Interview with Jérôme Bizien
For this year's AllesPost- MusikFest!, taking place on Saturday 30th May at Dynamo/Werk 21 in Zurich, we collaborated with Jérôme Bizien for the flyers and posters, and we are very delighted with the designs.
I have come across a lot of Jérôme's work since the beginning of Reverb Dream - most notably with the Kombinat Festival, Gaswerk in Winterthur, Rote Fabrik in Zurich, as well as the album art for the Shattered Mind Machine - and I am a big fan of his visuals.
Having created such a large collection of wonderful posters for more than a decade, I had always wanted to know about his journey and his creation process.
It was also interesting to see the steps of the design for the posters and flyer first hand, and we would like to thank him for the superb end product, his ability to make the collaboration to go so smoothly and for his patience.
I would also like to thank him for his replies to know more about the person behind the artwork we see often across Switzerland.
History
Tell us about your background.
I’m French, I was born in 1989 and grew up in Finistère sud, Bretagne.
How did you get into graphic design?
As a kid, I liked comic books (we call them bande dessinée), movies, album covers, and video games. Everything visual. Over the years, I got more interested in graphic design and around 16, I decided to dive deeper into it, especially regarding album covers. A couple of years later, I went to an art school in Rennes to do a bachelor's before going to do a Master's Degree at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB).
How did your journey lead you to making posters for concerts?
I got in touch with either bands or clubs where cool bands were playing and asked them if they needed a poster. I wanted to create something nice for the concert I wanted to attend. The first club poster I created was for The Datsuns (who I love) at ISC Bern in 2013.
Were there certain posters/album artwork/designers that you liked when you were younger?
I didn’t know any names, but album covers were always very important for me. I remember being a small kid, looking at them in my big brother's room while listening to some music. Some of the earlier memories I have are Nirvana’s Nevermind and In Utero, Deep Purple In Rock (what a cover!), Homogenic from Björk, Nada Surf’s High/Low, The Velvet Underground (an absolute classic cover) and probably many more.
Do you play any instruments? Were you in any bands?
No, never.
The creative process
Tell us about how a collaboration works (from the first contact until its completion)
Usually, I try to keep things simple. Basically, I need to have the information required on the artworks (band's name or album, info, and date for a poster, etc.), and that’s enough for me to get started. Sometimes, people have seen a specific artwork that they like, or I ask for one, if this is a first collaboration, so I can see the style we want to have. Later, it is the usual back and forth between versions until it’s finished.
How does it feel when a project is completed?
It’s great, you can enjoy it for a moment and feel you did something cool, while helping people reach their communication goals. And then the next project comes, so you’re back at it. It’s a bit like cooking a great meal, savouring it and then cook another one.
Do you see your posters in the streets? What feeling does it give you to see your work in public?
Sometimes, depending on where the concerts are. I also see them in the venues if I’m around. It’s always cool, it’s fun.
Looking back
What have your highlights been so far?
Working for venues and artists around the world, been invited to numerous exhibitions, have had my work published or printed, and people buying my artworks just because they like it and not because they know me.
Which posters are you most proud of?
I really like these three:
I’m quite happy with most of what I’m doing, even the old stuff.
What tips could you give to others who would be interested in creating posters/album artwork?
Practice and networking are very important. Do as much design as possible. And get in touch with people, get to know each other, take part in a local scene, those kinds of things.
The music scene in Switzerland
What are your thoughts on the music scene in Switzerland?
I think it’s great and very diverse. People who say that nothing happens in Switzerland are delusional and need to search a bit more, because there are a lot of wonderful clubs, bands, and people. There are so many concerts, you never get bored, especially if you can travel a bit.
What are your favourite bands/albums by Swiss artists?
There’s a lot: Lord Kesseli and the Drums, The Shattered Mind Machine, Sooma, Zuckerbecker, Rorcal, Trounce, S.G.A.T.V., Bikini Beach, Penkowski, Save My Skin, Arbre Bizarre, Leopardo, Disco Doom, Messina, Fomies, Mischgewebe, Autobahns, Bit-tuner, Thymian, The Jimmys, The Lovers, Crimer, Blind Butcher, Disagony, Ape Rites, to name a few.
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