Cercle Studio

What is the story of your studio ? MS: Marlène, Maxime and I met all three during our graphic design studies in Chaumont, then we created together in 2011 an independent magazine, called Cercle. I was already in Strasbourg with Marlène, and Maxime worked as an editorial artistic director in Luxembourg, so we started working remotely. The first issue of Cercle was released in 2013 and it was an immediate success. We began to be solicited especially for graphic design commissions, and thus Cercle Studio was born. MP: Our collaboration is based on a great trust and a great freedom between us three, and especially on a vision and a common desire of our practice. We work for various clients, mainly in publishing, and we also spend time on related projects, such as the magazine. For us, this becomes a laboratory of research and experiment.

You have created Cercle Magazine. Can you tell us about the birth of this project ? Is it difficult to carry out an editorial project these days ? Do you have particular desires for its development ? MA: So Maxime was working in the editorial field for seven years and wanted to found a first publication one day. One evening, after a few drinks, we set up a first thumbnail layout for a possible future magazine. It was exhilarating and inspiring, we wanted a thematic and annual publication, that would study one theme in a subjective basis, mixing conversations and images, crossing different points of view. The next morning we looked at the sketches, and we thought, why not ? From then on, it took us a year and a half to set up the project, learn about distribution, make contacts, and so on. MP: The first issue worked very well, and it encouraged us to continue. Today the magazine is beginning its fifth year, it is available in both French and English co-edited with IdN Hong Kong. We always have the same desire to push it further, to refine it, to develop it. Of course, conducting such an editorial project requires a lot of investment. We are very invested and we devote a lot of time and energy to it. The most difficult part is obviously the funding, it requires knowing how to develop partnerships, to meet public and private financers, to ensure good distribution and sales. But in return, we experience exciting meetings, discover more and more artists, amateurs, scientists... Every time, we learn a lot and become more demanding with our side projects. We would like Cercle to be a bi-annual magazine but for now we are especially considering partnerships with other designers in order to reinforce our approach.

What places would you recommend visiting in Strasbourg to find inspiration ? For you, does Strasbourg value enough the question of design ? MA: The city of Strasbourg itself is very interesting to see. Strolling through the streets and enjoying the architecture (the rustic half-timbering of the 15th century, the architecture of the Neuestadt, the Art Deco buildings, etc.), the Tomi Ungerer Museum, International Center for Illustration and the MAMCS are also very inspiring. There are also cultural structures such as La Chambre and the Stimultania for photography or the Syndicat Potentiel for art, which offer numerous exhibitions. The Accélérateur de Particule association for contemporary art and the Central vapeur one for illustration are very active in the city to promote artists. Their events are all occasions for exchanging and meeting people connected to the creative field. Proximity with Germany and Switzerland is also very beneficial. The presence of the ENSAD of Strasbourg is important in the field of creation even if the city still lacks specific structure to graphic design, opportunities can be created and we hope to be able to open a future structure specifically dedicated to graphic design in partnership soon.

Have you always been working in France ? What graphic culture of a foreign country would you dream of exploring in more detail ? In your opinion, what are the best foreign magazines ? MP: I noticed in Luxembourg that the advantage of this tiny country is its proximity to the Germanic, Latin and Scandinavian cultures. Even if the country has not fully harnessed this benefit in terms of design, Luxembourg designers are beginning to open up to these influences from Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Germany and so on. MS: The Asian graphic culture is today unavoidable. I am thinking of the work of some Chinese designers like Qing Zhao on the history of ideograms, or also of famous Japanese designers such as Katsumi Asaba, or Yusaku Kamekura, who really understood and harnessed the power of form. After all, what is interesting today is the porosity of the borders. It seems to me that a type of international design emerges that does not bother with cultural specificities, thanks to the flow of projects and inspirations throughout the world. MP: Regarding foreign magazines, there are hundreds of them wonderfully thought out, and although it took some time to France to get started on the subject, there are still great and varied independent publications like The Shelf, Back Cover or The Others among others. In terms of independent foreign magazines, we are fed on very diverse and Anglo-Saxon examples, such as Offscreen, Vestoj, Makeshift, Wrap, Pin-Up or Monocle. Then, all the work of the Dutch Jop Van Bennekom and Gert Jonkers with Butt, then Fantastic Man and Gentlewoman fascinates us by its consistency. In short, there are hundreds of publications that inspire us ! Interview conducted in June 2016 ©ktlg