The core of design lies in a unique mix of observation, gut feeling, and emotional engineering. This interview, based on a direct conversation with Florian Nicolle, explores the in-between space where skill and perception come together.
Florian Nicolle started with a love for bold advertising visuals and grew into a skilled career in graphic design and illustration. He built a style that mixes emotion, immediacy, and precision. His art balances free-flowing expression with realism, transforming complex ideas into simple, eye-catching designs. In this conversation, he reflects on the evolution of his style, the challenge of interpreting unspoken client expectations, and the principles that shape illustrations designed not just to attract attention, but to hold it. He also shares his perspective on how design is changing with artificial intelligence and why keeping the human heart in creative work matters so much.
1. Why have you decided to step into design field? What inspires you and why?
I’ve always been drawn to beautiful images, and especially advertising images, since I was very young. No doubt because each one conveys a powerful, often immediate message, and is designed to naturally capture the viewer’s attention. As I grew up, this attraction became a clear path: I pursued graphic design studies, I got a degree in graphic design. It was throughout this journey that I honed my visual sensibility and developed my creative language. Later, I went deeper into personal expression, which led me to specialize in illustration. This medium allows me to convey emotions and energy, at the service of advertising.
2. How do you measure the success of your design?
I primarily measure the success of my work by client satisfaction. When I’m commissioned, it’s because the client has a specific idea in mind and trusts me to translate it visually. My role is to give form to this vision, regardless of my personal tastes, while respecting the brief, the context, and the project’s objective. When it comes to a personal illustration, my criteria shift. I then seek the right balance between spontaneity and realism. My goal is to convey as much information and emotion as possible with as few elements as possible, maintaining a fresh, clear, and minimalist illustration.
"My goal is to convey as much information and emotion as possible with as few elements as possible, maintaining a fresh, clear, and minimalist illustration."
3. What is your biggest challenge in design creation process?
I believe that one of the most complex aspects of being an illustrator, and indeed of any creative profession, is the ability to understand the client’s implicit expectations. It’s not simply about executing a brief, but about interpreting an intention, which may still be vague or poorly formulated. Sometimes there’s a gap between what’s expressed in the brief and what the client actually expects from the final result. In these situations, my role is to support and guide, offering relevant and coherent solutions while respecting their vision. The challenge is to create a constructive dialogue, without ever being confrontational, in order to arrive at an illustration that fully meets their objectives.
4. What principles do you follow when creating attention-grabbing design?
In the art world, rules are rarely absolute. Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula for creating an attention-grabbing design. Every project, context, and audience demands a different approach. That said, as I mentioned earlier, I’m particularly drawn to the balance between spontaneity and realism. This tension creates images that are both immediate and grounded in reality, allowing them to naturally capture the viewer’s attention. Beyond technique, I believe that what truly makes a design powerful is its ability to convey emotion or energy. When an illustration resonates emotionally, or looks alive – thanks to its energy – it becomes memorable and meaningful, far more than just a visual appeal.
5. What, in your opinion, will be the future of design? Or the next big change?
I think the biggest challenge for us, creatives of the “old world”, will be to demonstrate the value and relevance of human work, and to convince people of the benefit of using real creatives rather than solutions based solely on artificial intelligence.
6. How do you consciously guide the viewer’s eye within an illustration – through composition, contrast, or visual hierarchy?
I always focus the viewer’s attention in my portraits on the gaze; other, less expressive facial features are sometimes only minimally represented, or even absent, such as the ears or hair. In sports illustrations, I primarily direct attention toward texture, movement, and energy. Color contrast also plays a major role.
7. Was there a specific project that forced your style to evolve or break its own rules?
Clients approach me because they appreciate my style and want me to create one or more illustrations precisely within that aesthetic. I therefore almost never encounter difficulties related to stylistic direction. However, originally my work was very minimalist and artistic ; over time, and in response to requests, it has evolved toward more realism, which I associate with a certain softening of the style. We have to know how to adapt to clients’ needs.
8. Can you share an example of a brief that was especially difficult to interpret – and how you resolved it?
The brief is almost always similar: I’m told the intended use of the future illustration, shown a few pieces from my portfolio that they like (the style to follow), and then asked to redraw one or more provided references, usually with some modifications. “Redraw this player based on the reference, but replace the jersey with the current season’s one.”
“Redraw this player based on the reference, but replace the jersey with the current season’s one.”
9. What’s the difference, in your view, between an image that is eye-catching and one that is truly memorable?
I think the essential thing is to offer a distinct style: even if it isn’t yet technically refined, its uniqueness will allow it to be noticed. I would say that perfectly copying an existing style is like creating a shadow – faithful, certainly, but still only a shadow.
I would say that perfectly copying an existing style is like creating a shadow - faithful, certainly, but still only a shadow.
10. Where do you see AI tools being genuinely useful to illustrators without replacing the human core of the work?
I do not consider AI useful for someone who was already drawing without it. In my case, it mainly serves my clients: some generate royalty-free references when they don’t have any. From my side, my working process has never changed.
About the Designer
Florian Nicolle works as a graphic designer and illustrator creating portraiture, sports imagery, and advertising visuals. Known for his focus on gaze, texture, and emotional immediacy, he continues to collaborate with various brands and agencies on both commercial projects and editorial designs.
