After he arrived in Paris in 1883, Auriol was introduced to typography and book design by Eugène Grasset and became particularly interested in the revival of historical type styles. He created his signature typeface Auriol inspired by the Art Nouveau movement for the Deberny & Peignot foundry, which was used in the work of Francis Thibaudeau and other publishers of the period. Auriol was a member of French bohemian culture, a denizen of the Chat Noir ("Black Cat Café") and long a friend of Erik Satie.

Auriol illustrated playbills for André Antoine's Théâtre Libre and for the Théâtre du Chat Noir ("Black Cat Theater") in the Montmartre district of Paris, one of which became a popular poster.