Responses by Félix Péault and Jean Marc Virard, cofounders, L’Étude.

Background: The website introduces our design studio L’Étude and our name (which means “the study” in English) that is central to our philosophy. It means that we see ourselves as perpetual students of design culture, driven by constant research and a genuine passion for craft. Our studio operates on a modular, adaptive model, and the site is a living document of that mindset: experimental, cultural, innovative and technical. We built it for fellow creatives and brands who value uniqueness over trends and who are looking for a partner that brings a strong perspective without the ego.

Design core: The site is built on brutalist principles—raw, unpolished and honest. We deconstructed traditional web layouts by using broken grids and dead space to create a tension between minimalism and maximalism. This develops an intentionally overwhelming first impression that ultimately guides you toward what we consider essential.

Inspired by the modernist Adolf Loos’s principle that ornament is crime, we stripped the design down to its essence. Everything you see serves a purpose. By using typography, space and interaction, we find depth and substance in simplicity.

Challenges: Allowing our own website to evolve. We intentionally built it in two stages: first, a cultural, story-driven platform, and second, an assertion to fundamentals. That process forced us to be our own critics and set our egos aside to rethink the project until it felt truly aligned with our vision. We refuse to separate design from development: they aren’t two stages but one hybrid process. It’s a mindset where the conception of the design is inseparable from its technical execution and vice-versa. The creative vision and the code must evolve together from the start.

New lessons: This project was a reaffirmation of our core principle, the very reason we call ourselves L’Étude. At the dawn of the AI era, it reminded us that the process itself is the essence—as important as the result, if not more. We are constantly in a state of experimentation and creating our own site was no different. The main lesson was in rediscovering the critical gap between an abstract vision and what truly holds up in reality. An idea must prove itself in practice but not every compelling concept survives that test.

Navigation structure: Our approach was to dismantle the traditional navigation and put conventional UX versus UI against the wall, intentionally breaking established codes to make navigation accessible everywhere at any time. Treating it with the same philosophy as a cult brand, we developed our own codified lingo using custom icons and a unique filtering system to build a distinct universe around our services. It’s a chosen balance between creating a disruptive experience and ensuring usability.

Special navigational features: All content opens within an overlay system as well as standalone page for sharing. This provides immediate access to any piece of information, so the user never truly leaves the core experience. It keeps the focus firmly on our home and work pages, which serve as the anchors of the site.

Technology: The site was built with SvelteKit and Svelte 5, using Sanity for the backend. We crafted the interactions and animations with Anime.js and custom CSS.

Structurally, the site heavily relies on grid layouts. This was a crucial choice to maintain the design’s integrity and ensure a seamless and consistent experience across all viewports.