Who is Charlie Adam ?

Illustrator, graphic designer, art director, inventor of concepts and sometimes copywriter, officially self-employed since 1998, I have always aimed to create vibrant visual worlds that stand out and refer to the many graphic movements that inspire me and have shaped my culture since childhood.

Exposed to architecture, graphic arts and pop culture from the 1970s to the 1990s through my family environment and my “sixty-eight” parents, my education was largely built through comics, all kinds of decoration and design magazines, cinema, advertising, TV series, music, and a few years of art studies too!

Growing up in the Chamonix valley in Haute-Savoie, mountain life, board sports culture and the strong presence of nature also played an important role in my life choices and creative direction.

Freedom, independence, curiosity, fantasy and humour are important values that I try not to lose sight of since choosing to make a living through drawing.
But so are authenticity, rigour and respect for others: clients, colleagues, competitors and mentors.
My attraction to the old, the retro, the nostalgic and the kitsch means that, depending on the season, the project, or simply while listening to a piece of music, I can find myself travelling far into very different eras, artistic movements or musical genres, searching for sensations to revive and share.

About the artwork

To me, a successful image should tell a story, take people somewhere, evoke a deeply buried shared memory, or bring back a feeling, a flavour, a sensation we had forgotten; a wink aimed at insiders, but still understandable to as many people as possible. That is what I try to do, anyway.

My very first commissions were ski and snowboard graphics for the brands Dynastar / Original Sin. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work in fields as varied as creating wall murals for shops, designing logos, signs and custom graphic identities, wrapping company vehicles or helicopters, decorating hotels, bars and restaurants, designing skateboard graphics, tourism advertising campaigns, ski pass media, printed clothing, beer or wine labels, posters for cultural and sporting events, environmental awareness signage, packaging for herbal teas or biscuit boxes, record sleeves, press cartoons, Hawaiian shirts...

Joy, FUN and enthusiasm are my raw material.
Serious and difficult issues in today’s world concern me, like everyone else, but I prefer to approach them through humour, with modesty, because I admit I have more questions than answers, and perhaps also because I believe that an ironic or offbeat message can sometimes carry more weight than a boring or demagogic speech.

Commissions, Exhibitions & Secret Missions

For commercial projects, attentive listening and a real understanding of the client’s culture and needs are also essential to bringing each project to life. No two projects are the same, and every new request leads to a meeting, a shared adventure, and often a good story.

In short: rigour within fantasy, high standards in graphic quality, all in the service of good humour. That is what you can expect when working with me.

Exhibition spaces
If you would like to suggest your venue or an event as a place to exhibit my work, feel free to tell me about it.

For any other ultra-secret, high-risk mission, or any other question, contact me:
info@charlieadam.com