Fabien Barral is known for uniquely textured work that is layered and colorful. He is also the creative mind behind Graphic-Exchange, a premier source of design inspiration. The Journal had the opportunity to interview Mr Barral. Here is what we asked him:

How did you get started in design and graphics?

School was not my cup of tea, and I always feel stupid learning things I don’t care for. At the end of my regular school courses, there was a forum to present working life to young, unprepared people. I saw this amazing school where you can design magazines and CD sleeves. That’s a job? Good … I get into it, I love it and I never stop. It wasn’t so long ago – 12 years ago – but, believe it or not, it was a time without internet and Photoshop layers!

What inspires you? Who do you look to for visual inspiration?

I am that kind of designer that needs to eat thousands and thousands of images before going into the creative phase. Most of the time I do mood-boards of what I love and can feature on the project, and when I am not on the computer – driving, walking in the street – images and concepts come to my mind. I don’t really know how, but it happens. Sincerely, it also happens when i fall asleep: not when i sleep, when i fall asleep. This curious moment where you are not awake but not gone enough to not remember…

Also, I remember reading a Michael Stipe interview (REM lead singer). He said that when he started to record a new album he needed to listen to the old one to be sure he can do it again. I feel the same, I need to have an updated portfolio to check what I have done to make me feel confident. The creative phase is always difficult and full of doubts; I hate this feeling.

The words Creation, Emotion and Inspiration occur repeatedly throughout your work. Why do you use these words?

Because they sum up the creative project as a circle. When you feel a positive emotion, by seeing an image for example, it inspires you. When you feel inspired you can create, and your creation can give an emotion to someone, who will be inspired and create again and again.

Also, it is important to know you can be creative in everything, not only in design. You can be creative with cooking, in giving a gift to your wife when she does not expect it, etc.

What are your favorite typefaces to use?

I have a lot. I get the question every 3 days. My definitive favorite is Disturbance, the one in my logo, and you can get it on FontShop.

Your work is very inky, very splattered. What is your typical process? How much of this is digital?

My wife is also a painter, and she is the best for inky things. When I have something in mind, I simply tell her and she does amazing stuff that I can scan and integrate in my work.

Many of your posters and wall stickers have design statements and design mottos. How do you come up with them?

I always like these short sentences that tell you a simple thing, but you never put it in these words. Over the years I have noticed a lot of them, and, as I am a designer, of course, particularly ones related to design. I won’t come back to each, especially because I have no idea where I read them first, but some have a nice story :

The best designers are the ones who find good clients.

It is the most important for me, because without good clients you can’t do a good project. I read this one in an interview with the French designer duet Antoine & Manuel.

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

Said by Albert Einstein. We all know he was a genius, but he always said that if he did not imagine the impossible, he could not prove it.

What was the motivation and inspiration behind Harmonie Intérieure?

In 2007, with my wife, Frédérique, we decided to create our online shop, to sell our creations. I was like my clients, I needed an identity. I can put in that project all that I have in mind, things that never found the right project to express themselves. I have a hard drive full of sources: photos, textures, and old papers I buy at second-hand markets and scan over the years. I love old books in very bad condition because I know they will provide great textures, and the sellers sell them to me very cheap because they think I am crazy. This constant research of materials give me unique tools for my creations.

I always liked the word ‘harmony,’ because it is the base of graphic design work. You need this harmony between the images, the fonts, the colors, the designer and the client. It was for home decoration, so Frédérique wanted to add ‘inside’ and we thought, “Of course!” (Intérieure is French for interior.) We had the name. We needed to do everything: create the company, the visuals and the products. Then we designed all these wall stickers. Most of them are font works, as I love to have messages on the wall, and it works.

What gave you the idea to start Graphic-Exchange?

The first idea was a way to organize all the images that inspired me. Also, I was sad to see that some websites disappeared. (The one by Jennifer Sterling, for example. A lot of people contact me because my site is the only place where you can see her amazing work.) With the usual blog you have a link to a site and you have to find out, by yourself, whether you like it or not. My idea was to have the images directly on the site. It is much work, but so useful.

Is all of the work submitted or do you find some of it?

Now, most of them are works I have found. Sorry to say, most of the submissions are not interesting.

What have you learned by running it?

That the best way for being recongized is to talk about other people, not yourself. It is the same in everyday life: if you show interest to someone, if you listen to him, your relation will have a good base. That’s why most submissions do not work.

All images courtesy of Fabien Barral.