Having started as a side-project in 2017, whilst its founders were at other agencies, Montreal-based design studio Demande Spéciale has quickly become (probably) your favourite studio. (It’s for sure one of ours). Now, it’s time to celebrate their 7th birthday! 🎊🎁🎈

The practice of Office of Demande Spéciale is one that’s genuinely distinctive – something that has become ever-increasingly hard to say about a lot of successful studios. Balancing a meticulous attention to detail with a sense of unpretentious, unburdened play, their subsequent practice is studious and similarly joyous. “It’s always nice to see that it resonates beyond the projects,” Maude Turgeon, Director and Designer of Demande Spéciale, tells us. “Our sense of play guides us in different directions,” she continues, “but we always stay focused on the core of what we’re trying to express,” finding and striking a balance between curiosity, reflection and structure.

As a result, what this typographically-led playground sembles is detailed yet relaxed work led by an appreciation of craft and the spontaneity that it offers. “We want our designs to be clever and well thought out, but also to have a light, effortless quality,” Maude continues, “what excites us most is the discovery, we love that no two projects, even if they seem similar, will ever lead us down the same path.”

For a creative studio with the reputation it bears, the setup and scale of the studio may surprise you, opting for a smaller group of full-time staff and a network of trusted collaborators. “We always liked the smaller formula; it allows us to stay agile and flexible,” Maude suggests, prioritising a close connection and proximity to their clients. “It gives us a better understanding of the projects,” she explains, giving her and the team a greater chance of “reading between the lines,” a sensibility that Demande Spéciale embodies within their mindset when starting and developing projects.

“Our approach is all about exploration and building solid insightful systems,” Maude details, seeing each project as a problem to solve, “there can be more than one answer to these puzzles, but by trying out new directions and allowing our process to be flexible.” She adds, “We can find the solution that aligns best with the project’s essence,” as well as the inspiration for their solution, which, for Office of Demande Spéciale, can come from anywhere. “We try to keep our eyes and minds open,” Maude tells us, whilst at the same time collecting visual references from the likes of Are.na or random phone pictures.

“Often, inspiration surfaces from something seemingly unrelated to the subject or project we’re working on,” she continues, always pursuing fresh and unexpected ideas. “We do tend to follow a similar methodology and general steps,” she adds – discussing Demande Spéciale’s creative philosophy and practical approach – but always keep the process open, allowing it to adapt project-to-project. “It’s like a free-flowing funnel,” Maude suggests, “where we refine the work through the process but leave room for new possibilities and opportunities,” leaving space for happy accidents. “I actually love accidents,” Maude adds, “they can unlock new paths and reveal unexpected perspectives, and that’s when the magic happens.”

Whatever the project, there are two foundational, immovable cornerstones to Demande Spéciale’s practice. 1. The thoughtfulness of its designers and 2. Typography. Playing such a central role in the studio’s creative approach, typography serves multiple purposes, as Maude suggests, going far beyond just being a font. “It’s about what that typeface communicates and adds to the overall visual language,” she expands, “sometimes we opt for a seemingly simple, standard typeface, but it;s in the details,” from the letter’s subtle forms to the interactions between them. “That is what starts to bring the brand to life,” Maude details, equally unafraid to go bigger, brighter and bolder when necessary.

“Other times, typography is not just a communicator but as a graphic element in itself, something loud and expressive,” she continues, at times becoming an integral textural form. “I love how flexible type can be,” Maude notes, “typography is really a building block for our work.”

Looking ahead, it seems like we shouldn’t take our eyes off Demande Spéciale, with their 7th anniversary energising them more than ever. “I really love what we’ve built so far, and I see the studio as a place where we can keep evolving and growing, both as designers and as people,” Maude tells us, wanting to push themselves to do better and go further. “Our playground is defined but also vast,” she continues, letting them apply their way of thinking and practice to more than just the discipline of design – whilst meeting and collaborating with more and more people, especially those outside of design.

“Expect more unexpected projects from us,” Maude concludes, “whether it’s expanding our services, exploring new markets, or diving into new kinds of creative work, we’re inspired by what lies ahead.”