“3D and eye candy CG imagery”: Golgotha chats through some of its recent projects

In 2013, Guillaume Hugon, Marvin De Deus Ganhitas and Antoine Aillot started a creative agency together. Six years later and the trio are still producing work under the name Golgotha. With a portfolio spanning creative direction, graphic design, animation, illustration and 3D, the studio’s work is difficult to define. But its client list proves the trio is doing something right, as brands like Nike and Fendi as well as magazines including Numero and In Corpore Sano keep making use of their skills.

It’s been over a year since we last wrote about Guillaume, Marvin and Antoine and, in that time, their practice has clearly progressed. While retaining their signature maximalist, Sunday cartoon feel, it seems there’s been a process of refinement, with their projects exhibiting new techniques all over the place give each work a slick, finessed finish.

“In terms of aesthetic, we still feel connected to our original core imagery and references we like, but we always try to develop new visual approaches and to challenge ourselves to find new designs and aesthetics,” the studio explains on this point. “For instance, this year we worked on illustrations for Revue Magazine, with a hand-drawing feeling, mixed with 3D and eye candy CG imagery. We like this kind of mix.”

Overall, the trio explains, it’s been a great year: “Lot of cool new projects and international clients, which opened new possibilities and horizons. Also, we took time to develop a few art pieces and special Golgotha projects, such as a foundry, art videos, illustrations.” A particular highlight, however, was when they visited an esports competition in Poland called Counter Strike. Having worked with the “infamous team” Fnatic for a while, “it was really fun to IRL discover this universe which is getting really big,” they recall. With clear influences from the world of gaming across Golgotha’s portfolio, we’re excited to see how the inspiration found here manifests in the future.

Aside from visiting Counter Strike with one of the sport’s leading teams, Guillaume, Marvin and Antoine have been busy producing work for clients big and small across myriad outputs. A reoccurring client has been Nike with the studio citing a global campaign designed for the “Throwback Future Pack” as one of their favourites. “The challenge was to develop a retro-futuristic aesthetic and global art direction for the main campaign and its application. It was really fun to see our visuals displayed all over the globe in less than 24 hours,” they explain.

One project which encapsulates the shift in Golgotha’s practice the most, particularly in terms of aesthetics, is its creative direction of In Corpore Sano – a magazine about wellness created by Pascal Monfort and Sebastien Peretto. Where Golgotha’s projects have previously filled the frame with over-the-top graphics and typography, its work here instead shows restraint, bringing together well-set typography and 3D illustration to produce beautiful magazine spreads. “It was a totally different project from what we are used to doing, as it was print and layout design but also a curation job where we had the possibility to invite several friends and studios to contribute.”