Lyon, August 4th, 2021

Based in Montreal but with an international focus, Locomotive does real business in the digital era.

With a team of less than 30, this digital-first design agency has been elevating the game of remarkable organizations since 2006, consistently delivering stellar brands and websites while educating and accompanying clients.

Bastien Allard is the Art Director at Locomotive, currently based in Lyon. In an interview with TIA, he described his personal journey in the design world and listed the features that make Locomotive stand out.

He went through some recent projects produced by the agency and described his dream design project.

To kick things off please can you describe to us a little bit about your city and why it is a great place to work?

I’ve been working and living in Lyon, France for about 7 years now and I really appreciate the scale of this city. It’s big but not too much, you can pretty much go around the city by bike in a day if you have enough willpower not to stop at all the pubs and restaurants we have. It’s not too crowded either, which is also a big plus for me.

French cities often have this mix of old and new architectures that I really appreciate. I feel like there’s a great culture of design here, a lot of talented people to meet and share ideas with. Well, Covid weren’t allowing the design and web communities to meet much lately, but hopefully things will change soon.

All that being said, I must admit that I can’t wait to meet the whole team in Montreal as soon as possible and discover the city.

Tell us about your personal journey. How did you find yourself being an Art Director?

My journey to becoming an art director is a bit weird. Firstly, I fell into the design world by downloading Photoshop 5.0 by mistake on Emule or something like that. From there, I couldn’t stop playing around with the software. At this time – around 2005 I think – I was pretty involved in the French e-sport community, working and redacting for various esports websites for several years. Slowly switching from the digital artwork world to the web design world.

I then decided to give a try at frontend development, which I did for a few years. I felt like it was necessary to understand how the web works behind the scenes if I wanted to create great websites and experiences. After a while, I felt like it was time for me to switch back to my main interests: design and art direction more globally.

Also, being self taught really helped me overcome a lot of things and focus on what I really want to do. It may be harder sometimes, but in the end it’s for the best.

What makes Locomotive stand out?

I think the Locomotive style, which to me is a smart mix of swiss design inspiration and today’s trends, mixed with the interactive possibilities that the web has to offer that makes our projects stand out. The sweet touches of animations given here and there also adds singularity to our work.

I joined Locomotive almost a year ago now, and what struck me the most is the culture of saying “bravo” and sharing our appreciation with each other. I can’t go in length
about it here, but Jean-Francois wrote a great piece about that subject that you can read here.

To put it simply, I’d say we’re a bunch of passionate people who seek to create the best out of every project.

What upcoming initiatives do you find particularly exciting?

I think NFTs and more generally the digital art world would be an interesting thing to watch grow in the future. It’s not directly linked to our work, but I’ve seen a lot of beautiful projects in the last few months, and I really love to see artists interact with their crowd. I can also see a lot of applications outside of the art world and am very curious to see where all of this will lead us.

Of all the projects your agency has produced, which one are you most proud of?

I think one of our latest releases, k72.ca is one of my personal favorites. I really love the smart use of type and video, the smooth animations and navigation through the whole website. But we have a lot of cool things coming out sooner or later.

In your opinion, what ingredients are key to create a successful project within art direction?

Meaning and content. It’s not the best fonts, the latest trendy colors, the smooth animation that will make a great and successful project, but more the meaning of your designs. It comes with the comprehension you have about the project, if you researched about the subject you’re dealing with.

Sure, it’s vital to create something pleasing for the eyes, but what purpose does it have if it’s meaningless. We’re designers not artists even if the border is sometimes thin. The ability to hierarchise information is the next thing to look for. Also, do not hesitate to push for new concepts and ideas, but be ok with them being challenged or rejected.

Every experience has an emotional component, and using products is no different. What is your approach to design positive emotions to keep users happy and engaged?

I think it’s a matter of keeping the users surprised in a good way with fun interactions and having this connection with them, giving them the will to really dive into the project.

What would be your dream design project or collaboration to be a part of?

Definitely working with a video game studio and their digital identity from scratch. Being a fan of video games since I first touched a PC more than 20 years ago, this has been a dream project since then.

What new ideas in immersive experiences are you excited about?

I’d like to see the use of webGL democratized a bit more, with a smart use of its possibilities. A lot of incredibles projects are already here.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

As I shared it just before, the best piece of advice I’ve ever received was to add more meaning to my designs. I was so focused on trying to make it look good that I often forgot that.

I’ll add my own two cents to this: feel free to do your thing and believe in it. Go beyond expectations but do it smartly, and don’t overdo it either, don’t feel too attached to your work.

Who was or still is your mentor?

That’s a tricky one since I wouldn’t be able to choose just one name. But when I was younger I was very influenced and inspired by the works of Ars Thanea and more specifically Peter Joworowsky, and I still am to this day. But regarding the web industry, there’s way too many talented folks out there to be able to just name one.

What is your ideal working environment?

Before Covid I would have said an open-space with flexible hours, but now I think a mix of WFH and going to the agency would be the best.

Thanks Bastien!

Learn more about Locomotive

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