Yann Fructuoso

A look back at your ESMA years

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE WORLD OF GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Quite simply, I was at secondary school and I discovered a blogging platform. At a time when most people were using these blogs to publish photos of their friends, I realised, to my great surprise, that what interested me was not the publication but the medium. I worked on the design of my blog every night and I loved it! It all started from there..

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE GRAPHIC DESIGN COURSE AND THE ESMA SCHOOL?

It sounded cool! On a more serious note, I knew that the graphic design course was what I’d wanted to do for a while. As I mentioned earlier, I was seduced by ESMA at a JPO, I was fascinated! It was a far cry from the courses I’d taken at school, so it was finally something interesting!

WHAT DID THE COURSE BRING YOU?

I still have a few key phrases and pieces of advice that still ring true today. I’m not joking, I even find myself repeating phrases word for word that I’ve heard from one teacher or another to my trainees. That’s it for the very concrete, but more generally, what I learnt most at ESMA was a state of mind. I had a rather ‘narrow’ personality, sure that I’d seen it all before, and in the end I learnt that openness was the best way forward.

WAS THERE A SUBJECT THAT YOU PARTICULARLY LIKED AND WHY?

Obviously, I had more affection for some subjects than others. One in particular, but that’s mainly down to the teacher who’s fantastic, so I won’t mention it. Generally speaking, I loved computing because I was fascinated by being introduced to HTML and CSS. I loved advertising because, as someone who was always on the sidelines, I was obliged to go and look for crazy things deep down inside myself, and of course I loved graphic design, where I discovered a real passion for typography.

WHEN YOU LEFT SCHOOL, OR DURING YOUR STUDIES, DID YOU HAVE A CLEAR IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO NEXT?

To be honest, no. One thing I did know was that after ESMA I wanted to go on to further my knowledge at a school, but in the end my path turned out to be very different from what I had imagined, and I’m delighted about that.

Your career path

AFTER GRADUATING, WHAT WAS YOUR CAREER PATH?

Well, straight into nightclubs! No, no, it’s true, I took over communications for a club in the region, then art direction, before finally working for a large group that owns several restaurants, private beaches and nightclubs. It was, I thought, a long way from the graphic design I loved, but to my great surprise I learnt a lot and was able to bring my own vision to bear. Looking back, it was really great. One day I left these establishments, frustrated in a way at not being able to fulfil my graphic desires, to turn towards a clientele with whom I could blossom, and I’m still working on it every day!

YOU HAVE SET UP YOUR AGENCY, STUDIO PURE. CAN YOU INTRODUCE IT TO US? DOES THE NAME ‘PURE’ CONJURE UP ANY SPECIFIC IMAGES?

Like everyone else, I like certain trends more than others. For me, it’s pure, minimalist designs and symbols with a double meaning. The richness of a simple line that can be interpreted in several ways. It was around this philosophy that I designed Studio Pure, and I wanted this to be clearly reflected in the experience I offer customers, obviously through the name.

WHAT TYPE OF PROJECTS DO YOU WORK ON? WHAT KIND OF CLIENTS DO YOU WORK WITH?

At the moment I’m working a lot with lawyers and architects who have turned to me, I think, because of the purity of the designs I propose. Most of the projects are website designs, but in most cases that’s accompanied by a complete identity. The size of the organisations that turn to me varies greatly, from freelancers to large firms. It doesn’t matter to me, it’s always a new world to enter.

How do you approach the projects you are assigned?

That’s where the difficulty lies. Making one website for a lawyer is great, making 20 is great too, but you can’t have two that look the same, that’s where you have to dig deep. So I try to transpose what I feel about the customer into their site, to offer them something that reflects their image. However, there are always imperatives and similar codes to adopt. The difficulty lies in finding the right balance between the customer’s personality, what comes out of it, their wishes and the codes of the profession, the nomenclatures. It generates a lot of discussion, and you have to justify your positions, but it’s a great exercise that I particularly enjoy.

YOUR CUSTOMERS COME FROM A VARIETY OF UNIVERSE. ISN’T IT COMPLIMENTARY TO JOG FROM ONE UNIVERSE TO ANOTHER, WHICH DOESN’T necessarily HAVE THE SAME CODES?

On the contrary, that’s what I love! I spoke earlier about my clientele in the judiciary and architecture, but I’m also present in many other universes and that’s a great opportunity, rather than a difficulty. I like to move from a big law firm to a little restaurant on the corner, because there are different values to convey and different relationships to build, and that helps to break the monotony.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE FREELANCE STUDIO OVER AN AGENCY OR A COMPANY? WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF IT?

Being very independent by nature, I think I could have settled into an agency, but I really preferred to go it alone. I put that word in inverted commas because it’s far from being the most appropriate term. I’ve built up a network of creative people with whom I work every day. So I’m never really alone.

Before I started out, I had a fairly clear vision of what I wanted to offer. I’m not saying that I offer the best formula, but it’s the one that suits me and the one that I defend with conviction, and that’s essential. I need to give it my all, I need the project to be mine and I need to be able to defend it at arm’s length. When you put it like that, it’s all very well, but you mustn’t forget that where the successes are mine, the failures are too. But you can’t put a price on defending your vision and your convictions!

ARE THERE ANY ADVANTAGES / DISADVANTAGES TO THIS FREELANCE CHOICE?

In terms of advantages, I think that being able to defend your vision is fundamental. I don’t doubt that some agencies allow this, but I needed total freedom to find myself. As for the disadvantages, the hardest thing I had to face was being taken seriously. When you’re young, freelance and have everything to prove, it’s sometimes complicated to be taken seriously and listened to by clients who are your elders. It’s an art learned over the years to be able to justify your proposal and explain why you think it’s the best. Even today, it’s not always easy. The difference is that today I have a portfolio that showcases my work, with certain references, and it’s easier for people to trust my vision knowing what I’ve done in the past.

HOW DO YOU APPROACH YOUR JOBS AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR? ARE THEY COMPLEMENTARY OR VERY DIFFERENT? HOW DO YOU JUGGLE THEM?

C O M P L E M E N T A R Y ! In all honesty, an art director is nothing without a graphic designer! To put it very simply, the way I see it, the art director comes up with the ideas and the graphic designer puts them into practice. It’s very schematic, but there’s some truth in it. So you can be the best in the world, but if you can’t turn your ideas into something concrete, what’s the point? No, no, really, the graphic designer and the AD are an inseparable pair, and I’d go even further and add that just as every AD has to be at least a bit of a graphic designer, every graphic designer has a bit of an AD in them.
To be honest, these days I make very little distinction between the two; I go from one to the other without asking myself the slightest question. It’s all part of a simple process: conceptualise, defend and produce.

WHAT SKILLS ARE NEEDED TO PRACTICE THESE PROFESSIONS?

Self-sacrifice, perseverance, openness and curiosity. You have to be aware that it’s a journey that never ends. I learn something new every day.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?

Well, my friends see me as a slightly strange guy, capable of stopping in the street in front of a beautiful typeface, saying that I see “graphic stuff” everywhere… That’s what I like! Being able to get excited and enthusiastic about things as simple and beautiful as a ligature, a colour or a composition. I love spotting the beauty that lies before us, and if by chance I manage to produce some, then I’m the happiest.

IS THERE A STYLE, A SIGNATURE YANN FRUCTOSO?

It’s still too early to say. I know what I like, I can see where I want to end up, but as I said, it’s a never-ending road. Today, I’m clearly part of a trend, but I’m constantly working on refining my graphic style. I don’t think I can be formally identified with my work today. It’s all the harder when you’re an advocate of minimalism, but who knows, maybe one day! In any case, it comes second.

IS THERE A PARTICULAR PROJECT THAT HAS MARKED YOU AND THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US?

More than a project, it’s a two-year assignment as artistic director of Montpellier Hérault Rugby. What’s special about this experience is that it has crystallised all the difficulties I mentioned earlier, but has also been a source of great satisfaction. Earlier I mentioned the difficulty of being taken seriously when you’re young and of imposing your ideas… Imagine standing at the age of 24 in front of 30 professional rugby players, three quarters of whom barely understand French, and explaining to them that they had to smear themselves with spaghetti for the poster for the next match… It really took me a good 15 minutes to explain to them that it wasn’t a joke!

On the other hand, it also gave me a huge sense of achievement; the fact of working at a big club and being the youngest there, of having to defend my ideas every Friday in front of an assembly, the fact of making the logo of a stadium that I’ve been walking past every day for 10 years… It was great!

In conclusion

ANY FUTURE PROJECTS?

“The agency is really becoming one! I’ve been on my own until now and now I’m teaming up to help Studio Pure grow! It’s very stimulating and I can’t wait to see where it all leads!

HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN A FEW YEARS’ TIME?

My certainties have changed so much over the last few years… 10 years ago I didn’t see myself at all where I am today, so I can’t tell you what tomorrow will bring… In my wildest dreams I see myself happy and fulfilled within a humanist agency that I’ve helped to grow, with projects that I’ll be proud of.

ANY ADVICE FOR STUDENTS AND FUTURE STUDENTS?

When I hadn’t yet set foot in the world of applied arts and was just starting to get interested, I came across a graphic designer’s website and fell in love with his work. It fascinated me. I took the initiative of writing to him (which wasn’t like me at all) to ask him a few questions about his work and, to my great surprise, he replied with a lot of kindness. When I asked him the same question, did you have any advice to give me, he replied something that still resonates with me today:“When everyone takes a photo in the same direction, you have to go and take the photo on the other side You can take it as you like, but I really enjoyed it, so I’ll just pass on the message.