Yorgo Tloupas: the most sought-after art director in France is Greek

Parisian Yorgo’s communicative begins with the legendary car mag “Intersection” that circulated successful the depths of the ’90s, an excuse to present him to the then, astatine least, prosperous Anglo-Saxon world. Intersection was an planetary mag astir car culture, combining design, fashion, creation and architecture astir the taxable of motoring. Yorgo Tloupas was co-founder and creation manager of the French Intersection Magazine successful the aboriginal ’00s, and so it was 1 of the projects that established him successful planetary design. The mag stood retired due to the fact that it did not bounds itself to the method presumption of cars, but treated them arsenic a taste object, with a bold ocular language, beardown typography and photographs that were much reminiscent of a manner mag than a classical “automotive press”.

He began his travel with large French media brands successful 2013, erstwhile helium took implicit arsenic creation manager of the French variation of Vanity Fair, mounting the foundations for the magazine’s typography, individuality and ocular character, a presumption helium held until 2021. A fewer years later, successful 2017, she worked with Ricard to wholly redesign its ocular identity, introducing a caller logo featuring the missive “R” made of sunbursts and reviving elements from its historical heritage.

In 2022, connected the juncture of the brand’s 90th anniversary, helium created a peculiar summertime variation honoring Marseille, connecting Ricard with its Mediterranean roots done modern typographic patterns. Finally, successful precocious 2023 and into 2024, helium oversaw different refresh of Ricard’s graphic codes, introducing a caller iconic emblem—the yellowish prima circle—which replaced the 2017 “R,” marking a “redesign of the redesign.”

He past worked with GQ, the hugely fashionable French play Paris-Match, luxury ticker brands, and adjacent his ain skis and snowboard brand, Black Crows. Notably, helium besides opened a Greek café, Yorgaki, successful Paris.

On moving with large design-focused brands:
“You’ve worked with brands that are institutions successful design. What bash you spot arsenic the communal traits of clients who genuinely put successful design?”

“It’s virtually an past issue. The operation ‘Art and Commerce’ has the aforesaid meaning contiguous arsenic it did successful 500 BC. A businessperson successful 2025 has the aforesaid involvement successful making their marque charismatic arsenic a craftsman selling pottery successful the Pompeii market. The immense majority, if not all, of my clients recognize the worth of design; otherwise, they wouldn’t attack me. Their communal trait is simply a desire—sometimes adjacent a necessity—to contiguous themselves successful the champion imaginable way. In B2C companies, similar a cosmetics marque oregon a magazine, it’s indispensable to win successful a competitory market. In B2B companies, similar a instrumentality steadfast oregon an concern fund, it’s much of a desire, since aesthetics successful these areas are not synonymous with success. I’m ever amazed by immense commercialized successes built connected impersonal, banal, adjacent unattractive aesthetics. Amazon and Google built their past connected logos that would person failed my plan classes.”

On navigating economical crises arsenic an entrepreneur:
“I stay optimistic and confident. I was already this mode successful 2008, during the existent crisis. Today, I don’t announcement immoderate important alteration successful the fig of caller clients oregon their budgets. Everyone needs bully design, and astatine Yorgo&Co we are fortunate to enactment crossed galore sectors, from luxury manner to technology, health, and sports. If I worked lone for LVMH and Kering, I’d beryllium much concerned.”

On artificial quality successful originative professions:
“I already usage AI; it’s a caller instrumentality that tin beryllium effectual for probe oregon creating notation images, for example. For different uses, determination are inactive galore limits, particularly successful logo design. Paradoxically, AI doesn’t enactment present yet. The logo I made for Ricard—a elemental yellowish circle—would ne'er person been projected by AI: excessively simple, excessively obvious, yet precise subtle. Ultimately, my profession—or alternatively my professions—are astir making choices, and AI doesn’t choose, it suggests. So determination volition ever beryllium a infinitesimal erstwhile a last determination indispensable beryllium made, and you indispensable cognize however to marque it. Some businesspeople mightiness deliberation they don’t request a plan studio, but the marketplace volition answer, and the look ‘Art and Commerce’ volition summation its afloat meaning erstwhile income diminution owed to mediocre creator choices by the boss, aided by AI.”

On engaging caller generations of consumers (Gen Z, Millennials):
“Not really; everything ever works successful cycles. Teenagers connected the thoroughfare contiguous formal similar Britney Spears successful 1999. In immoderate case, I ne'er enactment to fulfill passing trends. I anticipation my enactment is timeless, and I’ve tried to support that since the precocious 1990s. Some projects I did successful 2000, similar the ocular individuality for the Le Printemps de Cahors festival, could person been made successful 1972 oregon today—I situation anyone to day them visually.”

Advice for entrepreneurs launching a caller marque today:
“Work successful a tract you are passionate about. If you emotion underwear, motorboat an underwear brand; if you emotion video games, make a video game; and if, similar me, you emotion surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing, past motorboat a skis brand!”

Website: www.yorgo.co