Ugo and Léo reveal how they turned their youthful skateboard years into a (two time winning) design studio of the year. Hear about the Montreal design scene, the FORUM festival they launched, and getting inked.

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Léo Breton-Allaire and Ugo Varin Lachapelle are Partners & Creative Directors at Caserne.

Léo is partner and creative director at Caserne. His role involves guiding teams and clients through identity-focused and applied design exercises. He has actively contributed to shaping brands both locally and internationally, including the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), Moment Factory, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MBAM), the Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), Adisq, Orage, 2K Games, and many others. Over the past 12 years, his work has earned more than a hundred and fifty awards in various national and international competitions, including Art Directors Club, Type Directors Club, Dieline, Communication Arts, Advertising and Design Club of Canada, Applied Arts, and Idéa. Léo has participated in design workshops and conferences, such as Adobe Live in San Francisco, RDV Design and The Open House. In 2022, he chaired the design jury for Idéa Awards and co-founded Forum, an annual event dedicated to graphic design, featuring renowned international speakers such as Mirko Borsche, Elizabeth Goodspeed, and Andrea A. Trabucco Campos. In 2023 and 2024, Caserne was named ADCC Design Studio of the Year two years in a row, further solidifying its reputation for excellence in design. In 2024, Léo’s profile was selected for Parcours, an exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UQAM School of Design, which highlighted 50 graduates from the school since its founding in 1974. That same year, Léo was honored with the TDC Ascenders Award by The One Show in New York. The award recognizes emerging talent, with winners joining the prestigious and exclusive Type Directors Club—an esteemed community of creatives at the pinnacle of their craft.

Ugo is a passionate designer with an unwavering commitment to crafting at scale. He stands out for his strong design expertise and unwavering commitment to excellence. He co-founded Caserne in 2012 and now leads the studio alongside Léo Breton-Allaire and Sébastien Paradis. He has served on numerous design competition juries and has won over a hundred awards for his work. He is also the co-founder of FORUM, a design event. Held annually in Montreal, it brings together designers and artists on a mission to network, educate, and create.

ADCC Created is brought to you by The Advertising & Design Club of Canada, hosted by Lyranda Martin Evans (Fellow Human), with music and studio care of Grayson Music.

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