Pierre Sponchiado

What is your story ? After graduating from the ESAG in 2005, I decided to collaborate with Adrienne Bornstein, having both followed the same training. We have worked together during nine years, mostly on branding identity projects, especially in the field of event. We worked a lot for public procurement, which has allowed us to gain visibility in the area. Working with Adrienne was a very rewarding experience, we grew a lot throughout the years... but in 2014, we decided to work separately. Being a freelance designer is very different from the studio work, in particular at the organisational level. Our work was based on a real complicity which allowed us to be each time fairly quick in our choices. Accounting, meetings, briefs... everything is simpler when you are two, the work is spread more easily. It might be more reassuring for our clients to see that we were a team. But the experience we gained throughout this collaboration enables us today to work this out on our own.

How did your personal style evolve ? I try to keep a common thread in my approach and identity. My current projects have not really changed, it is the logical consequence of the work I did with Adrienne. I even tried to adapt my new identity to the former one. Today, I continue to deepen my typographic exploration, and I try to refine more and more the points that I consider essential to my practice. Sometimes I try not to always use typography as a main element of my projects, but I realised that it was at the heart of most of my concepts. Apart from the strength of composition and color range, typography enables a project to stand out. Creating and adapting it to each project give added value to my work and make it most achieved.

How important is it to combine your work with your sensitivity ? My work is mainly based on emotion. Of course I am aware of what is being done today, but I try not to be too influenced. I am in a kind of bubble where I feel comfortable to shape my ideas. Most of the time I pursue these ideas. But it is true that sometimes I realise that this sensitive approach does not always match the client’s expectations, who often look for something more ‘standardised’. There is a real lack of knowledge of graphic design which does not make our work easier. It is sometimes very frustrating. But some of my clients come to me because of my universe, my sensitivity, which is very nice. Today I always try to agree on the universe and atmosphere to explore with the client, for shaping the project.

How do you handle this frustration ? Do you have a personal practice of graphic design in parallel ? When sometimes I have to set aside my original ideas, I always try to keep a certain required level because my name is associated with the project. This is rare though, because usually the type of client who get the idea to consult graphic design studios are people with a certain cultural openness and sometimes, who love to take risks. Besides that, I do not really have a personal design practice. I especially want to democratise the visual pleasure through all types of projects. I think it is entirely consistent with those I am currently working on. I could do self-production but I find the challenge most stimulating when it comes to work for a large institution for example. Interview conducted in March 2016 ©ktlg