Interview With

Caroline Blanchet

Hi Caroline, thank you for taking the time to join us on Talking With The Pros. Can you start by introducing yourself and let us know about your background and how you got started in the industry?

My pleasure Karim! I'm a graphic designer - illustrator specializing in sports communication. I studied in a school graphic design, where I got my degree. I am now settled near Nantes in France as a freelancer.

You have many gorgeous projects in your portfolio, what would you say has been your favorite project(s) you've worked on and the one(s) you are most proud of.

To me they are all important to their level during my career, but necessarily to have worked for the Chicago Bears and franchises like the Toronto Raptors and the Maple Leafs are my proudest projects today, not only because they are prestigious projects but I worked with some extraordinary people with great professionalism. They convinced me that this could be my full time job.

Can you describe the typical process you usually take when working on a project?

My first job is to make many photographic research on the topic I have to work. So I immerse myself in the environment that surrounds it. I can make a quick sketch to establish my basic idea. Then I start the composition process on Photoshop. Finally I go into the details (lights, textures, text ...) until it all looks harmonious to me.

Was it your original intention to focus on sports design and illustration or did that happen naturally? Speaking of sports, what is your favorite sport and athlete(s)?

Before everything, sport is a passion for a long time now especially basketball. This is a theme I've always liked to depict visually, I find many inspirations whether through athletes like Michael Jordan or historical moments. Until the day I decided to make this passion a big part of my job.

Your illustration work using the iPad are very impressive, was this a comfortable experience or did you miss working on your regular workstation? Also, do you think designers will be using their tablet devices more in the future for their design work?

Thank you very much. Actually this was intentional on my part, I just wanted to step back from my job and find new techniques combining "traditional" design and new devices. It was based on a feeling just to please me, and finally I found it very valuable and that is why I started to do a complete series. I actually think that the new devices will become more and more important in our business even though it seems inconceivable to me to get away completely from computers and softwares.

Since you manage your own studio, how do you manage your time from design and project management?

I used to inflict on me big doses of work to be as productive as possible. But I realized that my work did not improve in quality, so I took more distance to be able to distinguish between my professional and private life. I'm trying to set up schedules to achieve my professional projects and having free time for drawing or doing more personal artworks.

How do you keep up your inspiration?

Every day, the first thing I do is to take a tour on websites like Behance, Fubiz ... to keep me informed with graphic trends. I attach great importance to improve my skills by learning from other artists.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today, do you have any final words for our readers?

Thanks to Talking with the pros for this interview! And I will end up with "Be inquisitive and bold!"

To check out more of Caroline work head over to her website at www.ptitecao.com
Show me more interviews