Category Archives: Illustration

When you want to see art and graphic design together in perfect harmony, look at Fabien Barral’s work. Playful colours, intriguing textures, shapes and typography – it is refreshing, inspiring and very tastefully done. I wanted to learn about the person behind these amazing designs so I thought to ask Fabien a few questions.

First of all let’s talk about you, where are you based and everyday life?
I am Fabien Barral and I live in France. I used to work from my country house located in the middle of France for the past 8 years but moved back in the south last year… just to move again to another house last month because it is in the middle of an organic vineyard with a large garden. I can go to my daughter’s school by foot and have a larger office that I ever had! I am a freelance designer for almost 4 years now, before that I worked as an art director for 6 years in an agency.

You have a very distinct style which tells me that design is more than a job to you. Where it all started to become what it is now?
It has always been like that – it did not start, it was in my DNA. I never had any talent in drawing… just ask me something to simply reproduce with a pencil and it would look terrible!!! This was frustrating when I was a child, so I started cutting out magazines and do comps with them. My mother showed me those comps the other day, funny !! Later, I started playing with Xerox. Then computer came in my life and I could express myself… but not with computer alone, with all the images I liked and could get hold of in second hand book markets, things that could be textures, and made my images to look what they are. My wife Frédérique does amazing watercolours, textures and other shapes and stuff I use in my work… so yes, it is not a job, it is an everyday living philosophy.

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