Since their first steps into the design world, 2020 has been the turning point for Horah Inc., a newly founded design studio by Théotim Hunaut, Arthur Nabi and Nathan Sirieix. “No doubt 2020 is the key moment for us. We started to work on serious projects and we have settled a real workflow based on a mix between graphics and strong images”, Nathan tells Collide24, “This process allowed us to see the real potential of Horah. We are trying to develop this workflow in order to produce the best work possible for us.” Keeping in with the studio’s manifesto of delivering work of the highest quality, the three designers and friends has named it after a figure in the Japanese manga “Yu Gi Oh”, Horakhty, the God of Light. “This card is the fusion of the 3 Egyptian God – (Slifer, the Sky dragon, The winged dragon of Ra and Obelisk the Tormentor – and this is by far the best monster of the game”, Théotim explains, “The design is gorgeous but we mostly like the idea that our studio is the perfect fusion of our personalities and skills.”
Before they came together as Horah Inc., Arthur, Nathan and Théotim have met during the time when they were still students and first started working separately in the industry after their graduation. Now, they combine their different strengths and experiences when taking on a new project or collaboration, slowly defining what the studio’s signature visual language will be. “In fact despite our different skills we have a pretty efficient workflow. We mainly focus on graphic design and CGI image so we can easily switch from a software to another to create deeper visual for our project”, Théotim concludes, “Of course everybody has his own skillset but the strength of our dynamic is that we can complement each other between 3D and Graphics.” By focusing on the relation between CGI images and IRL display, the studio explores how they can intertwine these two worlds. “We love creating a strong CGI image with our proper identity but we mostly want to develop a global universe that can mix our CGI vision with IRL display. A CGI image could be even stronger if there is a relation with the display around it. It’s more about how we can show this image in a different way to just show a screen.”
In the couple of weeks, Horah Inc. has worked together on artworks for two song releases, Vanessa by Myth Syzer and Bulletproof by Khali ft. Loveni. “These 2 song releases were commissioned by Myth Syzer, one for his label ‘Trytolive’ and the other for himself. The approach we have for these releases is to come illustrated in a fairly simple way with a touch of poetry and art, the title of the music and what they tell”, Arthur tells us. The visuals and animations for the releases are a mixture between captivating 3D scenes and detailed graphics, sitting somewhere between 3D art and graphic design. This extraordinary attention to detail is unfailing across the studio’s portfolio, pushing each brief to its limits. “The challenge is to keep doing innovative content for different clients and not falling into the trend”, Nathan states.
For the second issue of IN CORPORE SANO, Arthur, Nathan and Théotim have worked together with Killian Loddo, an art director at Paris based studio Golgatha, and created a mystical mixture between their CGI imagery and Killian’s aesthetic. “The main aspect of the magazine is to talk about modern wellness so we decided to push this concept.The aim was to create a futuristic fitness program with traditional exercise and hybrid character”, Nathan explains.
This collaborative design approach is at the heart of the studio’s ethos. “Of course we collaborate together everyday in our workflow with Horah, but with time we want to work with other studios and even with craftsmen or artists. Paris is a great place of creativity and sadly there are too few collaboration that emerge of that. We need to change that mentality and share our strengths”, Théotim states, and Arthur adds on that matter: “For us it is important to collaborate with other people in order to establish a first contact with them, to work in a free and very creative way, to then be able to work on more concrete projects together, which require specifications with constraints, or a brief to fit in.”
When taking on a new project, the trio starts by testing out different directions, “feeding their ideas” with visuals from their archive, references and art inspirations. “We establish precise artistic directions for what we want to achieve, and once we validated all this with the client, we can move forward on the pure creation of the content to be produced”, Arthur concludes. Being a young studio, the three designers are still trying out the ways of working that best suit them. “The biggest challenge is to be able to organize the types of projects we take, namely slow down if there are too many projects at the same time. Committing to a workflow that is done only in teams has been an habit to acquire.”
In the following months, Arthur, Nathan and Théotim are working on a bundle of new collaborations and projects. “We have a lot of projects in the pipeline – some of them are already finished and are waiting to be finally released in the following months”, Arthur tells us, “One of these projects is bigger one, including a visual identity, website, graphics, launch campaign, packaging, labels and so on. We are quite happy to always have things to do, whether it’s more about the graphic design or 3D CGI, websites, or artistic direction.” Looking into the future, Horah Inc. aims at building trust and long-term partnerships with recurring clients while always staying open for new challenges and possibilities. “We’d love to have a place for us where we can work, see clients and share moment together with the Horah Inc. family and friends!”
