Commissioned by Le Monde, one of the world’s most respected newspapers, Henry Hargreaves and I were invited to contribute to the Le Prénom series. Our role was to visually interpret the cultural, social, and personal significance of first names. Each story we received centered on an individual grappling with the meaning and impact of their name. For each subject, we created a “birthday cake moment”—a symbolic image designed to capture a glimpse of their lived experience, whether from childhood or adulthood.

This project explores how names shape identity and how changing a name can signal transformation or reclaiming of self. It also touches on the subtle biases and expectations that names can carry.

It was a rich, moving project that reminded us how something as simple as a name can hold deep personal and societal meaning.

See the full series on Le Monde