Frédéric Forest: Do Not Erase
WORDS: FRÉDÉRIC FOREST
Nowadays, more people know me for my artwork and drawings, but my first career was in design (I still pursue the latter for pleasure through my studio Forest & Giaconia). A lesson that has materialized across these different mediums is that of the first vision, the first gesture.
As design students, we had to rehearse our end-of-year diploma presentations—a compilation of our last two years of projects—in front of a jury that didn’t know us. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any of my original boards, rough drafts or paintings because I had sent my entire portfolio to another school for an entrance exam. Without a scanner, I also had no pictures to show. I decided to quickly redo the pencil boards in an effort to depict my projects and artwork. At one point during the practice run, a jury member interrupted to tell me that I was talking nonsense, describing colors in front of a black-line sketch. I explained that it was a mock portfolio, that the real one was elsewhere. She told me that while she didn’t know what the originals looked like, my other sketches already made a very good impression on their own. As such, she advised me to put them in my final presentation—not only because I had just practiced presenting with these imitation drawings, but also because with them, I had unknowingly summarized the essence of my projects. I did just that and earned my degree. 
I saw this lesson repeated later, while freelancing at an agency. We had to present a new perfume bottle to a client the next morning. I was concepting the formal part of the bottle with the design team, while another team worked on the graphic design for the label. It was 2002, and the renderings were taking a long time. We couldn’t wait for the graphic designers, who were busy with another project, any longer. I asked them about what they had in mind and suggested that they sketch a design based on their idea. I would then simulate their concept but without fully understanding what they had planned. At the first meeting, we introduced the shape of the bottle and my 2D interpretation of the label, only discussing the idea of their volume graphic. At the next presentation, we applied the 3D lettering that the designers had created. The client responded, saying that she had approved what she had seen at the first presentation and would not change her mind. In the end, they released the bottle with a design that I made last minute and based only on an abstraction.
More recently, Vogue commissioned me to create a silhouette that communicates a calm moment. I made a few proposals, one of which I liked but which also felt unfinished. I wanted to add an arm and adapt the shape of the thigh. At the second presentation, I proposed those very improvements, but they weren’t accepted. The first version was the right one and what the magazine published. 
There are several ways to read the triumph of these first versions. For one, the subconscious, initial reaction of the spectator is very powerful and difficult to modify. You should never present something that you are not satisfied with or don’t like. It has a strong chance of being retained, even of being a success. Simultaneously, however, you should always appreciate the sketches, especially those first ones. They already say a lot about the project and the direction you want to take. Flaws, too, can be key—you should never be afraid to share them. From these takeaways, I have imposed a doctrine upon myself: I never erase what I design. Over time, I have come to appreciate those innate and sensitive things that appear spontaneously.
"Flaws, too, can be key—you should never be afraid to share them."
