L'Atelier collectif

What is the story of your studio ? J-BL: At first, we were five freelances, we all knew each other. We ended up founding each other by chance, and it was the right time to gather. We all had different skills but the same desire to do things together. We keep our statutes of freelance designers with still the possibility to work independently or in full independence. If the opportunity arises, we can mix our skills: Julien, Emmanuel and Thanh are graphic designers, Fabien specializes in interactive design, David is scenographer, François is an interior designer and I work in type design. Our studio is in perpetual motion. For my part, I created the company Production Type. We each operate differently but we still have this opportunity to work together. For example, we competed for an identity work. JL: We worked for the Mucem contest, and the Picasso Museum ; They were good opportunities to work together on important projects. We worked in pairs between graphic design and architecture. We are not an agency, we are more than just a co-working place. This is both a strength and a weakness. Since we have a rather special status, the administrative framework does not allow us to do some projects. For some clients, our status is unclear. In such cases, we designate one of the studio member to take the project manager status. We build as we move forward.

Do you use the name Atelier collectif to call the place or as a signature ? JL: Basically this name was chosen to represent the place: it's a pretty transparent name that can also be used as a signature. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as for studios that are established as such. For now, we still sign with the names of everyone on the projects. But if I am doing a project as an independent, I'm not talking about Atelier collectif ; it is the same for Jean-Baptiste with production type. J-BL: Our workshop is a core with people gravitating around. It is almost the 'potluck meal', it is an open house. We have no hierarchy, yet everything works great ! There is a perfect symbiosis in the studio. JL: When we look for new people to join our studio, it is always someone in a very close network who can integrate in this place of sharing. J-BL: We have all a capacity of contribution and sharing. Our library is the perfect example: we share everything, from ideas to materials. We are a unified and coherent studio. We want to run away from individualism. FD: Thanh is a screen printer. Emmanuel develops digital, we all try to bring something special in the studio.

You are each working in a specific field. What are your relations with other professions present in the studio ? Is the concept of specialty important to you ? JL: Thanks to this studio, we necessarily develop skills in connection with the specialities of others. For example, the graphics in the space is different from the graphics on paper, that involves choices of materials, other budgets, other modes of conception. We always try to enrich our practice. The first time I made a typographic specimen it was on the occasion of a project with Jean-Baptiste. This plurality enriches our personal culture. J-BL: We have no dogmatic ideas on this subject. Some people may be talented in performing three different skills. We are not defending the specialization as the only way to do quality work. EL: Moreover, even when working in the same field, we operate very differently. We are three graphic designers, and for the same project, we can have three possibilities of actions. We feel when a project corresponds more to a person than another. J-BL: Our model works and we would like to keep our independents advantages by having the same reliability as an agency or as a studio. We want to preserve and to solidify this geometry which allows us to work in a more interesting way than a traditional agency.

Have you been influenced by a particular working model ? J-BL: In France, there is a way of organizing work that is deleterious, such as tenders for example. JL: We have all been through studios or larger companies, and we noticed that it is this kind of structure that wins tenders. Just because an independent can not create by oneself, the visual identity of a museum for example. The only option for a designer is to make groups or consider a solution like ours. For us, it was easier to remain independent and work with other freelancers for some projects. J-BL: If some tenders weren't locked as they are, the type of solution we propose would probably not be as developed as it is. It still deserves to exist because it is part of the French cultural exceptions, which allows to have an image of design in public spaces, very different from what is happening in England and the United States. TPL: This is the recruitment procedure which remains questionable. The access to the order is very complicated. Beyond the fact that we are partners, it is also our professional background which is important. The fact that we have worked in larger structures opened us to a larger number of public contracts. JL: Some sponsors are reassured when we say that we are three or four, while I could manage the project by myself. Saying that we are 'as an agency,' reassure them. If we want to do this kind of project, we must remain associated. J-BL: We all need to focus on the heart of our profession which is designing, but there are a bunch of us, so we can pool the side needs as prospecting or administrative. EL: That is why it is good to follow the flow of the studio, these projects may lead to other projects. If there is an overall positive synergy, everyone is a winner at all levels. Interview conducted in January 2016 ©ktlg