Starting a business is a lot like raising a child: it demands patience, perseverance, and the occasional sleepless night. And like all parents, every business owner has two fervent wishes: profit and growth. In the entertainment industry, there’s an added craving for recognition, a magical ingredient that can catapult a venture from obscurity to stardom.

For our company, this year brought that coveted recognition, but not without a rollercoaster of effort and emotion.

It began with a call from a client. They needed a poster—and not just any poster. “We need it quickly, within two weeks, because we have to enter it with the movie in Cannes.” Cannes? As in the Cannes Film Festival? Two weeks to craft an original poster worthy of one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world? Challenge accepted.

The first week was grueling. We submitted concept after concept, only to be met with polite but persistent rejection. “It’s not quite there,” the client would say. The team was getting nervous. Was it us? Were we misunderstanding the client’s vision, or was the client’s bar set impossibly high? Something had to give.

If you’ve followed our journey, you’ll know about our brilliant designer, Fred. Fred was at the helm of this project, navigating through the tempest of feedback. On the seventh day, a breakthrough came in the most unexpected way. One of the film’s producers got involved, and his email contained a crucial clue: his signature showcased posters of his previous films.

I noticed this immediately, took a screenshot, and sent it to Fred. He studied those posters like a detective at a crime scene, nodding thoughtfully. Two hours later, I checked in on him. What I saw on his screen made my heart race—we had something. We had something!

We sent the revised poster to the client and braced ourselves. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that owning a company is much like being a parent. Well, In the past we have had equally backbreaking projects – one with Coca-Cola comes to mind. So in many ways, we treat all our projects like they were our babies. To that effect, after submitting this particular Cannes project, it felt like the longest 24-hour wait of our lives. This was day nine. If the feedback was negative, we’d be out of time and out of options. When the reply finally came, we opened the email with bated breath. “This poster by far is the best,” it read. And then, “We also like #2 and #4 and want those for other social media platforms.”

We did it. Fred nailed it. What was initially a commission for one poster turned into a request for three. The exhilaration was palpable.

In the end, our “yes poster” was featured at the Cannes Film Festival. This triumph was more than just a milestone for our design boutique—it was a testament to teamwork, communication, and relentless resilience.

So, to every graphic designer out there facing tight deadlines and high expectations, take heart from our story. The path to recognition may be fraught with challenges, but with dedication and a keen eye for detail, you might just find your masterpiece featured on the world’s most prestigious stages. It was delicious.