Kidnap Your Designer

What is the story of Kidnap Your Designer? CD: The story begins in 2006 in Brussels, while I am just graduating from the erg (École de Recherche Graphique). In 2008, Damien joined me to work as a duo. We celebrated our ten years not long ago, it happened very quickly. During these years, we had the opportunity to participate in human and professional adventures. Some big projects marked our career as our collaboration: La Panacée, center of contemporary art in Montpellier, our project ‘It's better here’ who made us travel from Brazil to Hong Kong, the project ‘Belgium is Design’ or our participation in the collective We are graphic designers. Our story is also fundamentally linked to our teaching practice, we are both teachers in the erg in graphic design and multidisciplinary workshop. Everyone we have worked with is also part of our story, from talented architects for signage projects to ingenious developers for our websites, or incredible photographers.

You work on the identity of several local events such as Belgium is design or the BULB (Brussels Urban Landscape Biennial). Is it important for you to be invested in local design? Local design is initially more of a practical necessity than a real desire. We would like to export more, but we notice over time, that even if it is a job that we can do everywhere with a laptop, the clients prefer direct, personal and privileged contact... It is indeed quite fun to take note of all the projects with the words Brussels or Belgium in our portfolio. We like the contradictions of this city and this country. The projects in which we participate in, define some of them in a way. All things considered, we can thus be actors in this territory. You have to know that the Belgian graphic scene is very small. It is difficult, in our opinion, to really identify a Belgian style. Perhaps we can notice a certain attitude and an economy of means. To overcome the lack of budget, we use very Belgian weapons: humour, nonconformism, and some references to surrealism.

Do you think that personal projects are significant in the career of a graphic designer? How to answer no to this question. It is obvious that a personal artistic approach greatly enriches the creativity of the studio. We have always agreed that any graphic design project is the result of our collaboration. We design together and both sign. However, we have both personal practices that do not fit into the life of the studio, but that enrich us. We practice photography a lot, we collect odds and ends and cars... It may have become a habit, but we notice that everything we do in our daily lives is working as if it was an artistic project, perhaps not in its meaning, but in its requirement. Moreover, we try (and we never find enough time) to have self-produced graphic design practices at the studio, which are not the result of an order. This is, for example, how the project ‘It's better here’ is born.

You are the initiators and members of WeAreGraphicDesigners.be, an initiative whose aim is to promote the profession of graphic designer. Do you think there is still a lack of design culture? Six years ago, we wanted to partner with other studios. On the one hand to assert our rights in the case of abuse (unpaid tenders or competitions that don’t respect the work of the studios) and on the other hand, to promote graphic design through exhibitions. But at this level, everything is still to be done, because indeed in Belgium, there is no ‘design culture’ as in other countries like the Netherlands or Switzerland. However, we are fortunate that our clients contact us on their own, having in mind our added value. These have understood or experienced that the graphic designer brings a precious energy to the project. For others, you have to help them understand… or not. Interview conducted in March 2018 ©ktlg