CEO of Web We Can and Web Design lecturer at Digital Campus Lyon.
Could you briefly summarise your career path? I've had an atypical professional journey: I was always a graphic designer without really envisaging a career in the field. I moved into computer graphics almost 20 years ago. I discovered the very first versions of Photoshop and, through an accredited professional training course, I was able to acquire additional skills to move into web design. As a freelancer, I completed numerous projects for the music industry and for artists based across the Atlantic and across the Channel: CD covers and illustrations, websites, and visual identity guidelines. I often combined several activities (employed and self-employed): web project manager on the advertiser side for 5 years; trainer within CCI networks for 4 years, and so on. My core business remains web creation, but I enjoy getting involved in various projects to bring multiple skills into play. I recently set up a new company (Web We Can) whose main activities are dedicated to e-commerce: I handle website development, the associated visual communications, and I also manage visibility growth. My business partner is in charge of supplier relations.
What do you think of the Digital Campus programme? Digital Campus offers a multidisciplinary, professionally oriented training. Students are regularly involved in real projects. The work carried out enables students to progress more quickly and to experience something that puts them right at the heart of a project and the constraints that can come with it: that's a huge advantage compared to other schools. What do you want to pass on to your students? A Digital Campus student must learn to live the web before making a living from it. You need to practise regularly, stay curious and do a great deal of industry monitoring to keep progressing outside of your studies: in web creation, you need to master a technology and put it at the service of creativity, without overlooking the need to develop visibility.
What is your teaching method? Each cohort works differently and expresses different needs; students raise different challenges: you need to offer course content that is both structured and adaptable, and to be versatile in your approach to teaching since the web evolves quickly. I try to find the right balance between theoretical and practical instruction while encouraging students to work outside of class hours. What are the career prospects for your students? Digital Campus offers various innovative specialisations: from the UX Master's to Brand Content and Big Data. The new roles in communications and digital marketing are attracting attention and companies are hiring. Digital Campus students are often drawn to entrepreneurship, and when a project takes shape, we encourage them never to forget the commandments of digital marketing and we support them in this creative process.