Margot Gabel: passionate about connecting digital design with emotions

Introducing you to one of our Dutch Digital Design curators. Our panel of creative experts who scout new digital and interactive work. Together they select the amazing cases you will find on our Dutch Digital Design website, and that are promoted on our social media channels - Instagram and LinkedIn - and other (international) media platforms like The Drum. This month we chatted with Margot Gabel - associate creative director at our partner agency Build in Amsterdam. About her road from Strasbourg - via Lyon and Paris - to Amsterdam. From art student at the classical art school La Martinière Diderot and a 2-year technical degree in web design at the renowned Le Corbusier college to a master degree in Paris at Le Gobelins - one of the world leading schools for animation - and working in Amsterdam. Meet Margot.

From traditional art to digital design

‘I come from an artistic background: my father designed theatre decor and made cinema and museum props, my mother was a ceramist and glass blower. As a result I was surrounded by art books and pieces, and loved reading about art and art history. It made me want to study and learn all about art. I got admitted to La Martinière at the age of 14. Here I learnt about drawing, making collages, architecture and photography. I only had a few digital classes. Here I first came across Photoshop. A real eye-opener for me. I loved the freedom of it: I was no longer limited to physical tools. So much so that I decided to pursue a digital design education back in my hometown, Strasbourg. At Le Corbusier I learnt about graphic design, Net Art and web design, including a little coding. Flash was hip and web design was mostly done in Photoshop ;-)

But after five years in a relatively conventional school setting, I decided it was time for a change: I moved to Paris where I studied at Le Gobelins doing one week at school and one week at an agency. Making ‘real-world-things’ rather than working on fictitious briefs. This was instigated by a very short internship at a small design agency in Burgundy (Bourgogne). I got a two-year apprenticeship at the renowned Parisian agency Big Youth. Here I assisted the design team. I loved it, and learnt so much! I worked on an immersive shopping experience for Thierry Mugler!

This is where I first learnt to connect e-commerce with emotions. Something we still do every day at Build in Amsterdam.’

Moving to Amsterdam

‘When I graduated from Le Gobelins, I went on an exchange programme facilitated by the EU called Leonardo da Vinci - now called Erasmus+. I chose Amsterdam: because its canals and bikes reminded me of Strasbourg, but I also loved its vibrant (digital) design scene. Like the world-renowned Droog conceptual design company.

I survived for nine months with my then very basic English at a small start-up - whose founders later created Otrium - the online equivalent of a physical outlet store. Here I wireframed and designed my first e-commerce store from scratch: Avelon - a Dutch women’s and men’s fashion brand by designer Erik Frenken. Also known for his Amsterdam-based fashion house Frenken.

Hello Build in Amsterdam

‘I loved Build in Amsterdam’s attention to detail and their unconventional approach to e-commerce. And after a slightly clumsy interview in English - after I had written and translated as many answers and scenarios I could imagine on paper - I got the job! I started as a junior designer in 2015. Tim (Weers) and Daan (Klaver) only just started the agency, and it was great to be involved so early on in the growth of the agency. To be able to help grow the agency, and build teams together.

I grew from a junior designer to senior designer. From being guided to being able to guide others. I became a lead designer in four years, and looked after projects on my own. It is great that the agency gives me and others the chance to grow. To combine our creative side with technology. We do it all - from strategy and design to development and production. For a variety of clients - from lifestyle (Vitra, Moooi), fashion (Suitsupply,ARK/8) and sportswear (Mammut) to cultural institutions (Foam - photography museum, Frans Hals Museum) and social enterprises (KLABU - building sport clubs in refugee camps, and creating sportswear to raise funds).

What do I love most about Build in Amsterdam? The team! We are a great bunch of people with different skills and backgrounds. We inspire each other. And we are all passionate about what we do. Moving the physical experience to the digital world.’

Build in Amsterdam - creating immersive experiences

‘The unique experience when walking through a physical flagship store: the level of service, the design of the space, the lighting, the fixtures - pleasing all senses. That’s what we want to replicate online. Translating all offline emotions into online ones. For every touchpoint of a brand. Creating a complete and immersive experience. Through the power of branding - enabled by technology.

How do we do this? By looking at every detail. Embracing a comprehensive approach with our brand strategists, designers, developers and data analysts. This way branding can be infused in every detail - from interface design, photography, micro-interactions to tone of voice and sound branding. To name but a few. We do a lot of research to be able to do this, and are inspired by museums and theatre.’

Inspired by Guerrilla Games: the Horizon Series

‘First of all a confession: I only recently discovered that Guerrilla Games is based in Amsterdam. These indie games studios aren’t in the spotlight, but they should be. Therefore, as an avid video gamer myself, I would like to share this medium with the Dutch digital design crowd.

There is an incredible amount of craft, dedication, research and technical skill involved in creating these games. And near impossible to compare with the making of a single website. It is a source of inspiration for my own work. The way these games are made: the interfaces, animations and menus. These are often ‘life’ projects - Horizon took five years to develop, cost $200M+ and hundreds of developers to make. Another level.

Gaming is a form of escapism for me. It is meditative. I love the story-telling, the emotions it unchains. It goes further than reading and watching a movie. That’s immersive too, but gaming goes deeper. It is more dynamic. Plunging yourself into another space, another time frame, and even another you sometimes. It feels close to travelling.

The Horizon Series are a series of fantastic video games immersing you into a post-apocalyptic future where deadly machine creatures are roaming the world. You are playing as Aloy - a female hunter who is trying to restore the planet’s biosphere.

Here’s a list of why I think this game is special. I love the strong female main character, and the focus on environmental and ecological topics. The deep attention to backstories, the awe-inspiring ecosystems and desolate, yet beautiful landscape. I can carry on.

Great video games are a visceral experience - you feel it in your stomach. Horizon does that to me.’

From Margot to you

‘To everyone starting a career in digital design, do as much as possible as early as possible: take that internship, move abroad, work in a language you barely know. Learn lots and keep on learning. Be curious, open and eager. Hold on to that beginner’s mind (Shoshin) your whole life. It will broaden your horizon, your outlook on life and work.’