Hello, i'm
Christophe Liekens
I'm a freelance graphic designer.
Branding
Corporate Identity
Logo Design
Graphic Design
Typography
Advertising
Art Direction
Illustration
Street Art
I was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. As long as I can remember, I used creativity to express myself. I studied for five years at Horeca and Management School of Wemmel, a well-known cooking school in Belgium, where I got my chef’s diploma in 1999.
Eager to learn other creative fields, I continued my education at Sint-Lukas Art School (Brussels). I graduated in 2004 and obtained my master’s degree in graphic design. For one of my first employers, Typographics (Belgium), I was able to work with different clients and handle different requests with total autonomy. To deepen and expand my skills, I studied printing and screening techniques in the evening and on weekends.
I'm not only a conceptual designer, I also manage the practical aspect of printing, which makes me a rather unique designer.
Belgium Brewers – Proud of our Beers
The world loves Belgian Beers. Its tradition and taste. Why are Belgians so modest about it? Did it became ordinary to have extraordinary beers? Being proud of their beers means being proud of our tradition.
www.proudofbelgianbeers.com
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: DDB Brussels
The Belgian Beer Flag
This tricolored Belgian flag has a cold pint of beer at its center. A tribute to our beers on our national symbol. A unique way to show everybody your pride. Take it with you to festivals, receptions, on holidays. Basically anywhere, no?
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: DDB Brussels
HUMO – Typographic Print ads
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: Mortierbrigade
HUMO – Typographic Print animation
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: Mortierbrigade
GUNTHER D – Logo & CD cover
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: Mortierbrigade
KUNSTLAB – Webdesign
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: Luidrustig
www.kunstlab.be/new
B-Classic – Festival of Flanders
B-Classic wants to give classical music the same recognition as pop and rock music. That's why we are proud to announce The Classical Comeback: a new music video format that combines the timeless emotion of classical music with the visual talent of a contemporary director.
http://www.classicalcomeback.com
LOGO DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: DDB
Klarafestival – Identity & TV spot
DESIGN | ART DIRECTION | AGENCY: The Crew
In 2009, I launched Luidrustig, my own company as a freelance designer.
I have had successful partnerships with well-known firms in Belgium, such as The Crew, Mortierbrigade, and DDB Worldwide.
Those twelve years in the creative industry were an opportunity for me to diversify my skills, including creative direction, web design, mobile, print, conceptual design, packaging design and typography. I am known as “an all-around and full-service” designer. Always looking for fresh ideas, I create tailor-made designs and I have an unlimited directory.
Typography Skills
I can recognise the difference between Arial and Helvetica. I understand the fundamentals of typography and I can effectively use type as a design element for print, logo design and brand identity. I have developed a keen eye for typography and I understand the relationship between text and negative space, and how serifs and ligatures allow the letters to flow together gracefully. Making the right typographic choices is as important as any other design option.
Freehand Skills
Although everything is digital, I’m still sketching, drawing and painting.
I have experience with pen and ink. Why? Sketches are helpful to quickly come up with ideas or storyboards, especially in brainstorming or idea-generating meetings.
Photo manipulation
Put simply, photo manipulation is changing photos to create an illusion. It requires skill as well as an active imagination. Using Photoshop and other photo editing tools I can create visual stories with precision and skill, I make U believe that magic can exist, that fantasy and reality can merge and that we are only limited by our own imagination.
Languages
Dutch, Written - Fluent Level
Dutch, Spoken - Fluent Level
French, Written - Business Level
French, Spoken - Fluent Level
English, Written - Business Level
English, Spoken - Fluent Level
Luidrustig
Art Director
Graphic Designer
2009 – Present
DDB Brussels
Art director
Graphic Designer
2013 – 2014
Mortierbrigade
Art director
Graphic Designer
2012 – 2013
The Crew
Art director
Graphic Designer
2010 – 2012
Narafi
Teacher Graphic Design
2010 – 2013
Typografics
Graphic Designer
2005 – 2009
RMN
Graphic designer
2005
Vision and factory
Graphic designer
2003
So how do I work?
I will guide you through a predefined process in order to ensure that the solution presented to you not only looks good, but is the most appropriate solution for your aims and brand image.
The Design Briefing
We meet, we have coffee, we discuss your project and requirements. The more information I can gather at this stage, the more time we can save later.
Objectives & Goals
Budget & Schedule
Target Audience
Competitors
Scope of the Project
Available Materials
Needed Materials
Overall Style/Look
Do's & Dont's
Research & Think
Before even designing anything I will spend some time reviewing and rewriting your brief and search background information.
A detailed and comprehensive brief becomes the guiding document for the entire design process.
Define the problem
Collect information
Brainstorm & analyse
Make decisions
Get feedback
The Design stage
Several design solutions are produced and the most effective ones will then be selected from the preliminary sketches. The designs are rendered and digitalised in more detail and developed further.
Develop solutions
Sketch & make models
Present ideas
Develop further
Get feedback
Improve
Production
Final Print artwork goes to a printer, or in the case of web design, I turn the design into a fully-functional website.
Deliver final Artwork
Contact printers
Develop & Websites
Quality control
Launch phase
Despite what some may believe, design work is far from a commodity; every project is different. Communication in every part of the process is the key to succes.