Alumni: Matthieu Verlaine, letterer, a job where you work with your hands

You are a letter painter. Is the lettering profession too little known in the design sector, especially by corporate sponsors?

My job is difficult to name because it is a mixture of several disciplines, the name that best encompasses all of my activity is "lettermaker". It is a combination of the know-how of art director, typographer, calligrapher and letter painter. I try to master all the tools and techniques to be able to create and paint on any type of support, tangible as digital. The job of lettering is not so unknown in the design sector, more and more advertising agencies, branding, events or architectural firms call on this know-how as they would call on illustrators.

What are companies specifically looking for when they hire your work?

I work on a wide variety of subjects such as the creation of logos, visual identity, painting frescoes, signs or designing hooks for advertising campaigns. I think the companies that appeal to my profile are looking for the handmade aspect, the authenticity and the roughness which give cachet and sincerity to a lettering when the use of fonts begins to show its limits. We take liberties and tickle the typographical rules while staying technically in the nails. 

What makes up the day-to-day of your job?

Every day is different and that's what makes me want to get up every morning, I can work with paper and pencil from my studio on a logotype, refine a visual on the iPad or on Illustrator on the terrace of a coffee and find myself the next day painting a wall at the top of a ladder at the client's or doing calligraphy live in front of the public. There is no routine and I can go from a 100% screen day to a day painting a vespa outside in the sun. The only point common to all these projects is the creative process, whether the finality is digital or painted, there is always a phase of reflection/concept/monitoring, of sketching by hand and fine-tuning the visual.

 

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What do you enjoy most about your current job? What do you like least about your current job?

What I like most about my current job it's the lack of routine, the fact of working with my hands like a craftsman and of being very few to exercise this activity, it strengthens the links and it pushes to meet others. We almost all know each other, in France and on the other side of the planet.

For what I like least: Painting when it feels like -10° and losing my fingers, having hail in 20-minute slots and having to paint between two showers outdoors like a samurai.
Ah and finally the passersby who all agreed to make the same joke to all the painters in letters of the earth "It's not right" "There's a fault hehehe" but deep down we love them secretly!

Does the evolution of your career resemble your aspirations during your studies?

I wasn't particularly drawn to typography during my graduate studies, not because I didn't like it but because I hadn't had the click yet and the approach was technical and rigorous but these are essential bases that allow you to take liberties afterwards. I worked in the world of video games at Ubisoft, in branding at Seenk and in advertising at Rosapark to end up doing lettering, I think I needed to try different disciplines to find my way. The crazy point is that my job today allows me to work with all the areas I've been through before, I had the chance to paint 5 frescoes at Ubisoft, I work regularly with Seenk on design projects. visual identity and with Rosapark and other advertising agencies on campaigns.

 

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"Meetings made during internships and work-study programs play a major role in my daily activity"

Your advice for a student who wants to work in artistic direction?

I think you shouldn't be afraid oftry different branches until we find the one that really makes us vibrate, there is no bad experience or bad direction and we always learn something that will serve us in the future.
The advantage of training as an artistic director is that it opens up a lot of different outlets and that you are not locked into a pre-determined path. It's normal to be a little confused at first, we've all been, but I am convinced that you can reinvent your career and your profession throughout your life if you wish.

Does the school network play a role in your professional activity?

Le first school network and one of the most important is friends, following the studies everyone goes to work in different fields, different agencies but the connections remain.
Meetings made during internships and work-study also play a big role in my daily activity, projects often come from former colleagues who have left to work elsewhere.

What is your professional, creative and/or relational objective in the years to come?

My creative goal for the years to come would be to continue doing what I love with ease, always testing new styles, experimenting and above all painting on new supports.
I had the opportunity to paint large walls, signs, motorcycle helmets, mobs, Vespas, my goal for the future would be to paint advertising vehicles like Jacky Georges on the Tour de France in the years 70 or in a more modern approach to the Ornamental Conifer.

Discover his universe on his website!