Building visual worlds with Creative Director Adrien Beaujeant

Adrien Beaujeant, or simply Adri, is a Belgian Creative Director who moves fluidly between graphic design, illustration, and art direction. He builds strong, consistent visual identities across music, fashion, and food. The common thread in all his projects is a focus on coherence and storytelling. Indeed, Adri brings a singular sensitivity to his work, rooted in story, instinct, and collaboration.

We met Adri while working on Sofiane Pamart’s project, where he challenged us to create more singular, meaningful merch. In this conversation, he shares his process, principles, and why the best designs don’t just look good, they mean something.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?

“My name is Adrien Beaujeant. I'm Belgian and I work as a creative director. But I prefer to define myself as a "versatile tool" in the service of visual storytelling. My work spans creative direction, graphic design, and illustration, especially within the fields of music, food, and fashion.

I started my graphic arts studies in high school, at IATA in Namur. Then I moved to Saint-Luc in Brussels to study graphic design. Right after graduating, I was hired by a Brussels-based branding agency called McArnolds, where I worked for seven years. In parallel with this mission, I launched a coworking space in Brussels dedicated to creative professions. That allowed me to step out of the agency world and become an independent freelancer. Right after this experience, I moved to Switzerland to develop the identity of a beer brand (Whitefrontier) for which I'm still working. Today, I juggle between different assignments, mainly in the music, food and fashion industries.”

How do you approach design and especially merch design? What’s your starting point?

“Above all, I think merch should be seen as a medium in the service of a cause, not just a product. That’s why I always begin with two things: understanding who the brand or artist is, and why they want to communicate. It might be to reinforce identity, create emotional connection, generate additional revenue, increase visibility or all of the above ahha.

Once that’s done, we can build what I call a narrative framework : the story that becomes the thread guiding the creative direction. And once that’s clear, everything, from visuals, formats, materials, flows naturally from it."

What makes a piece of merch actually meaningful?

“I think an object becomes meaningful when there’s a story behind it. When it evokes emotion. That could be linked to a memory or powerful moment, like a tour t-shirt bought at a concert, which carries the emotion of that experience. It could also reflect personal values like a protest pin that signals belonging. If an object triggers emotion, it becomes meaningful. And for that to happen, there needs to be a story behind it. And just like that, we come back to what I call the narrative framework, which is the story behind each creation.

That’s also why I think brands should avoid following trends blindly. And don’t aim for beauty just for beauty’s sake. Aesthetics without substance feel hollow. With today’s ecological concerns, merch needs to be timeless. Relevant today, and still meaningful tomorrow.”

Is your design approach more instinct or process?

“A bit of both. It’s a process, but nourished by instinct, or rather, sensitivity. Instinct is more raw and impulsive, almost unconscious. Sensitivity, however, is about observation and attentiveness to the world. A kind of trained instinct, sharpened by observation and experience. So to answer your question: it’s a process guided by refined sensitivity. Haha."

Let’s talk about Sofiane Pamart, how did you start working with him?

“I’ve been working with Sofiane since the very beginning. Funny story, his manager, Guillaume Héritier, is an old friend. We always said that one day we'd work together. In June 2017, he called me: “I have a new project. It’s different. I want to manage a pianist and turn him into a full artist.”

He set up a meeting between me and Sofiane in Brussels, but didn’t come himself. And actually, we barely talked about the project. It just instantly clicked on a human level.

A week later, I was invited to Paris for a creative residency. That’s when we laid the foundations for everything to come. Very quickly, a series of solo and collaborative releases followed — a Zénith tour, a sold-out Accor Arena, and tours across Europe, the US, and Latin America… The project grew fast and it became a real friendship too. And today it unfolded exactly like Guillaume first described, maybe a little faster haha.”

We helped you for the merch of the launch of the album Forever Friends Can you walk us through the identity there?

“Forever friends is the shared album of the pianist Sofiane Pamart & the producer and composer NTO. This project was about two artists coming together. Friends, but from very different musical worlds. That duality was key. So we needed to make something coherent.

As I explained earlier, everything begins from asking questions. Because the value of exchanges is everything. So we began with deep conversations, with everyone involved, trying to picture their universe. Once we had that base, we came up with a story around friendship, belonging, and loyalty. We created a visual identity that felt like a crew or brotherhood : scarves like football supporters, a flag, a crest.

The symbol around the album was a two-headed dog, a chimera, representing loyalty and duality. The crest included chain links for unity and a drop of blood for unbreakable bond, like a “ride or die” energy. From there, we chose the best formats to express this identity and match the project’s essence.”

And what about Sofiane Pamart's album Noche? Was it a different approach?

“Yes, although there's also a lot of symbolism, the approach was different in the development. Noche is an introspective, poetic work for which we concentrated on materiality. No frills, just textures. For exemple, the vinyl tracklist wasn’t printed, it was embossed into the paper. We used crinkled metallic paper for the inner sleeve, evoking the surface of the moon. That texture also reappeared later in other pieces. And then for the merch I challenged you guys. So we came up with the idea of puff ink, to create a special tactile sensation and convey the idea that the writing is wrising out of the textile.

The whole aesthetic of the album was black and white. An ode to the night with “full moon, sleepless night” vibes. We also released a documentary-style book capturing the tour, in black and white, to maintain that mood. Beyond the narrative, the aesthetics and choice of materials were carefully thought out to create coherence throughout the whole project.”

Is there a merch piece you’ve designed (or seen) that you think really nailed it? Something you still remember or use today?

“I really loved the silk scarves we made for Sofiane’s Planet album. People wear them in such inventive ways : as headscarves, belts, tops at festivals. I love when an object is reinterpreted. It means it’s alive.

I also admire the work of Belgian designer Stéphanie D’Heygere. She transforms everyday objects into fashion accessories. It’s not merch per se, but it shares similar intentions. Emotional design through unexpected, repurposed objects. That kind of fun, surprising but useful object embodies the kind of creative approach I love. Objects that are repurposed to spark emotion through design.”

If you had full creative freedom to redesign a classic merch item, what would it be — and how would you make it better?

"I love functional merch. And honestly? I love food, I love to cook or just simply sharing moments around it. So I’d redesign a Swiss Army knife — but one whose only purpose is to create the perfect picnic in nature. I’m not sure yet which tools I’d replace, but I know I’d keep the corkscrew. Obviously…”

What’s next for you?

“We’re working on Sofiane’s next album and all I can say for now is that we’re developing new pieces with a strong focus on thoughtful merch selection. Aside from that, I’m also involved in other music projects ; currently working with Oscar and the Wolf on assets for his upcoming live album release. And on the branding side, I’m developing the identity of a jewelry designer. One way or another, there will be exciting projects involving merch.”

Make sure to follow the work of Adrien Beaujeant on his website or Instagram.