Who is Mr CUP ?

How did you get started in design and graphics?

School was not my cup of tea, and I always felt stupid learning things I didn’t care about. At the end of my schooling, there was a forum presenting working life to young people. I discovered this amazing school where you were taught how to design magazines and CD sleeves. That’s a job for me I thought? I sigh up, and loved every moment. Since then I have never stopped developing what I was taught back in those days. It wasn’t that long ago but the era of communication has since then developed so dramatically, at that time internet was hardly known, not mentioning Photoshop!

What inspires you? Who do you look to for visual inspiration?

I am that kind of designer who needs to see thousands and thousands of images before going into the creative phase. Most of the time I do mood-boards which I love, then I feature the project, and when I am not on the computer – driving, walking in the street – images and concepts come to my mind. I don’t really know how, but it happens. Sincerely, it also happens when I fall asleep: not when I sleep, when I fall asleep. This curious moment where you are not awake but not gone enough to not remember...

Also, I remember reading a Michael Stipe interview (REM lead singer). He said that when he started to record a new album he needed to listen to the old one to be sure he can do it again. I feel the same, I need to have an updated portfolio to check what I have done to make me feel confident. The creative phase is always difficult and full of doubts; I hate this feeling.

The words Creation, Emotion and Inspiration occur repeatedly throughout your work. Why do you use these words?

Because they sum up the creative project as a circle. When you feel a positive emotion, by seeing an image for example, it inspires you. When you feel inspired you can create, and your creation can give an emotion to someone, who will be inspired and create again and again. Also, it is important to know you can be creative in everything, not only in design.

You can be creative with cooking, in giving a gift to someone when he doesn’t expect it, etc...

What are your favorite typefaces to use?

I have many. I get this question every 3 days. My definitive favorite is Disturbance, the one in my fb logo, and you can get it on FontShop.

Your work is very inky, very splattered. What is your typical process? How much of this is digital?

My wife is also a painter, and she is the best for inky things. When I have something in mind, I simply tell her and she does amazing stuff that I can scan and integrate in my work.

Many of your posters and wall stickers have design statements and design mottos. How do you come up with them?

I always like these short sentences that tell you simple things. Over the years I have remembered a lot of them, and, as I am a designer, of course, particularly ones related to design. I can’t come back to each one, especially as I have no idea where I read them first. Some have a nice story :
The best designers are the ones who find good clients : it is very important for me, because without good clients you can’t do good projects. I read this one in an interview with the French designer duet Antoine & Manuel.

Imagination is more important than knowledge : said by Albert Einstein. We all know he was a genius, but he always said that if he did not imagine the impossible, he could not prove it.

What was the motivation and inspiration behind Harmonie Intérieure?

In 2007, with my wife, Frédérique, we decided to start our online shop. We founded the company, the visuals and the products. And like my clients today, we needed an identity. “Harmonie Intérieure” was born. We put in the project everything we had in mind at that time, things that had never found their right place before. Over the years I have accumulated a big deal of resources: photos, textures, and old papers.