A rare interview with graphic designer Damien Poulain reveals his pet peeves, a rather idiosyncratic approach to working for Uniqlo and the secret of his success.
French graphic designer Damien Poulain begins this session by interviewing SUPERSWEET. He casually reels off a handful of questions as though he’d stepped into our stylish, open-plan studio and sat down on our Harry Bertoia wire chairs especially for the purpose.
On the surface, he’s stylish, laid-back, grounded and easy to communicate with, but like his work he’s also smartly-tuned to the point of clever distraction as good as any magician, because right now he’s directing our attention away from himself and avoiding interrogation
But SUPERSWEET cannot be fooled. We manage to unearth some intriguing facts about this successful one-man enterprise; how he doesn’t like being photographed because posing is unnatural or the fact he hardly ever gives an interview - perhaps three at most in the gamut of his career. So why did he allow SUPERSWEET into his studio at The Print Factory? “Well, you’ve got to do these things sometimes”. We suppose you do.
Grafik, issue 122, 2004
He’s walked with giants (Nike, Adidas, Uniqlo, Tank, Dazed & Confused) and while his skill works as silently as a surgeon’s scalpel, he flirtatiously works in his own face where possible on these global campaigns.
“You see this one I did for Uniqlo? The picture of the Englishman in the bowler hat? That’s me!” he chuckles. “I never tell anyone I’m putting myself into my work. They just look at it and go, ‘Okay, I like it, good.’ They never realise it’s me. It’s fun”.
Damien’s been settled in Dalston since 2002 and considers the East London vibe; “I’m in love with London. I got into it through Drum n’ Bass back when I was 16 and I’d come over here with my friends to visit the clubs in Hoxton. But it was so expensive living here the first time. I couldn’t afford it. At first when I moved to England I was living in the dark.”
You mean living in a cardboard box and eating beans? “Yes, haha.” Although it’s hard to believe this looking at where he is now. “It’s really quick here. I arrived and it was like, whoosh! Up the ladder you go! Everywhere else in the world is so slow. It takes ten years at least before you’ve made it.
“Though I built up networks here very quickly. I would go and see clients door-to-door and meet the faces of people. You should never be intimidated by big businesses or companies because nearly always there’s just two people you’re dealing with. Oh, and never beg!”
Uniqlo paper no.3, 2007
is talent perhaps owes much to his formative itinerant nature. “I moved in different countries… I don’t want to be stuck in one mentality, one school of thought. You go train at different schools and people there all look the same, not the same, but there is a certain set school of thought in which graphic design comes from in each country, like Germany, like Spain. The way you approach a project is very important.”
What was it like working for Nike and Uniqlo?
“Great, really nice working for Uniqlo. Your work has to fit with the whole identity of the clothes: lively, really colourful and playful. I really like a challenge, lots of freedom and space to move around. When you’re commissioned by Nike it’s by someone that’s really at the edge of the company, and there’s no one around, so it can be difficult to communicate.
“I like a good challenge, but if I don’t feel a real connection between myself and the client, I’ll say no. It’s all about intuition. I haven’t been in a position to subvert any brand yet - it’s too difficult. Though if I could it’d be really amazing.”
Who would that be? “Hmm. Names are not important...”
Damien draws his eyes away, laughing avertedly as though he’s divulged too much and suddenly regrets it. When we ask what he’d most like to have in his life, besides subverting a major brand, he cannot seem to answer. “I’m not in a rush to do anything. Things arise organically. I just follow the movements.”
But then his smile is once more gregarious as he turns his attention on us and asks, “Why, what would you most like to have?” Oh no, Damien, you’re not pulling that one again.
Words: Tiffany Tondut
Photography: Linda Brownlee