{"id":4331,"date":"2025-06-02T15:19:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T15:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/?page_id=4331"},"modified":"2025-06-10T11:02:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T11:02:25","slug":"the-posters-and-their-artists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/en\/medias-3\/the-posters-and-their-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"The Posters and Their Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Adrien Journel, Illustrator of the BGF 2025 Poster<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Adrien Journel<\/strong> is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Brussels. His style moves between comic-inspired pencil work<\/strong> and colourful, “cute” universes. Inspired by vintage Disney films, narrative video games and animated cinema, he loves to create magical, nostalgic worlds full of wizards, pirates and vampires. He currently works for Captain Games<\/strong>, where he blends his passion for games and illustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you approach creating this poster?
Was there a concept, mood or message you wanted to convey?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I wanted it to be immediately clear<\/strong> that this was a gaming festival<\/strong>.
By placing characters playing games<\/strong> in the foreground, everyone can relate. That\u2019s probably my \u201ccomic book\u201d side. I actually approached the poster a bit like a BD cover<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I added a touch of fantasy, quirkiness and nostalgia<\/strong>. I was heavily inspired by the beautiful posters from Namur en Mai<\/em>, a street arts festival. I love that melancholic fairground vibe<\/strong>, the idea of a magical world you enter for a few days. And yes \u2014 the iconic BGF hot air balloon<\/strong> helped a lot too!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What does this poster mean to you?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s definitely a form of recognition<\/strong>.
Having the BGF \u201cvalidate\u201d me as an illustrator means a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve never really dared to go full-time into illustration \u2014 it\u2019s a difficult, precarious job<\/strong> that relies heavily on networking. And since I\u2019m quite introverted<\/strong>, I\u2019ve always found it hard to promote myself. That\u2019s why I worked in graphic design for so long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But since Duck&Cover<\/em>, which Captain Games asked me to illustrate, things changed. People now come to signings asking for a little duck in their box. The game\u2019s been a hit, and I finally feel legitimate<\/strong> as an illustrator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yes \u2014 doing the poster for the 10th edition of BGF<\/strong> is crazy. I\u2019m deeply honoured<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Klik op de afbeelding voor de PDF-versie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you had to describe your poster in three words, what would they be \u2013 and why?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fairground, Worlds, Madness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairground<\/strong>, because that\u2019s what festivals evoke for me: a mix of flags, fun, and that slightly medieval-fantasy vibe. A bubble of joy<\/strong>, away from reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worlds<\/strong>, in the plural, because games transport us to different universes \u2014 and so do the people in cosplay<\/strong>. I love them. They invest time and money just to have fun. Some adults may find it pointless \u2014 I think it\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madness<\/strong>, because you need a bit of craziness<\/strong> to let go of what others think.
Board and roleplaying games are still seen as \u201cniche\u201d by some, but at BGF, our quirks are celebrated<\/strong>. A pirate crossing paths with a witch? That\u2019s freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What memory stands out from illustrating for the BGF?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My delay<\/strong>, honestly! \ud83d\ude02
I was working on Captain Games\u2019 next title at the same time, and I had very little time left for the poster. It was frustrating \u2014 I just wanted to pause everything and dive into it properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I finally carved out some time\u2026 it was chaotic, but I\u2019m really proud<\/strong> of the result!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a detail or easter egg in your poster that few people notice?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yes! The dragon<\/strong> in the background is holding a rubber duck<\/strong> in its hand.
I like to imagine him thinking:
\u201cDuck or Cover? That is the Question!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Info & Contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf10 Website<\/a>
\ud83d\udcf7 Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other editions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Adrien Journel (2025)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ammo Dastarac (2024)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sergio Men\u00e9ndez<\/a> (2023)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fred Navez (2018 \u00e0 2021)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Florence Bols\u00e9e (2016 \u00e0 2017)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rapha\u00ebl Batista (2015)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dimitri Piot (2014)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Patrick Beukeleirs (2013)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adrien Journel, Illustrator of the BGF 2025 Poster Adrien Journel is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Brussels. His style moves between comic-inspired pencil work and colourful, “cute” universes. Inspired by vintage Disney films, narrative video games and animated cinema, he loves to create magical, nostalgic worlds full of wizards, pirates and vampires. He … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":426,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4331","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","latest_post"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4331"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4522,"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4331\/revisions\/4522"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.brusselsgamesfestival.be\/wpbgf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}