Benjamin BON

A look back at your ESMA years

What drew you to the world of graphic design?

Basically, I’ve had a passion for animation for a very long time. So when I finished my BAC ES I wanted to go to ESMA Montpellier, which had a good reputation in the animation world.

It was during my MANAA that I discovered graphic design. It turned out that I had an aptitude for it and that I really liked it. So at the end of the year I decided to change direction and do the graphic design course, and I went on to do the Master’s in Digital Design and Strategy.

What did you gain from the course?

The course introduced me to the world of graphic design, which is very wide-ranging, covering print, web, motion design, art direction and so on. By touching on everything, I was able to find what I really liked and what I wanted to do for my professional future.

You chose to continue for another year on the Digital Strategy and Design Masters. Why did you do this?

I decided to do this extra year after my BTS because I wanted/needed to expand on what I’d learnt in those two years, particularly motion design and coding.

What’s more, I’d really struggled with general subjects (I had very little interest in them) throughout my studies, and I knew that for this Master’s there would be a lot less of them and that we’d be studying the ‘real’ job of graphic designer a lot more.

Was there a subject that you particularly liked?

What interested me most was the motion design course. I’ve always liked animation, so I liked improving my skills in that area.

The Cœur de Ville en Lumières project also had a big impact on me. It showed me the real technical and time constraints that I find in my current work. And then, seeing your work projected in the middle of Montpellier, that’s really nice.

I also really enjoyed the web coding classes, thanks in particular to M. Malaval and also because I love web design.

But in general, I liked everything we did because we were getting down to the nitty-gritty rather than the theoretical, with real projects that we had to come up with ourselves for our ‘micro agency’.

Did doing the training at ESMA help you find a job after you graduated?

Yes, thanks to my work placement during my BTS.

I did it in a start-up that has now been renamed Wydden. We got on really well with them, so we continued to work together on a magazine called ‘Wydden Magazine’ while I was doing my BTS and then my Masters. And it was this magazine, plus word-of-mouth, that introduced me to the clients I now work with.

Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted to do when you left the course? What did you want to do? Did the course open up new possibilities for you in the world of work?

After the course I wanted to join a communications agency so that I could continue to develop in the profession and then go freelance. Going freelance is a bit scary, because of the non-regular income, so I wanted to build up an address book in an agency.

After several months of searching, I was really struggling to find interesting ads around Montpellier. At the same time, I was continuing to do freelance work for, and thanks to, the magazine. Finally, I realised that I had enough regular clients and enough income to be able to make a living from it. So I went fully freelance!

How did your immersion into the professional world go when you left the course?

As I explained earlier, I was already in the professional world during my training, so there were no real changes. Except that I had more time for my clients 😉

Your career path

Once you’d graduated, what was your career path?

I continued to work for Wydden as Artistic Director, as well as for Clydes (a digital training start-up).

I was contacted by Daphni (a Parisian investment fund) thanks to the magazine, to also manage the graphic design for them. Daphni forwarded my contact to other start-ups with whom they are in contact to carry out a few assignments: Another Brain (development of artificial intelligence), Reminiz (Artificial Intelligence for TV), EKIM (autonomous pizzeria), Gaia (investment fund), Lend-RX (Artificial Intelligence for health), etc.

I also work regularly with the Wonderful agency in Montpellier on all aspects of motion design and video editing.

For a year and a half you worked for Wydden Magazine (formerly 1001 startups). You were both a graphic designer and above all an art director. Can you tell us about this experience?

It was a superb experience. Although it was difficult to combine it with my studies (design course for a 140-page magazine = very little time for me)

We were a small team where everyone got on well. No one was restricting me creatively, I had carte blanche on the magazine and on the redesign of the website. I could experiment with lots of different things on each article. That’s probably what appealed to the people who contacted me through Wydden Magazine

Do you work more for the web or print? Do you have a preference for one or the other?

Wydden Magazine came to an end at the end of last year, so I now work mainly on digital and video, which is what I like best.

In 2017 you set up on your own as a freelance graphic designer. Why did you make this choice? When you left school, weren’t you worried about the lack of recognition, confidence and network?

I made this choice to continue the “Wydden adventure” after my work placement. Freelancing was my goal, but not for a few years. I was going to work in a communications agency to expand my network and make sure I could make a living from it.

But in the end, as I kept looking for interesting ads that didn’t come up, I realised that my network was developed enough for me to go freelance, full time.

As a freelancer, what medium do you mainly work on?

I mainly work on motion design for Wonderful (Pink Lady, Royal Canin, La région Occitanie, etc.) and events for Daphni.

You’ve always chosen to work in Montpellier. Is that by choice?

I chose to stay in Montpellier because I like it here and because my partner also works here. And thanks to this job, whether I’m in Paris or Montpellier, I simply need my computer to work. That’s why I can have clients from here, Paris and London!

What do you love about your job?

I love creating. I like that every day is different, with different jobs. And I also like the rush periods when you work non-stop for 4-5 days until you achieve the satisfaction of having finished on time and having enjoyed your work.

Is there a signature Benjamin Bon style?

People tell me there is, that they recognise my work in motion design videos or magazines. Even the teachers at ESMA told me I had one. But I don’t know. I just go by feel 🙂

Is there a project you’re particularly proud of that you’d like to share with us?

It would be all the magazines I’ve done with the Wydden team. That’s where it all started, where I had the most fun, but where it was also the hardest. That’s what has enabled me to make a living from my passion as a freelancer today.

In conclusion

Any future projects?

I’d like to continue developing my Instagram account with the illustrations I do in my spare time. At the moment I’m testing printing and gold leaf collage on my illustrations, which I might be able to sell later on.

And finishing my website (maybe one day).

How do you see yourself in a few years’ time? Still freelance? Working in certain sectors in particular? Something else?

I see myself still freelancing, working in the music sector maybe. Or a full-time motion designer, which is what I like best.

Any advice for students and future students?

My advice would be to go deeper into what they can learn during the course, by watching tutorials on YouTube and/or Skillshare for example. To learn new techniques, new software, etc., you need to be constantly creating. You have to be constantly creating.

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His Instagram : @_benob