Scripto-visual elements are present in the public space in the city. Three poles can be said to exert tensions within this space : the commercial, institutional, and alternative poles. The goal of this study is to observe these tensions through the text-images forms of downtown Besançon. The commercial public space is satured with commercial visual elements and some graphic designers see advertising as a means to make everyday life more pleasant. Other artists propose to free the public space form advertising by proposing visual breaks. Finally, the public space is the memorial of humanity through the alterntaives text-images forms.