The Studio.

Who is behind the studio?

Marion Mège

What is your background?

By training and profession, I am an Artistic Director. I did a literary baccalaureate in Plastic Arts and then studied Applied Arts in Lyon in order to a Graphic Designer / DA. The Visual Communication BTS in my pocket, I then worked for 8 years in a communication agency (print & web) and then I set up on my own in 2014.

Furthermore, the desire to express myself differently through illustration prompted me to create Les manies de Marion® in 2019, a creative office bringing together illustration and graphic design. Two complementary activities, linked by the same DNA and the same mission: to create pleasing, moving, poetic and elegant visual universes. I always support brands in the creation of their visual identity and I create illustrations and patterns dedicated to the fashion, decoration and stationery sectors.

Describe your style.

Poetic, joyful, delicate.

What are your main inspirations / influences ?

I think I draw my inspiration from everything around me. Nature (a lot), everyday moments, my emotions, the objects I love, my memories, my children. I draw on a lot of reading, design magazines, painting and photography books, exhibitions, music …

Which place inspires you the most?

Originally from the South of France, I love when I go back there, the last part of the journey when we arrive at the end of the afternoon. This long road bordered with fields of fruit trees, stone farmhouses, lavender, wheat, poppies, warm and contrasting light, the hills, the mill, the hilltop villages ... Everything is there, a parade of poetry! It has an immediate soothing effect.

What sets off your passion for prints?

When I was a child, my mother (a building contractor) drew with a rotring and made all kinds of repetitive lines and graphics to represent partitions, trees, floors. And when she was on the phone, she spent her time scribbling little graphic elements with a black pen. As she was self-employed and worked at home, I saw her do this all the time and I found the result magnificent!

Later, it was certain graphic identities and then the prints on clothes and decorative objects that fascinated me. Graphic designer at heart, I love the visual rhythm created by the repetition of a drawing, the story it tells and the fantasy that a pattern brings into our daily lives.

Your first print memories.

That duvet cover on my parents' bed when I was little. I loved it, very poetic with its birds and pastel colors.

Describe your creation process.

I always have a notebook with me or not very far away because ideas come all the time! On this notebook I draw the idea very quickly so as not to forget it.

Then, I use the iPadPro a lot but I draw almost all the time beforehand on paper, most often with a black felt-tip pen.

I also use gouache, felt-tip pens, colored pencils because on the one hand I like these mediums and on the other hand it allows me to transpose the effects of materials and colors when I draw on the iPad. From time to time, drawings or paintings are also used in a "rough" way to construct my designs.

I also spend a lot of time choosing my shades in order to create harmonious and aesthetic universes.

Everything is finalized and connected on Photoshop.

What is your favorite medium to work with and why?

Drawing without any doubt. And also selling what I have done, it is still the goal Knowing that my work seduces or moves someone is a great pleasure!

While working, what do you listen?

Lots of music and lots of podcasts too! For music it's very varied: pop, classical, electro, jazz, French scene, soul, world music ... my spotify is a real catch-all! Podcasts are also very present because I need intellectual nourishment (and it makes a kind of presence also when you work alone). I like podcasts that talk about personal development, creativity, parentalism, feminism, …

What is your job's favorite part ?

Drawing without any doubt. And also selling what I have done, it is still the goal Knowing that my work seduces or moves someone is a great pleasure!

What type of product / sector do you mainly work for ?

Women's and children's fashion, stationery, decoration and brand universes.

What do you want to accomplish in the future?

I would like to exhibit at one or more shows, if all goes well, 2021 should allow me to carry out this project.

The biggest challenge you had to handle as a designer?

Working on multiple projects at the same time requiring different energies and know-how. These are intense but exciting times.

What advice would you like to give to new designers who are just starting out?

Be yourself, draw inside yourself to produce the best creations, be on the lookout, train, exchange with those who are a little more advanced on the way because it is really precious and for my part when I do that I only encounter benevolence. Say to yourself that yes, there is competition but yes also, there is room for everyone ;)