Artistic duo, Gilles & Cecilie, want their art to have an impact on their environment. A multi-disciplinary creative team, they create illustrations, interiors, installations, and wall paintings, and have worked for brands like Nissan, diet Pepsi, and the Guardian. While Cecile is Norwegian, Gilles is French. The two met while studying graphic design at Central Saint Martins, and have since joined forces, working around the world and around the clock.
“Since we graduated from Central Saint Martins we have always been searching for new challenges and new types of work,” they told The Association of Illustrators. “We did not want to specialize in one technique or style but to always develop ourselves and to be creative. We wanted to be a team that could solve problems, come up with ideas and concepts as well as visuals.”
“Creativity is a great skill to have when running a business, and it’s useful to have an analytical mind,” they add. “We complement each other well in our studio and discuss where new opportunities lie ahead. We believe planning and strategic thinking has to be a part of every business and life in general. Once we make a list of what we want to achieve we make spider diagrams to map out how to get there, and who could be our future commissioners.”
With a strong belief that their creativity can help communicate important issues, they have also been involved in many educational projects. “It is exciting to research, collaborate, and to create programs that are challenging and that make the audience think,” says Cecile.
“Every time we meet a new group of students or professionals we have to analyze how we are doing things. What are our procedures? What is creativity? How do we run our studio? How do we get ideas across? Going through all these questions regularly helps us to make potential changes within our practice as well as discuss with others how they work. I always learn as much as I teach.”
Their work will add a pop of color (and inspiration) to your feed:
