CAWEB’BRUNCH with TINOLAND

Colors and Creativity: The Art and World of TINOLAND

As part of a CAWEB’Brunch, informal meetings between students and digital professionals, ADECAWEB had the opportunity to welcome the famous graphic designer and illustrator TINOLAND.

A graduate of the Haute École des Arts du Rhin (HEAR), he describes himself as an “imaginer” because he “works with images” and “tries to do so with imagination.” His career in graphic design is as long as it is rich and varied.

Over the years, he has built an impressive and diverse career in graphic design.

After spending 3 years at an advertising agency as an art director, he went on to work independently as a graphic designer. Alongside this, since 2024, he has also been teaching at LISAA, an Alsatian applied arts school that trains students in, among other things, graphic design.

Equally at ease with digital tools such as Illustrator and 3D rendering as he is with pencils and felt-tip pens, TINOLAND quickly adapted to new technological advances and diversified his skill set.

30 years in the industry, TINOLAND has produced numerous works. 

With press illustrations, public transport designs, murals, and much more.

But one of his most remarkable and lasting projects has to be his motorway signage work. For over a decade, the company APRR (Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhône) has trusted him with designing unique tourist panels for the motorways between Paris and Troyes. All in all, 40 large infographic signs have been created and installed along the roadside, each one celebrating the cultural and historical heritage of French towns. Drivers get only a few seconds to take them in, so TINOLAND designed each panel to deliver a striking visual impact. Moreover, the illustrations all feature symbolic and characteristic elements of the represented locations.

This project, which he describes as an excellent showcase for his work and it has opened doors to other commissions, including his latest: a full redesign of the façade of La Maison Dunant in Chaumont.

Overall, TINOLAND defines his projects as a combination of “visual arts, graphic creation, and human adventure.”

Throughout his presentation, TINOLAND kept coming back to one key point: the importance of knowing how to draw by hand. 

Indeed, although the profession of graphic designer primarily requires excellent mastery of drawing and design software, he believes it is essential to practice drawing regularly and diligently.

As both an illustrator and graphic designer, and a graduate of the HEAR where hand drawing was not optional but a mandatory requirement for admission, drawing by hand has always remained at the heart of TINOLAND’s work.And that foundation never left him. To this day, he starts every project with a hand-drawn sketch. 

If there’s one piece of advice to take away: pick up a pencil and start drawing.

Finding Your Style: A Matter of Time…

Over the years, TINOLAND has carved out a style that is instantly recognizable, allowing him to stand out in a highly competitive industry and market.

Furthermore, his bold use of colour and his playful, childhood-inspired universe have earned him a solid reputation among his peers.

If your eye lands on one of his creations, you will almost certainly be able to identify it in a split second, without even needing to check the signature.

However, all of this is the result of years of hard work and constant tweaking, because finding one’s style requires time and a great deal of patience.

On that note, TINOLAND wrapped up the CAWEB’Brunch by encouraging us, as CAWEB students, to keep exploring and searching for our own creative voice… 

so that one day, our style becomes our signature.

A big thank you

The ADECAWEB team would like to warmly thank TINOLAND for accepting our invitation and making this CAWEB’Brunch such a great moment.

If you would like to learn more about TINOLAND’s work, feel free to take a look at his website and social media accounts.

Loélia Bonnifay

Deputy Communications Officer, ADECAWEB