Q&A: Michael Lejeune, Metro creative director and UCLA alum

Michael Lejeune, the first and current creative director for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), is a UCLA alumnus from the class of 1986 who graduated with a bachelor’s in communication studies. After completing his undergraduate degree, Lejeune decided to try a series of jobs ranging from freelance writing and agent management to public relations before finally stumbling into the realm of graphic design and advertising.

His time at Metro has combined his two different understandings for both management and visual presentation, creating a city-wide campaign that has earned the Los Angeles Metro national recognition and grants from the White House for large-scale public transportation projects. As part of the Hammer Museum’s exhibition “Graphic Design: Now In Production,” Lejeune will speak about the merge of design and transportation. Lejeune sat down with the Daily Bruin’s Lynn Chu to talk about the role of the Metro Design Studio, their projects and the forward push for public transportation in a city addicted to cars.

Daily Bruin: What was it like to be the first creative design director for Metro?

Michael Lejeune: When I joined Metro, it was a time of great change. (They were) creating this in-house agency (with) all of these different elements, all of these different jobs and as a part of that, (they were) going to need this design program that’s going to make people (notice). That’s when I had the interview for this job. What I said to (my interviewer) was, in a company this big, change doesn’t happen overnight. What is the goal? What’s the simple thing? He said, “˜Easy question, the goal is to make Metro cool.’ It was low on people’s radar.

DB: You mainly work with the Metro Design Studio to create these advertising materials. What would you say is your team’s role in the company?

ML: We still have traffic problems but we are building solutions to them. We are creating an alternate universe. So our work at Metro, the Metro Design Studio, is about a team of 20 people. We’re (also) part of a larger creative services group, which is (made up of) about 30 people at Metro. They are responsible for all the creative output in the agency. We do about 25,000 jobs each year. … We also have an interactive team that’s built our website from the ground up. We have mobile apps, something called “Nextrip” where you know exactly when your bus is coming. There’s a lot of new information going out. And we also do t-shirts and caps and posters, we design the uniforms, we design what the buses look like. We design how Metro communicates. We design “¦ anything and everything visual.

DB: What message is Metro trying to put out there with this campaign?

ML: To create a voice or personality for it. We’re really trying to cajole and condense and remind people that they have different choices. “¦ It’s opening their eyes to another way of being, changing the quality of their lives. What’s so exciting is it’s changing the relationships of our customers to different people. There’s something really cool that happens when you share a ride. You’re not in your car, air-conditioned with your windows rolled up. You can see places you’ve never seen. You really think of it as conversation. “¦ It’s just been amazing to see the difference and how we’re building new rail lines and carpool lanes and doing work on the 405 … and just (changing) the face of Los Angeles.

DB: What were your plans to realize this concept of making Metro a trendy mode of transportation?

ML: A lot had to do with photography, illustration, writing style. That was not only a good idea, it was really a crucial idea about Los Angeles. “¦ We had to change the way we were talking, you really had to compete in that visual environment. I think that brought a more vibrant, lively way of talking and that’s what we did. (The number of) riders started to go up, funding started to go up. “¦ We look a lot at places like London and Paris (and) we can’t imagine those cities working without the tube or the Metro. That’s really what we want for people to think about. Reliable, affordable, convenient. We’re constantly pushing those ideas but we’re doing it in an unexpected way.

DB: Do these other major metropolises have a city-wide advertising campaign like LA Metro does?

ML: Some of them do (but) it’s all about scale. There’s a great transportation system in Portland. It’s efficient and beautiful. (They’ve done a) particularly good job with signage and all the rails are tight and fine, (although) I wouldn’t say they’re as strong in advertising. New York has a huge system “¦ but it’s so innovative in that city they almost don’t need (advertising). “¦ Really I think that one of the examples we follow is London undergound, which is well over 100 years old. They developed a typeface 100 years ago and they have integrated public art and everything they do absolutely feels like London underground. “¦ They have all these models “¦ (but) they don’t do it as much of a deep-wide scale as we do.

DB: You mentioned that a large part of using public transportation is meeting the different kinds of people who commute with Metro each day. Do you have any stories from your commute to work?

ML: It’s not really one story. I’ve seen people get a little bit heated (with each other) but in (a) very respectful way. I have seen people sort of strike up a conversation and start dating. I also love it when Metro gives free rides to school field trips. I love it when I see a group of 2nd graders getting on the train and going on a field trip to downtown. … You meet interesting people, it’s the endless parade of meeting new people in Los Angeles. It’s every single background and it really puts you in touch with a great city.

DB: What can you say about public transportation and its use among students in the future?

ML: The exciting thing about your generation is that (for) kids growing up, Metro’s going to be a part of their (lives). They’re going to be smart enough to know that having a car is not the end-all be-all. People see their cars as a sign of independence (but) they’re going to see how much time they’re wasting sitting in traffic and they’re going to see how it is being out and about connecting with the city. “¦ Downtown Los Angeles is booming because young people are moving in and they don’t need a car. I think they’ll say I have a car (but) … I love the day when I can go to the train station, open my book, listen to tunes and be with the people.

Email Chu at [email protected].