"I am Lylou Amiel. Currently in my third year of studies at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, I strive to become an exploratory designer whose creations are rooted in ethnographic observations.

After two years of exploring materials, techniques and crafts as part of my academic journey, I carry one certainty about my identity as a designer: that of the approach I want to give to my designs. This approach lies in field work, hands-on anthropology and empirical storytelling. I believe we are all carriers of stories and what drives me is to invest the time and energy to discover these stories in order to transmit them through my creation.

More generally, I am eager to tell stories of resistance: stories of those who hold on to their faith, their strength and their passion; stories of divergence: that of those who step aside to build alternative ways of living; and stories of resilience: that of those who keep traditions alive with their hands, their voices, their rituals.

To do so, and as observation turns into a creative process. Each of them allows me to translate what I observe and experience into something tangible and communicative.

In most of my projects, you will find a videographic outcome, as I believe film has a unique ability to capture and convey emotions and atmospheres. I use it as a mediator between myself and the people or places I encounter — a way to share perspectives and document stories in a direct, sensitive, and accessible way.

Cooking has always been part of my creative language. Before studying design, I wanted to become a chef, and this desire to cook and share has never left me. For me, food is one of the most instinctive and generous forms of communication. It carries memory, identity, and culture, and creates spaces where exchange and connection happen naturally. Through cooking, I explore how care, conviviality, and tradition can become methods of research and creation.

Pottery, on the other hand, is an inward practice — quiet, meditative, and deeply personal. Working with clay recenters my thoughts and transforms them into form. I like to gift my pieces to others, as a simple way to share the process and meaning behind them.

I was raised to speak up, to take initiative, and to bring people together. This naturally led me to organize events as part of my projects. I enjoy creating spaces where people can meet, exchange, and collaborate. I grow through contact with others, and I find in these moments of communion the same creative pulse that drives my practice.

Finally, graphic design is part of how I build and express my projects visually. Whether in booklets, videos, or exhibitions, I use a simple, hand-drawn, and playful style that reflects the way I think and create. I believe a good designer is one who can stay connected to their childlike way of imagining and expressing — curious, spontaneous, and unafraid to explore freely.

I hope you can find this sense of who I am throughout this portfolio. I have tried to make it convey both my anthropologic approach and my technical skills. Please don’t hesitate to contact me, were any of my designs shown on this website, to spark curiosity or questions in you."

Lylou Amiel.