How did Young Guns get on your radar?

I first heard about Young Guns back when Sagmeister & Walsh was the studio everyone was talking about, and this was an accolade they had both won. At the time, I wasn’t deeply immersed in the design world yet — my “portfolio” was probably a single painting and a pamphlet — but the concept of YG stuck in the back of my mind as something that I wanted to one day achieve.

How did you end up in the creative field?

I’m a self-taught designer. I learned by watching YouTube tutorials during business school at McGill University. While I was there, I designed for the student newspaper and started branding various clubs within the business faculty.

After graduating, I went into advertising because it felt like the best fusion of my skills, but my focus was always to move fully into design and branding. I eventually worked at &Walsh and later Baillat Studio before freelancing full-time.

A couple of years ago, I set a personal goal to direct a music video, which became sunday scaries by theo feels — my first film and one of my submissions.

Why did you decide to enter this year?

I’ve entered a couple of times before — last year I was a finalist, and the last two years I was a finalist in YG Colorful. So it felt like things were moving in the right direction.

The biggest difference in my submission this year was including my film work. I’ve been an Art Director and Designer for 8+ years and only started directing recently. I was initially worried it wouldn’t feel harmonious with my design work, but I think finding the through line between the disciplines is actually what makes it interesting.

This year, I also focused on clarity and restraint: I cut down the case studies and showcased the strongest pieces of each system. I didn’t clutter the ideas with too many images, letting them speak for themselves.

“I focused on clarity and restraint… letting the ideas speak for themselves.”

You only get to submit six projects. How did you decide what made the cut?

I love when projects have a clear but clever guiding idea, but feel really beefy in the execution — something tough. I chose projects that best showcased that way of thinking.

To judge whether a piece is good enough, I try to silence my inner critic by imagining someone else making the project that way and if I would be jealous. If the answer is yes, it’s usually a good sign.

What was your reaction when you found out you won?

I got the email during the first snowstorm of the season. Later that night, I celebrated with some champagne.

In what ways does where you’re living right now inspire your creativity?

I feel incredibly lucky to be part of the Montréal design and film communities. So many collaborators are also friends; it’s a small city with an absurd amount of talent per square foot.

People here are down to try things, to make stuff, to hang out. It doesn’t feel limited by status or finances — it feels like a city of artists supporting artists.

Now that you’re part of the Young Guns community, are there any past winners you admire?

So many. A few favourites: Jaedoo (YG18), Gabriela Namie (YG19), Mah Ferraz (YG17), Noemie Le Coz (YG15), Eric Hu (YG8). And the list isn’t complete without these Montréal icons: Julien Hebert (YG17), Daniel Robitaille (YG10), and Julien Vallée (YG6).

If you could create a new Young Guns tradition, what would it be — and why?

A clothing swap — but exclusively with our millions of tote bags.

Name a dream project you’d love to do next. Who would you want to collaborate with?

My favourite type of work is building full visual worlds for music artists: album design, music videos, live shows — everything as one cohesive universe. If I get to do that even more, I’ll be happy.

And I’m currently writing a short film.