Impacts #6: Clément Faydi, alumni 2011

New York and Adobe

With his design degree under his belt in 2011, Clément Faydi jetted off to New York to join Behance, the on-line platform where creative professionals can show off their work.

In 2014, the company was taken over by Adobe and Clément became part of this software giant. After becoming design director, he focused on developing this platform which became Adobe Portfolio.

He looks back on the development of a product used by millions of people.

“I really started from a blank sheet of paper”

“When Adobe took over Behance,” recalls Clément, “we were just a start-up with around twenty staff”. Then everything happened very quickly for this interaction designer who is now managing the design and strategy of the on-line platform Adobe Portfolio.

A particularly enviable ascent when you bear in mind that the Adobe group has over 15,000 employees and that its products are used by tens of millions of users around the world. “At the outset of the Adobe Portfolio project, I really started from a blank sheet of paper,” explains Clément, who combines creativity, method and organization on a daily basis. “The product had to be robust and intuitive. I therefore produced a design brief entirely focused on user experience, particularly as the target audience covers a very wide artistic field (graphic designers, photographers, architects, sculptors, illustrators, etc.)”

“It’s the very pragmatic side of technology which takes precedence over aesthetics”

“Working very closely with engineers means you have to have a good understanding of their job,” insists Clément, “as even though we’re not developing the products in their place, it is vital to understand their language”.

“With these projects, it’s the very pragmatic side of technology which takes precedence over aesthetics. You can design the most beautiful shoes in the world, but if they’re not comfortable, they’re useless”. For Clément, this maxim justifies the time devoted to user experience, particularly as the slightest modification to these applications affects millions of people.

“You have to avoid the slightest disappointment,” adds Clément “since the users should always remain the best ambassadors for our products. The product’s added value must be proven and verified daily”. “You can’t focus exclusively on the artwork and appearances when you do this job," says Clément, who would like to pursue his career in the country of the famous American Dream … of which he is living proof.