We met French graphic design Philippe Apeloig in his design studio, which is located in the top floor of an old building in the centre of Paris. Looking out of the window, in the distance we could see the hill of Montmartre, and in the studio we listened to opera, occasionally punctuated by sounds of the city streets, particularly the shouts of participants in a protest rally.
Phillipe Apeloig was born in Paris in 1962, and studied at the Paris Art School École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués, where he later worked as a lecturer in type design. Apeloig has conducted fieldwork and worked in various international metropolises (including New York, Los Angeles (April Greiman Studio), Rome, Amsterdam (Total Design)) and is currently considered one of the most prominent graphic designers in France. Apeloig has created posters and invitations for the art museums of Paris (the Louvre Museum, musée d'Orsay and others) and other cultural organisations in France and the USA (The Normandy music and dance festival, the annual literature festival in Aix-en-Provence, Achim Moeller Fine Art in New York, etc), created logos (the French Librarians Association, Tours Art Museum, Châtelet Musical Theatre of Paris and others), collaborated with book publishers and created publication designs (Phaidon, Robert Laffont and others), as well as published a book about his work in the field of graphic design – Inside the Word (published by Lars Müller Publishers in 2001 with a second, supplemented edition in 2005). One of Apeloig’s works – a logo, which symbolises French cultural events – is also able to be seen in Latvia: it is published on all materials related to Un Printemps français Festival.
A family atmosphere dominated Apeloig’s studio, which was created in 1989: there was no secretary, project manager, just him and a few helpers – young artists.
Anda Boluža: You have started your own design agency – how do design and advertising agencies differ? In Latvia you mainly see advertising agencies.
Phillipe Apeloig: It’s like that everywhere, we live in a world of aggressive communication. The main difference is the various aims of each: the creative process is important for a design agency, whereas the opportunity to earn money is important for advertising agencies. The task for the agency is to communicate, but the methods of communication are different.
A.B.: I thought that it was only Latvia’s problem, because people have not yet become used to high quality graphic design, so they don’t value it.
P.A.: It’s like that everywhere in the world. I have worked in foreign countries and can safely say that, for example, the USA has a similar situation. Things are different in New York, also in Switzerland, the Netherlands and in Germany, where design has gained a significant role, but at the same time the influence of advertising agencies is strong. This doesn’t mean that they are bad, it’s just difficult to convince clients that a different type of communication is possible – not using the methods of advertising. Advertising is a business, and it uses pre-packaged recipes. It is an automatic, technical job in which only a small moment is devoted to imagination and thought. I and other graphic designers prioritise the opportunity for creativity. I wish to surprise myself and others, that’s why I don’t use recipes, but walk an indirect road, constantly acquiring and learning something new. It is not possible to create high quality communication, when you don’t understand the essence of the subject. Cogitation – that is a way to find new ideas and solutions. I like this perspective – I am always like a beginner.
A.B.: These days novelty is apportioned great significance. What is your opinion of opportunities for novelty in graphic design?
P.A.: Novelty is possible everywhere – people’s imagination has no boundaries. On an individual level artists are more creative than others, but this can be explained by looking at who is having the works created for them, in what time period they are created – the set of many circumstances is important.
A.B.: How important are the technology that you use?
P.A.: Technology is important, these days it is not possible to ignore it, but it can only solve technical problems. Ideas for work, concepts are created in the mind and heart. Contemporary computer technology is used in the printing process, which ensures the speed and elasticity of the work process, but at the same time there are problems which are relevant all over the world – constant use of the computer causes particular habits, ways in which to create a design –, that’s why graphic design becomes homogenous and superficial.
Krišs Salmanis: Do you ever lack time?
P.A.: Time is worth its weight in gold, it is so necessary for creativity. A lack of time is a serious problem, but self-organisation is a good solution. In order to create, you have to learn to observe and to notice things. To look – that is how you should work. But similarly you have to learn how to not see anything, to develop selective perception. At times I have been happy to not see anything, because around us are so many worthless examples, which you do not need to see. To not see – creates and opportunity to find time for more important things. In order to create new ideas, you have to have a free mind and clear eyes, you have to be able to look inside yourself, to create a personal motive. I would like to live a number of lives – a minimum of three. One – to study, another – in which to experiment, and the third – in which to implement things. I can’t stand projects that take a long time, they tend to be very tiring, but at the same time I am happy that I work in a field which is changing and unpredictable. Everything we create in graphic design – magazines, posters and other publications – is used in the short term. Therefore, I believe, we have been given a fantastic opportunity to experiment: if we allow a mistake, then it’s not a large failing. Imagine if I was an architect and made a mistake... In this sense time is a good friend to a graphic designer.
A.B.: You create type design – this is a long-term, complicated job.
P.A.: Yes, it’s precisely because of this that I don’t consider myself as a type designer – I am not ready to create a design that would be valuable for use in everyday communication. I like pace, I like to be active, I like to live in the city. I am not the type who could live and work in the country. I create font design because I am fascinated by the moment of visual shock, I play with the boundary where letters become illegible.
K.S.: Do you allow clients to become involved in the process of creating a work?
P.A.: Firstly, I listen carefully to what a client wants. If the client comes and says that they have no ideas, then I answer: “Good, then you give me absolute freedom. If you really don’t know what you want, not even the direction in which to go, I will find it and offer it to you, but don’t be surprised if the result is not what you’re expecting”. There are different kinds of situations, but the client has to be open and responsive. The designer’s power is to achieve a feeling that the client is the author of the result which is placed before him. This is the power to create an idea which others could feel was their own idea, something which is also in their own head. There are so many hurdles to jump to maintain a successful collaboration, but the most significant is the question of trust – if you are a professional, people will trust you. When I was younger, acceptance of my work was complicated. Problems still exist, I don’t want to say that everything happens easily and simply at the moment, although over time I have become stronger and gained the respect of my clients – people value my knowledge.
K.S.: Do many clients come to you?
P.A.: Yes, I’m very busy.
K.S.: Do you sometimes have to say “no”?
F.A.: I am not a person who finds it easy to say “no”. I always try to satisfy the needs of the client, although if I conclude that my work is not appreciated or it is too complicated, for example, if the project involves innumerable people, then I seriously consider whether I should collaborate.
A.B.: Your clients are mainly cultural institutions.
P.A.: I collaborate mainly with publishing houses, museums, theatres, festivals, because this is an opportunity to create different communication. Artists which work in the advertising business sometimes have difficulty in creating graphic design for cultural events because the people who are hungry for culture aren’t ready for the visual language which is like to advertising language, they want something different. If I have done a good job, I can see that the book sells well or the festival tickets are sold out, although it is important that I have dedicated time to thought and the creative process, creativity, which is not always important in advertising.
A.B.: How can the public appreciate your work? Do you organise exhibitions?
P.A.: Yes, regularly. I have exhibited my works in solo exhibitions in Montreal (Dawson College, 2005), Philadelphia (University of the Arts, 2005) and New York (La Maison Française of NYU, 2001, etc.). In the last few years my works have been exhibited in Kiev (The Museum of Russian Art, 2005), Brussels and Ljubljana (2003) and of course, in various French cities.
A.B.: I think that exhibitions are really useful, because every day it’s not easy to see and to recognise all the work of graphic designers. In exhibitions it is possible to see this work in a unified exhibition, and evaluate the changes in expression.
You work not only with static illustrations, but have also created moving works of graphic design.
P.A.: I have created type design which takes the form of an animation. This was an experimental work, which was presented in an exhibition. I have always been inspired by performance, I like contemporary theatre and dance – it is even possible to observe this influence in my two-dimensional works. I am interested in the opportunity to achieve the feeling of a flat surface moving. Recently I watched a performance by a contemporary ballet ensemble and I remembered that in childhood I saw a performance by an American dance company in which graphic expression was accented – this event occupies an important place in my own creative work. Of course, boundaries between these various artistic fields exist, but the authors are united by their various problems. It is a challenge to bring these boundaries closer together!
A.B.: Is it possible that opportunities for novelty appear here?
P.A.: Definitely.
A.B.: How difficult is it to gain recognition?
P.A.: I think it is difficult in any field. It is possible that graphic design is noticed and valued less often than fashion shows or rock-n-roll concerts, because it’s not show business. I don’t work to show myself off. When I finish a work, it lives its own life without me. By the time people notice it, I am already working on other projects. Of course, graphic design can also be used and exhibited in different ways, but its main task is communication. In the same way, for example, furniture design is necessary for the creation of functional and attractive furniture. A design which has been completed no longer belongs to its author, but to the people who use it. I believe that recognition is a matter of time. It is important to find energy for the creative process, to create original work, it is important to be honest with yourself and with others – people will sense this and value it. If someone wishes to parade themselves and feel like a rock-n-roll star, then they need to choose a different business.
A.B.: Yesterday we were talking and agreed how important it is for the work process itself to give you pleasure and enthusiasm.
P.A.: Of course.
K.S.: Have you ever wanted to walk away and abandon everything?
P.A.: Yes, a number of times. Sometimes I imagine that I would rather be doing other things, instead of convincing others, or following the printing process. When you have completed a job over many days and then a printing error occurs, then you want to scream and cry. But at the same time you feel a fire inside, an inner driving force which drives you onwards.