freelance art director
I build identities that have something to say.
I am Thibaut Abadie Garcia, a freelance art director specialising in brand identity and graphic design.
I work with brands, venues and cultural projects to build distinctive visual worlds,
from strategic thinking to graphic expression.
An approach between art direction
My work always starts with a desire to understand what makes a project unique. Its history, its context, its references and the people behind it become the starting point for a visual direction of its own.
I draw a lot on music, publishing, photography, food and, more broadly, the visual cultures around me. I like to observe how an image, a typeface, a place or a detail can create an atmosphere and tell a story before a word is written.
This curiosity feeds a fairly instinctive approach to creation, which I then test against more structured thinking. The goal is not to follow an aesthetic or a trend, but to find the right visual language for each project, then build a consistent, lasting identity around it.
CULTURE, IMAGE, MUSIC, PLACES
Personal photographs · Thibaut Abadie Garcia
I collect references as much as experiences. A record, a restaurant, a poster, a trip, a photograph or a building can feed an idea. This broad visual culture keeps projects from being locked into a predefined style and lets me build a world of its own for each one.
How I work
UNDERSTAND
Whether we are building a world or starting from an existing identity, I begin by understanding the project, its context and what makes it unique. The goal: to identify what should be created, preserved or developed.
CHOOSE
Creating and evolving both call for clear choices. I define a direction suited to what already exists, the context and the project’s goals, always aiming for consistency rather than empty effect.
BUILD
An identity does not stop at its creation. I design new worlds and evolve existing ones, through campaigns, content and materials that enrich the brand without distorting it.
Background
Today: freelance art director based in Biarritz, France.
2023 – 2025: Communications Officer at ATECH, a French street furniture manufacturer. Identity redesign, ATECH Jardin rebrand, 2025 catalogue.
2023 – 2024: founder and art director of Collectif CHARBON in Cholet, France, with more than 50 dates organised.
Education: art foundation at l’Atelier d’Arts Appliqués in Angers, BTEC HND in graphic design and multimedia communication at EEGP Angers, master’s degree in design, specialising in design-led innovation strategy, at École de Condé Bordeaux Créasud.
SELECTED PROJECTS
Identities, visual worlds and art direction developed for a range of projects.
