Cee Cee Creative

What is your story? I started to do graphic design as an amateur for pleasure. I have never attended an university or a graphic design school. My first inspirations came from graffiti. I finally got an initial experience during an internship in a creative studio. It allowed me to discover graphic design and since then I started to develop my skills. Thereafter, I worked in several other studios. Three years ago, I started to work as a freelance. In the beginning, I was by myself, then a friend came to work with me, then two and finally the first intern came. It grew kind of naturally. Our projects usually focus on the cultural and artistic field. It was not particularly a choice. Somehow I came into this field, a lot of my friends are something to do with it. I'm really interested in this field. Corporate identities for a car company or lawyers are not so my thing. Obviously, I can answer to every kind of demands, but I think it helps to truly master a subject.

Do you think that everybody could be a graphic designer? I think it is good for the field of graphic design that so many people express their creativity in the world. However, as a professional, I think we must be really passionate about it. Without passion you can't succeed in this field. I'm not interested to know if someone has a collection of diplomas, I don't think you can really learn creativity. For me, graphic designers must be aware of the different print technics, the different existing papers, global design and printing process operation… Same for websites, a graphic designer keeps abreast of new opportunities in programming. No need to be printer or programmer. I think you just need to understand it. The creativity into the print and digital field is more important for me than the pure making of it.

Do you think the locality issue is still relevant in graphic design? I see two sides. I agree that the young current graphic design tends to look similar in the whole world, but particularly for a certain type of graphic design born on the Internet. We observe a common style among graphic designers between twenty and thirty years old, who actually find same references online. But when you think of more experienced studios who work all over the world, finding inspiration from their country and their city, I think you still see some local styles. South american design seems more colorful, the german one is somehow more straight. If without doubt, we see less and less differences, it is not limited to the field of graphic design. That's the same for fashion or even gastronomy: we can eat whatever we want everywhere. Our actual communication system makes everything possible. On the other hand, we can work for clients in Tokyo from Berlin. I think it's possible but I think it's not the best way. It's also the fun part of graphic design to meet clients, talk to them, find solutions together and not only doing the job and then bye bye.

Today, do you consider yourself as a graphic designer? Yes. I notice that I did a lot of projects but today I want to focus on pure graphic design. If you do too much, people sometimes don't understand. If you focus on the essential then you know where you have to go. It is by focusing on the essential that we know where to go then. Interview conducted in February 2015 ©ktlg