Testimonial: Gustave Dürr, Year 5, Identity Design
Gustave has just passed his defense in Identity Design, a major at Strate. Also, we asked him about his journey to Strate and this major!
HELLO GUSTAVE, CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN A FEW WORDS?
I am Gustave Dürr. I am 24 years old. I come from Normandy and I think that what defines me the most is drawing. Since childhood, I’ve spent my time drawing. From kindergarten to the margins of my copies in high school, I always had this need to draw as soon as I had a sheet and a pencil.
WHAT WAS YOUR BACKGROUND BEFORE ENTERING STRATE? WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO GO TO STRATE AND WHY?
I discovered Strate when I was in college by learning about the paths that could allow me to make this passion my job. Over time, I put this dream aside, perhaps because of some apprehensions due to a lack of knowledge about what the creative environment could give for my future. I turned to Science when I was in high school with the objective, at that time, of becoming a Biological Engineer. At the time of post-bac registrations, I chose to try a training related to art despite everything, so as not to have any regrets. That’s how I found myself in the middle of the biology competitions to pass that of the fine arts of Rouen.
My choice was very quick then, I was sure I wanted to make art. I spent a year there which allowed me to better define my creative profile. I wanted to continue in the creative space but by finding something more concrete. Design seemed to be the perfect mix. I then re-carried out research on the schools in the field and my choice fell on Strate which I always monitored out of the corner of my eye via articles or television programs. Its location, close to Paris, its museums, its exhibitions, but also the structure of the school (a building on a human scale and bright), as well as education which seemed to me complete and of quality, are the assets which have finished convincing me.
HOW DID INTEREST IN IDENTITY DESIGN COME TO YOU DURING YOUR STUDIES?
My interest in Identity Design was born first of all from my passion for drawing and graphics. It is a department in which expressing oneself through drawing is a real asset and therefore finally allows me to reconcile my lifelong passion and my profession. But it is also a department that I liked by its diversity: whether it is to establish and build a brand consistent with its message, through the packaging of all products that surround us, to the signage of a museum, its applications are extremely varied.
The last thing that drew me to Identity is that by arriving at a design school, we all hope, as much as possible, to succeed in improving the world through our work. Identity is a multitude of current challenges, in direct connection with the world around us. Today we have many examples that highlight the mistakes of the past – a 6th continent of plastic in the middle of the ocean, overflowing landfills. Packaging is no longer just a beautiful envelope; it is also a question of the choice of materials and optimization of their use. You have to think throughout the manufacturing process, use, and second life.
Beyond the packaging, thinking about a brand today also means taking into account external factors, always environmental, but also social, for example. This design department is, therefore, a very good way of achieving this, knowing that our work has a real impact and that we can be useful now and in the future.
HOW WOULD YOU ADVISE A YOUNG PERSON TO JOIN IDENTITY DESIGN AT STRATE AND WHY?
The advice I would give to someone who would like to join this department is to consider things without being limited. Too often before, it has been reduced to packaging, but as I said earlier, it’s much more than that. Identity Design encompasses a wide variety of subjects and a lot of opportunities! So, to all those who have the ability to imagine universes, to tell stories and to shape them, who like to vary the subjects and are interested in everything, you will surely find your happiness in Identity! It is impossible to get bored; each subject is a new unique case that will have to be treated with the same passion as the previous one.
YOU JUST PASSED YOUR DEFENSE. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THIS PAST YEAR? DEFENSES?
What I remember from this last year at Strate, and after the defense, it is above all an atmosphere, specific to the diploma, but also to the design, I think. Among the things that comfort me in the choice I made a few years ago, this atmosphere is a strong point. Whether through the students with whom I associated, those with whom I have become friends for these few years, or even with certain teachers and stakeholders in whom I have seen real examples and with whom I have been able to learn all the more. I think that this atmosphere and this relation specific to design is one of the things that I will remember. I am thinking for this year in particular of the partnership and the follow-up to the diploma.
WHAT DO YOU ENVISAGE FOR THE FUTURE? A DREAM IN PARTICULAR?
I don’t have a specific plan for the future, I just hope to succeed in doing what I mentioned above, to make my work profitable one day, succeed in leading projects that allow me to feel useful, and continue to dream, create and draw! My dream I realize is to make my passion my job. What I can hope for is to have a successful career without ever having the impression of actually working! Fun from start to finish.
Thank you, Gustave!
This article was translated from French. Read the original article here.
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