From Gatineau to Montreal, Claude Piché came to us thirsty for his next challenge. Much is to be expected from someone who started his first business at the age of 20 and became Lead designer at Le Site at only 25. Young, ambitious and wildly creative, Claude ships new ideas on the daily, filling our agency with youthful energy and a can-do attitude. Discover more about his world and his work with this revealing interview.
- Name: Claude Piché
- Title: Lead Designer
- Studies: Graphic Design at Cité Collégiale
- Honorary Title: 2X PS3 NHL Champion
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WORK EXPERIENCE BEFORE WORKING AT LE SITE
I’m originally from Gatineau, close to the nation’s capital. After my studies, I did an internship at Cayenne Creative as a Web and print designer for 2 years. I then founded UNCINQUN with a friend from school. It was a design agency that specialised in Web, and it allowed me to develop leadership and client relations skills. I then worked at Gatineau’s biggest Web agency, OLA Webstudio, for 2 years.
HOW DID YOU END UP AT LE SITE?
It’s actually a funny story. I got this very sudden urge to leave my hometown and move to Montreal, so I applied to every job related to the Web that I could find. During the same afternoon, Mike Benhaim, our Lead Strategist, contacted me for a position in UX strategy. I wasn’t entirely sure what the job consisted of, but after the interview, I got it.
While I was learning about User Experience and e-commerce strategy, I offered to do some design work as well. Eventually, I was able to combine these two positions together and create designs that were optimized for e-commerce and UX.
TELL US ABOUT A TYPICAL DAY IN YOUR LIFE.
- 8:45am : I wake up
- 9:00am : I get to the office and start the day with a coffee.
- 9:00am – 9:30am : I meet with my team to check-up on their projects.
- 9:30am – 10am : I meet with the project managers to make sure everything is running smoothly!
- 10am – noon : I work on my ongoing projects. We usually get to work on 3 or 4 different projects in one day. No time to waste!
- Noon : FOOD TIME! We are very lucky to have so many great food joints in the Plateau. Here are my top 3:
- Trip de Bouffe
- Les Anges Gourmets
- Mange-Moi (For a delicious Friday poutine!)
- 1pm – 3pm : I go back to my projects, client meetings, brainstorms sessions and I sprint through work!
- 3pm : Coffee break.
- 3pm – 5pm : Work, work work!
- 5pm – 6pm : I meet up with my team to check up on the status of their projects.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE THE MOST IN YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT?
The people, the atmosphere, the neighborhood and being able to make a difference every day.
WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
- Mike Monteiro
- Awwwards
- CSS Design Awards
IS THERE A PROJECT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF?
iStoreworld.com and The Escape with Mystery Packs Contest are two projects I’m particularly proud of. For the latter, I had the chance to develop the strategy, draw up the wireframes and create the design. The results were extremely positive.
WHAT, IN YOUR BELIEF, MAKES A GOOD DESIGNER?
Good designers are good at solving problems within a number of constraints. They must also have the ability to sell their work, be a teamplayer and see design in everything!
FAVOURITE DRINK?
A big beer! Classy!
LAST SONG IN YOUR PLAYLIST?
Alt-J – Breezeblocks
YOUR DREAM VACATION DESTINATION?
Barcelona
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN?
Virgo