Regine Stefan-Aboud of Venturethree on Creating Safe Spaces With Creative Teams and Clients

Exploring Paris as a teen set her on the creative path

Regine is partner and creative director of Venturethree. She has more than 20 years of experience building global brands for entertainment, gaming and tech businesses including Meta, Sony, Tata Play and King. On the other side of the spectrum, she’s worked with founders of disruptive platforms like Wise, Dreem and Jio. The latter became a generation-defining network in India, transforming life for 400 million customers. 

Regine is involved across mentorship programs for new talent with UAL and Central Saint Martins. She also consults pro-bono for Indian charity Magic Bus, focused on providing access to education for underprivileged children.

We spent two minutes with Regine to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired. 

Regine, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in a small town in Austria and live in London now.

How you first realized you were creative.

In my final year of high school, I still had no idea what I was going to study. Since I loved languages, especially French, I went to Paris for a year. While there, I stumbled upon a folder at a youth information center about design foundation courses in London. I was amazed to see that I could study what I enjoyed as hobbies. I’d never heard of graphic design before, but I applied to a foundation course at UAL, got in, and the rest is history.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

I met fellow student David Tanguy on my first day at Saint Martins. Fast forward two years, and we were running our own design company, Praline, working with real clients while still studying. It provided me with a creative playground to develop my skills, build confidence and launch myself into the world.

Your most important creative inspirations, and some recent stuff you love.

I love going to exhibitions, flipping through magazines, browsing shops, watching shows, traveling, and simply taking it all in—rather than scrolling through design blogs. Sometimes, just looking out the window while being somewhere new can give you so much inspiration. As the fashion designer Paul Smith says, “Inspiration is everywhere.” Recent stuff I loved exploring was on display at the immersive exhibition in Paris “Horizon of Khufu.”

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on. 

The brand we created for Dreem, a French startup specializing in sleep technology. I loved immersing myself in the world of sleep—exploring everything from pink noise to EEG technology. We created something that the world of sleep hadn’t seen before, with a color palette inspired by the science of pink noise. This gives you a glimpse of what we created for them. 

A recent project you’re proud of. 

We managed to create and launch our own brand last year. What’s not to like about a mushroom icon? It’s the symbol of our creativity and independence, a statement that we’re different, the antidote to what’s expected, representing our unique way of looking at the world.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

I like being inspired by people outside my field. Richard Rogers—with his legible architecture. Hiroshi Sugimoto—with his incredible photographic concepts. James Turrell’s light installations.

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

I thoroughly enjoy John Hegarty’s weekly articles “The Business of Creativit,” where he discusses wide-ranging topics.

Your main strength as a creative person.

The ability to build relationships with the client and the team. Building relationships starts with empathy, where the best work truly happens. It’s all about creating connections with clients, getting to know them as individuals and understanding how far we can push the work. With the team, it’s about creating a safe space where everyone feels they can be their best self. Ultimately, it’s about being who we truly are, and having fun along the way.

Your biggest weakness.

Volume. I tend to get excited by many different ideas and want to absorb everything about the client, which sometimes leads me to try out multiple concepts quickly in search of the right one. At the same time, I’m a perfectionist who thrives on structure, so it can be a balancing act.

A mentor who helped you navigate the industry.

The late Phil Baines, who was an amazing person, extraordinary typographer and close friend.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Working in the cultural industry. I’d also love to open a shop on the side, selling unique finds from exhibitions, new discoveries and travels around the world.