

This website is completely free and ad-free, as long as I am able to maintain the servers. I don’t intend to sell anything on this site or offer any related products. If you’d like to learn more about my work and see what I have available, I invite you to visit my website: martinpanchaud.ch.

You can send me an email at [email protected]

At first, when I finished, I announced it on a few Star Wars fan sites, which brought in a few hundred views. Then, for several months, there wasn’t much activity. But one day, little by little, more visitors started coming until Mark Hamill mentioned the site on his social media. From that moment on, I had hundreds of thousands of visitors per day. It didn’t last very long, but it allowed a huge number of people to see the site, and the response was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. I was extremely happy and, at the same time, overwhelmed by the attention this work received. Today, the situation has stabilized, and I’m glad to present the site in its final version.

Honestly, I had no idea it would take so much time or end up this large. Initially, I did some calculations and envisioned an 8-meter (26.2-inch) long image, which already seemed substantial to me. As I progressed, I kept adding new images, and eventually, I thought it would be around 64 meters (209.9 inches), which I considered huge. By the time I reached the middle of the story, with so much work already done, I couldn’t turn back—I had to finish the project. In the end, it reached a size of 27 cm by 123 meters (10.6 inches by 403.5 inches).

This visual language fascinates me, and I want to take it even further—through books, video games, and exhibitions. The best way to stay updated on my next adventures is to subscribe to my newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!