Priscille DE REKENEIRE

A look back at your ESMA years

What drew you to the world of graphic design? Why did you choose to do the BTS course at ESMA?

I did a degree in plastic arts before starting my BTS at ESMA. I wanted to continue in this field while becoming more professional. At the time I didn’t know what was behind the term ‘graphic design’, but it was by studying that I grasped a world that quickly captivated me. The image, its composition, graphic language, typography, printing techniques… all this quickly became my daily life.

What did your training bring you?

The training gave me a job! I arrived with an affinity for the aesthetics of things, a knowledge of art history and a few personal experiments in the visual arts. Two years later I left with a clear idea of what I was going to use all that for.

I’ve acquired the know-how that allows me to live my passion today. And beyond the technique, I’ve assimilated a vision of the profession, a critical sense and a way of thinking. I know what I accept and what I don’t accept as a communicator. You don’t just learn to be a performer or a technician, you learn to think… to have your own ethics and philosophy of the job.

Was there a subject that you particularly liked?

What was the most formative, but also the most difficult, were the concrete, long-term projects. They were also the closest thing we had to the reality of the job. They forced us to constantly challenge ourselves to make the right choices and find the right solutions. It was hard work, but today I realise that it’s all this questioning that brings quality to the work.

Did the ESMA course help you find a job after you graduated?

Of course it did! All the projects I did during my BTS gave me an extremely comprehensive portfolio. It was thanks to this portfolio that I got my first job as a graphic designer! Then the work methodology, organisation and rigour that I had to acquire during the course enabled me to keep it.

You were the winner of the Graphic Design jury. Can you tell us about that?

The jury organised by the school was particularly beneficial for all of us. It allowed us to get feedback on our student work from professionals. That’s a huge advantage when it comes to finishing your apprenticeship and feeling legitimate as a new graphic designer entering the world of work.

Winning first prize was of course gratifying and encouraging. I think that all my classmates should have won it too, because we all got involved together with the same intensity. We were a small group in the print speciality and we stood together, sometimes spending hours working as a group on the project of one of us. It was also this working atmosphere that helped me to have such a great two years of study. I really enjoyed my years at ESMA.

It was intense, sometimes hard, with hours of work and precise organisation, but I was happy to live in this frenzy! Sometimes I almost missed it!

Your career path

Once you had your degree, what was your career path?

I got my BTS in the summer of 2016 and in September I was lucky enough to land a job as a graphic designer in Paris. Today I’m fully venturing into freelance because I wanted to come back and live in Montpellier.

Can you tell us more about your job at Drom? What was the company and what did you do there?

Drom is a perfume creation company. It creates olfactory notes for various brands. As a graphic designer, I worked in tandem with the marketing managers to create the materials needed for client meetings. They would write the content according to the needs of the sales person and we (the three graphic designers) would take care of the layout. This ranged from a simple brochure presenting the creations to a complete trend review, including the development of themed events or creative boxes to be sent out monthly.

Our main objectives were to illustrate the perfumers’ creations and then to continually inspire customers. What was stimulating was working for very different brands with different universes. We had to analyse the DNA of each client before creating a medium. They were often prestigious and we could afford to do a lot of manual work, including bindings, boxes, photographic settings, embroidery and anything else we thought would suit the project. We had carte blanche!

Prescribing trends was also an important part of our day-to-day work, and we regularly went to conferences so that we could give more accurate advice.

Relations with my colleagues were very good. There were six of us in the marketing department when I arrived, and eight when I left. With the marketing managers, we were like duos on each project and the exchange of ideas was essential. Each graphic designer had his or her own projects, but that didn’t stop us giving each other advice or helping each other out, depending on the size of the project and the deadline.

Today, you want to set up on your own as a freelance graphic designer. Can you tell us about that? Why did you make this choice?

I made this choice because after my two years’ experience in a company I felt much better equipped to work on my own, which wasn’t yet the case when I left the BTS. I’m aware that two years isn’t long enough to get started, but my departure from Paris created the opportunity. I said to myself now or never.

What I expect from freelance work is to work on projects that concern me, however different they may be, and to evolve towards illustration as well. If I can make a small contribution to improving our visual environment, I’d already be very satisfied. I also hope to find a rhythm that suits me and manage to wear all the hats that freelancing requires!

I’m not someone who likes to work alone; on the contrary, I already miss the team and I always ask for the opinions of those around me before presenting a project. I need to talk and exchange ideas to find solutions. For the moment I’m not there, but if my project takes off I’ll give serious thought to co-working spaces.

What do you love about your job?

Being a graphic designer means knowing a language without words, being able to leave an emotional imprint, to say and make people feel something through visuals made up of images and typography. Creating things that are a pleasure to look at, that’s how I see my job.

I’m passionate about images, I’m passionate about printed objects and I’m passionate about the aesthetics of things in general! I collect magazines, cards and leaflets that touch me, I spend a lot of money on books and posters, I can spend several minutes getting a feel for paper or embossing. I’m really on the print side of the force… If I’m no longer a graphic designer, I’d like to work in a print shop.

Does Priscille de Rekeneire have her own signature?

I can’t answer that myself… 😉

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

A recent project that particularly touched me was a small fanzine produced for the closing of a local environmental association. The project was extremely positive and had a strong identity.

Even though the association was closing down, the members wanted to leave a last militant impulse with non-punitive ecological advice and a “stop pub” sticker distributed to all letterboxes.

I worked with them on both content and form and produced illustrations of their main actions, as a tribute to all those who contributed to their fight.

To conclude

Any future projects?

Painting, if I can find the time!

Any advice for students and future students?

Don’t be afraid to experiment and, above all, don’t stick to what you know. In short, get out of your comfort zone, otherwise you won’t learn anything.

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Her Instagram: @priscillederekeneirepro

Her website: priscillederekeneire.wixsite.com