Yann Legendre

Yann Legendre was born in France in 1972, where he was raised by a supremely accomplished cook (his mother) and an acclaimed architect (his father). He was exposed, at a very young age, to progressive ideas and a steady parade of some of France’s most well known artists and designers, who came to visit his parents. His grandfather, a book printer and binder, taught him important lessons of craftsmanship: the value of materials, surfaces, fit and finish. Yann’s decision to focus on illustration and poster was a direct result of the intersection of these strong influences and inspirations. Travel became an important—and conscious—part of his development as a metaphorical thinker and communicator. Between 2001 and 2004, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, including trips to New York, California, the Arizona desert, and Chicago, where he eventually settled in 2005. Today, Yann works fluidly between Chicago and Paris as an internationally recognized illustrator, designer and art director. His illustrations have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, GQ, Creative Review, Stylist Magazine… He is the art director of the french publisher Inculte, designing each book cover and every illustrated book series. He regular creates illustrations for Universal Music in London, the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Janus Films and the Criterion Collection in New York. In 2011, CB2 (Crate&Barrel) commissioned him to illustrate a new collection of home furniture called « Fresh Ink ». In 2010 he started a collaboration with the american film maker Joe Swanberg, designing and illustrating all of the directors movie posters and from the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Yann received the « Award of Excellence for the Best Movie Poster Design ».