Design at the heart of customer projects with Florian Casanova

With a background in strategic marketing and crisis management, Florian has followed an extraordinary career path, working for a number of renowned agencies including Colorz, McCANN Paris and Adyax & Smile. His expertise in UX/UI design and his passion for innovation have led him to prestigious projects with brands such as Dior, The Kooples and Safran!

In addition to his brilliant professional career, Florian aspires to share his knowledge and experience as a consultant and trainer, paving the way for a new era in his career. 

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Between his incredible career path and his ambitious projects, Florian tells you all about it!

His background

At 38, Florian Casanova embodies the eloquence of a career path rich in twists and turns and exploration. His story began in the lecture halls of the IGS Group business schools in Paris, where he specialized in strategic marketing and crisis management. Armed with a Master's degree (Bac +5) and a Level 1 certificate from Sciences Po Aix-en-Provence, Florian approaches the professional world with insatiable curiosity and an inexhaustible thirst for learning.

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From the outset, Florian was involved in the hustle and bustle of crisis governance, working for oil companies and political figures. However, after a period of 6 to 8 months, he realized that this path did not fully satisfy him. His natural inclination for design, already present during his studies, guided him towards new horizons. 

The advent of the iPhone in 2007 marked a decisive turning point, prompting Florian to delve into the world of design and technology through tutorials and the assiduous reading of specialized books. Thanks to these resources, Florian was able to teach himself about interface and experience design, responsive design and web design, which were still little-known at the time.

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In 2011, he joined the Colorz agency and saw his career in design take off. As a UX/UI Designer, he works with prestigious brands such as Colette, Dassault and Macif. This initial experience enabled him to grasp the inner workings of UX and develop his expertise in managing demanding customers.

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Later, Florian broadened his field of action by joining renowned agencies such as Proximity BBDO, McCANN Paris and TBWA Paris, where he held various positions, from UI Designer to Art Director. Over the years, he shaped his style and method, juggling large-scale projects for prestigious clients such as Nestlé, Pampers and the French Air Force.

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In 2015, he took the next step by co-founding Azapa, where he works as Product Designer. This entrepreneurial experience enabled him to explore new territories and participate in the creation of an innovative mobile application for home services.

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Over the following years, Florian worked his way up through the ranks at agencies such asAdyax & Smile and Niji, where he held positions of responsibility as Senior Creative Designer. His portfolio includes projects for brands such as Dior, LVMH and OVH.

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However, the Covid-19 pandemic turned his career around, leading him to embrace freelance status from 2020 to 2023. This period gave him the opportunity to explore new horizons and work with a variety of customers, reinforcing his versatility and adaptability.

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In 2023, Florian joins Alegria.group as Head of Design, bringing with him all his expertise and passion for innovation. His arrival marks a new chapter in his career, where he can put his varied experience to good use in the service of a dynamic and innovative community.

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Florian's essential Nocode & AI tools

Florian Casanova doesn't just follow trends, he anticipates them. In his relentless quest for innovation, he quickly understood the potential of Nocode tools and AI to revolutionize the field of design. His meticulous approach and regular monitoring enable him to analyze customers' needs acutely, even before they express them.

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"I had heard about Nocode in 2020/2021," he explains. For him, this technology represents a real revolution, offering the possibility of creating applications and websites without having to write a single line of code. This approach saves him precious time and increases his efficiency. "We don't realize it, but AI like Nocode can save us as much time as money!"

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Among his favourite tools, Florian mentions Relume, a true ally in the design of wireframes and sitemaps. Thanks to AI, Relume automatically generates these crucial elements "This tool can do the equivalent of a day's work in a fraction of a second!" This tool for automating roadmaps and wireframe gives Relume unrivalled flexibility to customize and modify elements according to the specific needs of the project.

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Florian also uses Krea, another tool he's particularly fond of. This platform uses AI to process the most complex visual elements, enabling Florian to gain in efficiency while maintaining the aesthetic quality of his creations. "It's important to understand that these tools don't replace the work of designers, but help them to adapt and take on new challenges."

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Florian also stresses the importance of staying at the cutting edge of technology, mentioning tools such as Rightfront for policy management, Eagle for intelligence and information management, and Bard/ChatGPT for prompt generation. These tools enable the company to remain agile and responsive in a constantly evolving environment.

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He also talks about promising tools such as Dall-e, Galileo and Heygen, which illustrate the meteoric rise of AI in design. For Florian, these tools represent the future of the profession, just as the iPhone revolutionized the smartphone industry.

"AI will transform our businesses, but above all make them evolve," he concludes. 

His incredible projects

Florian Casanova is a proud man, but his pride is the fruit of hard work and determination. In an era when design and art direction schools were not commonplace, "The only way to be able to stand out is willpower, keep working and keep cramming!" He humbly points out that it's this relentlessness that has brought him to where he is today, by training himself and cultivating a boundless curiosity, inherited from his studies in political science.

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Among the many projects that have marked his career, some stand out for their scope and impact. One such project is the complete overhaul of the Dashboard for Dior Academy. This initiative provided all sales staff worldwide, spread over several continents, with a tool for tracking training and the latest fashion shows. In collaboration with his team at Adyax, Florian managed this project from start to finish, from conception to implementation, with the aim of strengthening internal communication and ensuring uniformity in the transmission of information within the company.

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His involvement with Brown University was also a source of great satisfaction. By collaborating with a renowned institution, Florian has helped to highlight the university's academic excellence, while showcasing his skills in design and art direction.

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The partnership with The Kooples represents another important milestone in his career. Working with this internationally renowned brand has given Florian the opportunity to make his mark in the fashion industry, bringing his creative vision and expertise to create unique and memorable experiences for customers.

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Florian has also been involved in innovative projects with companies such as Safran, where he helped create 3D modules to explain aircraft engines to in-house employees, and with Kaporal, where his creativity played a key role in designing the brand's logo.

These projects are not only professional successes for Florian, they also embody his work philosophy: a combination of passion, expertise and determination. For him, the key to success lies in the ability to take on challenges with enthusiasm and never give up, no matter what obstacles are encountered along the way.

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Its cheat code for success in design 

For Florian Casanova, success in the field of design is based on a very special "cheat code", a magic formula that combines passion, creativity and perseverance. He insists that you must never give up, always be ready to push your limits and be even more creative when others doubt your abilities.

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For those aspiring to enter the field of design, Florian recommends first and foremost to nurture a burning passion for the craft. He stresses that design can't just be seen as an ordinary office job; it has to be a real passion, an obsession that drives every working day.

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Florian proposes a simple but effective method for those who feel discouraged by the complexity of design: set yourself goals and practice constantly. He suggests setting yourself the challenge of completing a small design project every day for 30 days. According to him, this regular practice is the key to making significant progress and improving your skills.

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Florian also recommends using platforms such as Dribbble, where designers share their creations in real time. For him, this platform offers a valuable source of inspiration and learning, allowing designers to see the evolution of their peers' work, and to practice as if in a training session.

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Ultimately, for Florian Casanova, design is not just a profession, it's a way of life. It's this passion and unwavering commitment that drives him to always give his best, and it's this same mindset that he encourages aspiring designers to adopt in order to succeed in this demanding but rewarding field.

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What next?

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For Florian Casanova, the future looks bright and ambitious, fueled by years of varied experience in the world of design. Having explored the intricacies of freelancing and the inner workings of agencies, he draws valuable lessons from this diversity of experience.

He stresses the importance of not rushing into freelancing without a solid foundation acquired in an agency. For him, this transition requires meticulous preparation, because freelancing involves much more than pure creativity. It's a demanding adventure that also requires skills in communication, financial management and autonomy.

In the longer term, Florian plans to turn more towards training, a field he is already exploring by giving courses toAlegria.academy's long-term training students. He feels that his experience gives him a unique perspective, enabling him to teach others the subtleties of design, branding and customer management.

The consulting field also interests him, "I could use my expertise to advise a multitude of customers!" Drawing on his past experiences, he is keen to share his knowledge and skills, in particular by teaching others to manage the stress and challenges inherent in the world of design.

For Florian Casanova, the future is a blank canvas of infinite possibilities. His experience enables him to embrace future challenges and leave his mark on the world of design and training. His unwavering determination and commitment to excellence make him an indispensable member of the Alegria.group team!

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