Clément Grelaud: from interactive design to sound creation

Graduating from the Bachelor Interactive Developer program in 2019, Clément Grelaud specializes in sound design and sound composition. He founded " Sound signature ", a sound creation studio in 2022. He has notably collaborated with Hermès, Burgunder and Axel Aricato.

After graduating, I wanted to further develop my technical and creative skills by adding a sound dimension, so I continued my studies atEnjmin with a Sound Design option.

I've always been very sensitive to the sound aspect of digital and audiovisual projects, so it was an obvious choice for me to turn to sound, while keeping a connection with image.

I then started freelancing, and founded "Sound Signature", my own sound design studio , so that I could choose my own projects and clients, and develop my own artistic direction.

Sound Signature

I'm a composer and sound designer. The aim of composition and sound design is to understand the context and discourse surrounding a visual and translate it into sound.

To do this, I carry out a very precise analysis of the environment, the visual ambience, the temporality and the dynamism of the video or image, so as to be able to enrich it with music and sound.The idea is to be able, at the end, to visualize the image by closing your eyes.

I work with sound emulation software as well as analog synthesizers and drum machines to create this whole universe of sound.

It was the connection between image and sound that interested me. For me, sound creation is an integral part of the visual creation process, complementing the image. It's a very creative job, and that's what I liked about it.

The projects I'm offered are quite similar to those we worked on at GOBELINS. They are mainly 3D videos, gamified media orinteractive experiences.

The skills I acquired at GOBELINS have been very useful to me, such as teamwork and being fully immersed in a project.

The field is different, but the research process and working methods are quite similar. The Bachelor's degree at GOBELINS gave me a lot.

It's an ongoing project, and I'll soon be working on a video game developed by alumni.

Several of my friends from school have also set up their own studios and I'll be collaborating with them soon.

This is a project I did for the Axel Arigato shoe brand. I created thesound illustration and music for a 3D animation. I had to make sure that the sound and atmosphere were properly synchronized and that the musical ambience was coherent.

I really liked the aesthetics of this video and the technical and creative challenge it represented. It was complex to imagine an entire sound universe but I'm very satisfied with the result.

I work on very different projects, both in terms of aesthetics and sector of activity. Customer expectations are never the same, so it's a constant challenge. That's what I like best about my job.

Portrait of Clément Grelaud ©Mathieu Cornelus

We had been working as a group on a prototyping project for the Hermès brand. We had to imagine an interactive 3D experience using clothing and accessories to present the brand's next fashion show.

We used one of the studios on the Saint Marcel campus to carry out photogrammetry and create 3D objects from existing ones. It was a great experience.

Remain constantly curious and open to others. It's really important to know how to work as part of a team. The circle you form at GOBELINS will stay with you throughout your professional and personal life, and that's invaluable.

Interview by Sophie Jean