We were lucky to catch up with Philippe E. Martinez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Philippe E., thanks for joining us today. Everyone has crazy stuff happen to them, but often small business owners and creatives, artists and others who are doing something off the beaten path are often hit with things (positive or negative) that are so out there, so unpredictable and unexpected. Can you share a crazy story from your journey?

In 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, I received an unexpected opportunity to lead a huge project in Saudi Arabia, with just a two-week notice. Fortunately, my passport was up to date and I was able to say yes!

The project was both challenging and rewarding. We received a warm welcome from the local team, who took us location scouting to the various sites of the project, which was targeted at the 1% of the 1%, focusing on the Red Sea area by NEOM. It offered us unparalleled creative freedom. We were tasked with designing extravagant features ranging from luxury five-star hotels to exceptional Michelin 3-star restaurants, as well as unique experiences like a desert light and sound show narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, under the vast, starry night sky.

This adventure was more than a project; it was a journey through some of the world’s most stunning and untouched landscapes, including serene desert islands and the Gulf of Aqaba. Though it was one of the most demanding projects in my career, it was an immensely gratifying experience and stands as the most prestigious project I’ve been involved in, with a budget nearing $1 billion. It forged in me a stronger, more versatile leader.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a creative director, designer and car geek hailing from “French California” (that little corner of the Atlantic tucked between France and Spain), who’s found his way to LA to finish his studies at Art Center College of Design… and ended up loving SoCal too much to go back. After a few agency stints as a designer, art & creative director, my love for graphic and experiential design led me to create Makes Co, a shop dedicated to doing just that for clients such as Kawasaki, The Jim Henson Studios and Mercedes-Benz with a down-to-earth motto: “We love people | We love stories | We love design.

We specialize in elevating businesses and people through unforgettable experiences, blending emotionally powerful stories with designs that pop. We do that through a mix of strategy and creativity to ensure our clients’ brands shine, harmonizing their design from screens to iconic in-person experiences.

Quick backstory: back in college I aspired to create my own company. I had a subscription to Inc. and Fast company and just LOVED reading stories of entrepreneurs, especially in the creative field, but honestly kind of in any industry. I can have a fantastic time reading entrepreneurial books such as Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (founder of Nike), Authentic by Phil Van Doren (founder of Vans), Creativity, Inc about the Pixar story or watching biopics like The Founder with Michael Keaton, narrating Ray Crock’s story about how he built McDonald’s. To me it’s fascinating: I love how people dream up a new product, a new type of business or they take a business that exists in a certain form and flip the model on its head. They’re on a mission and their “WHY” is crystal clear. It takes a lot of faith and courage.

While we love to ask ourselves “does it look cool?”, our work goes far beyond. We firmly believe that a powerful story can change the course of your life. Immersive experiences and stunning graphics are the keys to unlocking a deep connection with vital issues, brand messages, and inspiring tales that elevate all of us.

Makes.Co isn’t just a design shop; jumping into our client’s Hero’s Journey, we want to be their mentor (think Mr. Miyagi) that will relentlessly cheer them on and celebrate their wins.

And we’re just getting started!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I have often been told that I needed to pick one thing and excel at it… and I just couldn’t do it! I felt inadequate because I hadn’t chosen just one thing to focus on, and started to believe I couldn’t become truly excellent (heck even just.. good) at anything. I’m in my element painting, refinishing some vintage furniture, cooking or wrenching on an old car. As long as it’s creative, I’m in (and if it involves something with wheels and an engine, even better!)

Don’t get me wrong: we need artists who are masters at their craft! But the best ones keep their eyes open and get inspired by everything. In my opinion, it’s difficult to design a truly exceptional car if you have no interest in fine arts, if you don’t stay informed about current events, or if you fail to understand market trends and consumer preferences. I believe it is crucial to be well-rounded.

Now I view my winding career path as an advantage. I was lucky to attend 5 art schools (thank you, exchange programs!) and got to learn a wide array of subjects, such as using a dark room, sculpting and even setting stones in jewelry. Seemingly random work experiences such as 3D visualization, set design, video editing or event organization have enriched my creative process and allowed me to approach projects from unique perspectives. The beauty is: they all converge in the realm of experiential design.

Picture some of the best theme parks: everything works together to immerse you in a world, a story. The overall look, the textures, the rock work, the lighting, the scents, the graphics, the floors you’re stepping on, the soundtrack, the visuals and special effects, the way the ride vehicle moves you around the space… EVERYTHING. It takes an army of specialized people to create it and it all has to feel cohesive. So if you’re well rounded, you can be responsible for this vision.

In our work we take the same approach for temporary events, conventions, stores… and the visitors get immersed in the universe of the Brand, becoming attached to it. It might be lower budget than a theme park, but we aim straight for the heartstrings too.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Makes.Co’s business started strong, but not even a year in… 2020 happened. Everything Experiential halted as people were not able to go places and all events were shut down.

This gave me the opportunity to try many jobs, including learning to be a butcher for Whole Foods. Coming from a cushy white collar 6-figure salary, scrubbing meat off the floor was very humbling and I’m immensely grateful for it. It helped put things in perspective and made me care for what truly matters.

During that time a friend asked for a logo for his new company. As a type nerd, I jumped on it and things grew from there. It became clear that my love for entrepreneurs had found a new avenue to express itself. I wasn’t just making a logo or a brochure. I was helping them refine their brand, their “WHY”… their whole strategy.

Now Branding is an integral part of our core offering and it feels just right. We’re convinced it goes hand in hand with Experiential and serves our clients’ goals in a much more cohesive way than when handled by different agencies. I’ve experienced this disconnect firsthand when -for example- working solely on an interactive display for an OEM at the LA Auto Show without input on the overall booth design.

One of our favorite recent projects was redesigning the packaging for Chico Rice, an incredible direct-to-consumer brand led by a father and son farming duo in NorCal. Their story is filled with heritage, a love for the land and hard work. Partnering with our friends at HaBO, we walked a tightrope to create designs portraying the views from the fields in an idealized way for a traditional yet modern brand feel, without falling for a temporarily trendy but soon-to-be obsolete design.

We also got to design their merch and their first trade show presence and uniforms. It was so gratifying to celebrate with them!

Contact Info:

• Website: makes.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makes.co/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippemartinez/

Image Credits
Portraits: Shandi Nicole Creative