Uniting and Inspiring the Collective Art Directors of France
Sylvain Thirache, founder and Europe chief creative officer at Sid Lee, was recently elected as the president of the French Club of Art Directors (and unanimously at that). Succeeding Marie-Catherine Dupuy, who will retain various missions within the association, Sylvain is keen to continue the Club’s journey to represent those who apply the artistic arts to communication.
LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to him about his plans in this new role as an advocate for French art directors.
LBB> Congratulations on being named President of the Club des Directeurs Artistiques. We heard you were elected unanimously – that’s amazing. Let’s start off by telling me a bit about the club and what it means in France.
Sylvain> Well, the club, Club of Art Directors in English, began over 50 years ago and has been hugely important for those in the creative industry, especially in terms of communication. It’s definitely not a more traditional French profession, but over the last five decades it has become so more and more. The Club is a way to not only share inspiration but also stories and experiences. Every year the association puts out a ‘best of’ yearbook so now we have this wonderful anthology of the best of French advertising since its development.
LBB> Speaking of which, the Club also has an annual competition, correct?
Sylvain> Yes! And a student competition. It’s friendly and allows us to challenge ourselves, within our community, and push ourselves to all be more creative, more daring. It’s a real leg up for students as well, to learn how to compete, how to pitch, and how to better themselves, get a real inside look.
LBB> What do you see your presidency being about?
Sylvain> I’m really looking forward to exploring new bridges of creativity. Bringing more art – be it music, painting, dance, and more – to the mix to create the unexpected. We have access to so much material and inspiration from around the world now, let’s see what we can do.
LBB> The industry is going through so many changes right now, good transformations towards diversity, and forced transformations like these past few years under Covid. How do you plan on handling that as president?
Sylvain> I welcome all transformations. Obviously, diversity is key. At Sid Lee, we’ve always been keen on giving people opportunities no matter their background, be that skin tone, education, career path, you name it. That philosophy sort of goes hand in hand with our times. So many people have uncovered hidden talents and are keen on developing new skills. This is the time to welcome everyone with open arms and talk about different visions.
