Moving to London ten years ago with the aim of staying for just six months, Coralie Carré hasn’t looked back since. She started her career in France, setting up a design studio with three friends during her time at university. After her move to London in 2013 she worked in various roles at different agencies across multiple industries, working her way up to her current role as Creative Director at ShopTalk/DEPT®.
Coralie’s diverse experiences have helped shape her career to date. Applying what she has learned from Creative Directors she’s worked with, and a sense of curiosity she aims to create an environment where her team members feel comfortable and nurtured, yet also challenged. As she tells DbyW, ‘this sense of responsibility to my team is really important to me.’
We talked to Coralie to find out what she enjoys about being a Creative Director, challenges she has faced during her career, and her thoughts on how the design industry can create more inclusive workspaces.
Where did it all begin? What were your first steps into the design industry?
I always knew I wanted to do a creative job without really knowing exactly what that would be.
When I was fourteen, I began a course called ‘Science and Technology of Design and Applied Arts’ which gave me a very comprehensive view of the creative industry, from fashion to architecture as well as graphic design. After three years of the course, I was certain I wanted to continue studying graphic design, at first specialising in graphic communication and then art direction.
My career really started at university when I set up a design studio with three women friends. Most of our projects were for the music industry – electronic as well as classical music festivals. We did this for four years. We learnt so much about working with clients and as designers but unfortunately, we didn’t learn a lot about making our work profitable!
Ten years ago, I moved to London from France. The initial goal was to stay for six months and learn English, with no view to starting a design career here! But I quickly fell in love with the city and never left. With the most basic English I got a job at an hotel and hospitality group, Ennismore. A dream first job really in which I oversaw the design communications for Hoxton Hotels and worked alongside very talented creative people from interior designers to PR teams.
You’ve worked in various roles, including Senior Designer, Design Director and now Creative Director at ShopTalk/DEPT®. Have there been any pivotal moments in your career that have helped you to develop and progress?
All the roles have been different, but the variety came more from whatever agency I was working for and what they specialised in. I’m quite a curious person and keen to learn. This meant I went from a role focused on hospitality to having clients in the media and then to the drinks industry, each time bringing something with me from my previous experiences. The positive impact of those diverse roles and what I found interesting is to approach new projects with learning that comes from working for a different industry. The moments in my career where I have been able to really grow have been when I felt trusted and given more responsibility while knowing I could reach out for help and support if needed. This is something I have been lucky to experience and try to apply everyday with my team.
“The moments in my career where I have been able to really grow have been when I felt trusted and given more responsibility while knowing I could reach out for help and support if needed.”
Can you tell us what your current role as Creative Director at ShopTalk/DEPT® involves and how it differs from that of Senior Designer and Design Director?
The first real difference between those positions is my role within the project and at what stage. My input into projects and our creative work is not about just the visual output anymore, but involves a more holistic approach including the creative strategy, implications of copy and tone of voice. I am also much closer to our clients now; I meet them at the inception of projects and develop our studio’s relationship with them to make sure we get under the skin of their business and uncover the creative potential and the vision for a project.
As a Creative Director the shape of my day-to-day role has totally shifted, from spending most of my day designing with a few different clients and team meetings to the exact opposite. But my role is still extremely creative and I have been lucky enough to shape it in a way so that I’m not detached from my team or the details of the design process. A large part of the Creative Director role at ShopTalk/DEPT® is about challenging our approach to projects and always questioning what could be done better. I’m keen to try new ways of working instead of having a rigid process in place that would restrict the team’s creativity.
We don’t always get it right, but we’re constantly learning and pushing to make the best work possible. In my day to day there are three key ingredients that I use to create the right environment, project dynamic and team synergy: Guidance — make sure the team feel comfortable with the project they are working on; Availability — making sure people can reach out to me anytime if they need to, not only for work but also for a coffee (I love coffee); and Efficiency — make sure that the energy is put in the right place.
“A large part of the Creative Director role at ShopTalk/DEPT® is about challenging our approach to projects and always questioning what could be done better. I’m keen to try new ways of working instead of having a rigid process in place that would restrict the team’s creativity.”
What do you enjoy most about being a Creative Director and what do you find most challenging?
ShopTalk/DEPT® is only five and a half years old, but it has achieved so much already. It’s extremely stimulating to play a role in its future and shape its identity.
When it comes to my role, I love how varied my days are but also the balance between the craft of our creativity and managing the team. The talent we have at ShopTalk/DEPT® right through the business from project managers to designers makes me feel lucky every day. It’s an incredible group of people.
But with success comes challenges. , Managing growth effectively whilst also being a responsible leader means you have to constantly react to new creative work, filling resource holes where needed and making sure everyone is happy, healthy and confident. This sense of responsibility to my team is important to me.
What do you think are the most important qualities for success in a creative lead role?
I have been lucky to work with some great creative directors who have taught me so much that has stayed with me and that I try to apply day to day. Equally, I’m trying to be what I missed during the time I was a Junior Designer. Humility – I learn from my team every day, from new design programs to social media. (My team give me a crash course twice a month to keep up!). Empathy – making sure I’m close and know my team, be human; bravery – make decisions that can feel bold or unexpected at the time and don’t be scared to push back. Empowering – let people express themselves and be creative (basically, make sure I’m not a control freak!).
“Humility – I learn from my team every day, from new design programs to social media. (My team give me a crash course twice a month to keep up!). Empathy – making sure I’m close and know my team, be human; bravery – make decisions that can feel bold or unexpected at the time and don’t be scared to push back. Empowering – let people express themselves and be creative (basically, make sure I’m not a control freak!).”
Could you talk us through the process involved in a project you’ve worked on that’s particularly important to you?
Picnic has been a really fun one to work on and while it is one of the smaller projects we have done this year, the process has been extremely pleasurable and the team and I enjoyed it very much. The client was a Buenos Aires based communications start-up that wanted to reconnect people with the great outdoors. We started with a workshop with the Picnic team and really approached it with an open mind. We knew we could inject a bit of humour and came up with many ideas for where the brand could go. I like when ideas ping pong in the room and that was really the case, without even starting to design. It meant that some of our ideas relied a lot on the tone of voice while others dialled up the identity system.
After that, it was time to focus on the tone of voice and design the different routes while being aware of competitors. Giving the brand a different feel from what is already available is quite a challenge in itself! But at that point, we felt all the approaches had their merits and potential. Our meetings and chats with the client as well as the requirement that it be a brand that could grow beyond South America helped us to shape our final output: across strategy, tone of voice and visual identity, the brand brings honesty and simplicity to globe-trotters of every generation. Offering a familiar face to everyone, wherever they are in the world.
Are there any barriers or challenges that you have faced during your career that stand out and, if so, how have you overcome them?
One of the first challenges when starting my career in London was the language. My English was poor, and I felt it was a real barrier to my progression. It stopped me being able to articulate my ideas and express myself, though it did mean the work I produced needed to speak for itself. It took a long time and much effort to achieve fluency, but while my accent is still (very!) strong I’m glad it’s not an issue anymore.
The second is about the lack of diversity in the industry I saw around me. As a woman of colour, it generated a real lack of confidence about my place in the industry. I never had a female director and there came a point when I felt tired of seeing the same profile types above me, despite changing jobs. Can you be something you can’t see? My answer for myself must be ‘yes’. Because there are places that make you feel empowered and see more in yourself than you sometimes do. This is definitely the case at ShopTalk/DEPT®, but I’m conscious I am lucky to work for a forward-thinking business. We have to be conscious at an industry level that there is so much more work to do.
“As a woman of colour, it generated a real lack of confidence about my place in the industry. I never had a female director and there came a point when I felt tired of seeing the same profile types above me, despite changing jobs. Can you be something you can’t see? My answer for myself must be ‘yes’.”
There has been much discussion in the design industry about how few women are in senior positions and the overall lack of diversity. Do you have any thoughts as to how we can counteract this imbalance and create more inclusive workspaces?
I have encountered those discussions and read many articles about this over the past few years. Awareness is good but with my role as Creative Director has come a sense of responsibility to do my part for my colleagues and the industry. Practically, changes in recruitment policy are a good place to start but it’s not enough. We need to think hard about the work environment we’re bringing people into.
We need to demystify an industry that can look intimidating from outside and ask ourselves the right questions such as: How much exposure do we give to women within the team? Does everyone feel they have the same chances to succeed? Sometimes with those questions, we don’t know where to start and don’t have all the answers, so we learn as we go!
We also need to get better at acknowledging that everyone’s experience can benefit our creative work, from our interns to our senior designers. By listening to those around us we can create an inclusive environment with aware, supportive and mindful leadership. This will help us reach a new generation of designers from diverse backgrounds and retain their talent within the industry.
Recently at ShopTalk/DEPT® we have joined Creative Lives in Progress and they have been full of insight and helped us to reach a broader type of candidate and audience. We firmly believe that having a diverse team makes us create better work that reflects and connects with the world around us.
Do you have any advice for women and gender expansive creatives looking to move up to a more senior role or develop their career?
Firstly, representation is so important and if you don’t have someone you can relate to or look up to in your inner circle the future can be quite daunting.
My main advice is to not fear reaching out to people you have admired for a long time and asking for their help and perspective. Whenever I have reached out to peers within the industry, I have always been greeted with warmth, encouragement, and great advice.
Also, choosing an environment that is right for you where you feel listened to and valued, as there are many nuances in the way creative studios operate. While the industry is competitive you have the power to decide what is good and what can work for you. Ambition is a positive thing that should help you move forward and will be effective within the right environment.
“My main advice is to not fear reaching out to people you have admired for a long time and asking for their help and perspective. Whenever I have reached out to peers within the industry, I have always been greeted with warmth, encouragement, and great advice.”
