Bookmark/Search this post with
Pauline KERLEROUX
Creative Director | MEDIA ARTS LAB
I was born and raised in Brittany, France.
Straight after graduating from Penninghen Paris, I moved to Prague on a gut feeling, and stayed there for 6 years. There I met Adela Svobodova, with whom we set Adela&Pauline, our graphic design studio (Adela-pauline.net). We worked mostly in the cultural sphere, designing art books and exhibitions. I also learned Czech, a language where my French accent is much more subtle than it is in English (you can only trust me here). I now live in London, and work as a creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, an advertising agency dedicated to Apple. In parallel I illustrate children books.
questionnaire
What was your very first job? What does it feel like to look back at it now?
My very first job was at Alba Design Press, Prague. I was the only employee of Czech graphic designer Alan Zaruba.
He was a generous mentor, very enthusiastic and encouraging.
We traveled together through eastern Europe, from Warsaw to Ljubljana, to install the typography exhibition he had curated, e-a-t (experiment and typography).
He also moderated for quite a few years the very sought after symposiums of the Graphic Design Biennial in Brno, another great opportunity to see amazing work from around the world, and meet inspiring designers.
Please describe, in your own words, what your current job is and what work it entails.
I now work as a creative director at Media Arts Lab London.
I’m currently responsible for the French market. This means I should know what’s up in France and understand its cultural nuances, in order to generate compelling work that feels right both for Apple and the French audience.
How did you discover that the creative world is right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? Which train of events did bring you to where you are today?
There has been key people at key moments of my life.
- Alain Le Quernec. He was my art teacher in high school (besides being one of the main figures of graphic design in France and abroad). He told me drawing could turn into a job.
- Alan Zaruba, my first employer, mentioned above.
- Adela Svobodova, my friend and partner at Adela&Pauline.
- Thomas Gerbeaux, my friend from childhood. While working with Alan, we launched together Carwash, a lifestyle magazine about cars. I was in Prague, he was in Paris, we did it all via the internet! We published 2 issues, distributed worldwide. Most contributing photographers were friends from Prague.
- Tereza Sverakova, creative director at Leagas Delaney Prague at the time. Their main client was Skoda. She liked Carwash and hired me as an art director
- Thomas Gerbeaux - again. Told me Media Arts Lab was looking for an art director, so I applied and moved to London. I am still at Media Arts Lab, working now as a creative director. We are also about to publish our second children book - he writes, I draw.
In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how and where do you usually find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?
I like to keep a sort of outsider attitude by working on different things at the same time, from art direction to graphic design to illustration. I take them all as seriously, but it helps me stay fresh. And when one project goes through a crisis - there is at least always one to cheer me up!
If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, especially for the creative work and innovation it required rather than its recognition or industry success, what would it be?
It would be a series of digital typographical animations we made this year for Apple, for the German market. The campaign was extremely sharp and pin point; the messages were thought provoking, the typographical animations were bold and elegant, perfectly crafted. A cool combination of graphic design and advertising.
