After earning a diploma from l’Ecole de Communication Visuelle in graphic design, Héléna Ichbiah decided to go into business for herself. With the help of Piotr Karczewski, a video director with a diploma in the decorative arts, she discovered multimedia. Together, they formed the graphics team Ich&Kar – "Cheeky, adding an offbeat perspective to a variety of subjects, but always highly-skilled." In the business of creating worlds, they worked in such varied fields as fashion (Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent), music (Rachid Taha, Léo Ferré), advertising (Kiss Cool, Lejaby), gastronomy (Momo’s in London, TroisGros) and design and architecture. Héléna received an award for her project Welcome to Fisherland/In Throd We Gust, a CD-ROM that is both a game and a journey into the consciousness of our times. Monsieur Schmûrtz is alone in a nearly empty room. This tubby, balding little man sits in front of the television, and the only way to escape his depressing world is to channel-surf. Thus begins a series of journeys into 10 different worlds; for example, the Cyber world of too-much-information, which thrusts you into the atmosphere of a techno nightclub. It is up to the viewer to solve the puzzles in order to get back to the main room, which is furnished as you complete the quests.

Achievements since winning the grant

In 1997, Héléna won the Silver Lion in Cannes for an Evian advertising campaign.
In 2000, Ich&Kar participated in the Emergence exhibition at the Museum of Advertising.
In 2001, the pair exhibited at Graphisme, 200 Créateurs at the National Library of France. That same year, they participated in the exhibition Signes de la Jeune Création Graphique en France at the Pompidou Centre.
In 2002, Ich&Kar won first prize from the Club des Directeurs Artistiques in the Publishing/Mailing/Posters category.
In 2003, Ich&Kar published Conversation, an exhibition book, with Colette in Paris, Sketch in London and Gas Book in Tokyo.
In 2005, Ich&Kar created an entire advertising toolkit (font, website) for the Condesadf Hotel in Mexico and created the visual identity for Domestic. The same year, the pair worked with Claude Morne to create a culinary brand: Remède à la Déconfiture.
In 2006, Ich&Kar won the Stratégies award from Design d’Edition for their Sketch Look Book.