# Valentin Gassend - Creative Developer Portfolio > Valentin Gassend is a French freelance creative developer specializing in immersive web experiences: WebGL, Three.js, React Three Fiber, GSAP animations, interactive 3D, and AI-powered applications. Award-winning portfolio recognized by Awwwards and CSSDA. ## About Valentin Gassend is a creative developer and front-end engineer based in France, graduated from Gobelins Paris (Bachelor BDDI). He specializes in WebGL (Three.js, React Three Fiber), GSAP animations, React/Next.js, Python/LLM integrations, and builds visually ambitious interactive experiences for agencies and direct clients. Available for: freelance missions, creative collaborations, agency projects. Contact: contact@valentingassend.com Portfolio (FR): https://valentingassend.com/ Portfolio (EN): https://valentingassend.com/en/ Projects listing: https://valentingassend.com/projects/ ## Core Skills - WebGL, Three.js, React Three Fiber - 3D web experiences and real-time rendering - GSAP, Framer Motion, Lenis - scroll-based and timeline animations - React, Next.js, TypeScript - front-end architecture and static export - Python, LLM integration (Whisper, Qwen, DINOv2, generative AI), IoT (Raspberry Pi, ESP32) - Dataviz: D3.js, ECharts, Mapbox - Accessibility, performance optimization, Core Web Vitals, SEO - Figma to production pixel-perfect integration - React Native - mobile application design and development ## Awards & Recognition - Awwwards - listed portfolio - CSSDA Site of the Day - CSS Nectar featured - Gobelins Paris - Bachelor BDDI graduate (Annecy) --- ## Projects ### Célia (2025) - Gobelins Paris / La Quadrature du Net URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/celia/ Technologies: WebGL, Three.js, React Three Fiber, GSAP, Howler, Interactive Narration Client: Gobelins Paris / La Quadrature du Net Tags: Site internet, WebGL, Three.js, React Three Fiber, GSAP, Howler, Narration interactive Description: Célia is a student project created at Gobelins in collaboration with the association La Quadrature du Net. The objective was to raise awareness about the environmental cost of artificial intelligence through an interactive narrative web experience. Context: The project was conducted over 44 days by a mixed team of 3 designers and 2 developers. The brief was to give visibility to La Quadrature du Net with an original digital format, both informative and emotionally engaging. The subject - the ecological impact of AI - demanded a strong narrative angle capable of reaching a general audience without being didactic. Problem: The project emerged from a simple observation: AI usage has become daily but its environmental cost remains poorly understood. A strong narrative approach was chosen, centered on emotion and immersion, with a character - Célia - guiding the user through a symbolic forest that gradually reveals the hidden cost of each interaction with an AI. Approach: The experience is built in three phases: mission, exploration, then revelation. The user is guided by Célia, a reassuring voice, through an interactive forest explored via scroll and mouse. The 3D scene uses React Three Fiber with custom shaders. Spatialized audio (Howler.js) reinforces immersion. The GSAP scroll choreography orchestrates the progressive revelation of environmental data. Technical Implementation: The main technical challenge was optimizing a complex 3D WebGL scene in real time while maintaining fluid 60fps narration. Valentin handled all creative development: 3D scene architecture (React Three Fiber), spatialized audio (Howler.js), complex scroll choreography with GSAP, interactive narrative, and real-time performance optimization. Custom shaders were written for atmospheric effects in the forest. --- ### Felt (2026) - Gobelins Paris URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/felt/ Technologies: Application web, IA, LLM, Python, React, Plateforme Client: Gobelins Paris (convergence project) Tags: Application web, IA, LLM, Python, React, Plateforme Description: Felt is an AI-assisted fashion dossier creation platform, designed as a convergence project at Gobelins. It allows designers to centralize their entire creative process - from concept to sourcing - with structured AI assistance. Context: The project emerged from the observation that the creative process in fashion remains fragmented across dozens of incompatible tools. Felt was designed to cover the entire workflow: from initial concept to technical sheet, passing through image curation, color palette, and editorial writing. Everything is connected in one coherent interface. Problem: Faced with generalist tools like Canva or Figma, the challenge for Felt was to offer something specialized for fashion: assistance in selecting and organizing references, intelligent synthesis, and generation adapted to professional fashion codes. The AI had to amplify the designer's intention rather than replace it. Approach: The technical architecture relies on two AI models in pipeline: DINOv2 for embedding and image categorization with a confidence score, followed by Qwen2.5-VL for precise visual description and contextual enrichment. Each uploaded image is analyzed, categorized, described, then integrated into a structured editorial module. Technical Implementation: Felt offers a system of thematic modules by step of the creative process, a frame builder with adaptable templates, and a multi-universe color system (Ultramarin, Orange brulé, Vert bouteille, Ivoire). The interface is built with React, the AI pipeline runs in Python. The platform manages the complete lifecycle of a fashion dossier, from data entry to PDF export. --- ### Les étudiants by CCI (2026) - L'École by CCI URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/les-etudiants-by-cci/ Technologies: Site internet, WebGL, Three.js, React, Plateforme Client: L'École by CCI Tags: Site internet, WebGL, Three.js, React, Plateforme Description: Les étudiants by CCI is a showcase platform designed for L'École by CCI, highlighting projects created by students in digital design and development. The site articulates a 3D WebGL landing and a filtered gallery of student projects. Context: The project emerged from the school's desire to have an ambitious digital showcase, capable of reflecting the quality of student productions and enhancing the institution with future candidates and professionals. The ambition was a premium experience, far from institutional standards. Problem: The challenge was to propose an immersive and modern experience, breaking from classic institutional portfolios. The 3D landing creates a strong hook, while the filtered gallery allows efficient browsing of diverse productions. The interface had to be readable for all audiences - students, professionals, recruiters - while keeping a strong visual identity. Approach: The architecture is structured around three axes: a WebGL landing illustrating the campus, a project grid with filter system (by year, by discipline), and individual project pages. The navigation balances immersion on the landing with efficiency in the gallery. Technical Implementation: The project relies on React and Three.js for the 3D campus scene, with optimized real-time rendering. Dynamic filters and the project grid are managed client-side for instant navigation. The responsive ensures a coherent experience across all screen sizes, adapting the 3D scene for mobile. --- ### MDR (2026) - Personal Project URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/mdr/ Technologies: Site internet, E-commerce, Éditoriel, Responsive Client: Personal project (wine brand concept) Tags: Site internet, E-commerce, Éditoriel, Responsive Description: MDR is a showcase and e-commerce site for a Spanish wine brand established since 1858 in La Rioja. The project covers all screens of a premium experience: age verification, editorial homepage, product catalogue with advanced filters, editorial magazine, and individual product pages. Context: The brand has a strong heritage - over a century and a half of viticulture, international awards (ProWein, Decanter), worldwide presence. The project challenge was to transpose this identity into an ambitious digital environment, in line with the best premium wine sites (Château Pétrus, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti). Problem: Premium wine sites often suffer from a gap between their printed artistic direction and their digital presence. The objective was to create a site as refined as a cellar book: typography, photography, whitespace, and fine grain materials working together to convey quality and authenticity. Approach: The site is structured around five page types: age verification, narrative homepage, Our Wine catalogue with advanced filters (type, vintage, region), editorial magazine and individual product pages. Each section has its own editorial logic while maintaining visual consistency. Technical Implementation: The integration combines typographic scroll animations, a performant product filter system, and a coherent responsive structure. The magazine page integrates an editorial format with long-form articles and rich media. All design is pixel-perfect from Figma. --- ### Little & Co (2025) - Personal Project URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/little-and-co/ Technologies: Site internet, Éditoriel, E-commerce, GSAP, Responsive Client: Personal project Tags: Site internet, Éditoriel, E-commerce, GSAP, Responsive Description: Little & Co is an editorial platform dedicated to independent French creators. The site highlights unique and alternative products - furniture, clothing, objects - giving a voice to craftspeople and designers who lack visibility on major e-commerce platforms. Context: The project emerged from a desire to create a discovery space for French creators who lack visibility against large e-commerce platforms. The idea: an editorial format inspired by lifestyle magazines, but structured as an online shop. The aesthetic is warm, artisanal, deliberately in contrast with the cold uniformity of generalist platforms. Problem: The challenge was finding the balance between the readability of a product catalogue and the editorial ambition of a magazine. Large typography, fluid scroll, and cinematic transitions had to coexist with the clarity of product information (price, availability, creator). Approach: The experience is built around thematic categories (furniture, clothing, news) accessible by vertical navigation. Each section adopts its own layout while remaining within a coherent visual direction. GSAP orchestrates transitions and scroll effects for a fluid, nearly app-like feel. Technical Implementation: The site is developed with a lightweight performance-oriented stack: GSAP animations for transitions and scroll effects, advanced CSS layout for editorial rendering, and careful responsive from mobile to large desktop. Every detail - spacing, type sizes, image ratios - is calibrated for the editorial feel. --- ### ITS - Interior Design Studio (2024) - Personal Project URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/its/ Technologies: GSAP, Barba.js, SCSS, Vite, Responsive Client: Personal project / Tanya Kucherenko (designer) Tags: Site internet, Intégration front-end, GSAP, Barba.js, SCSS, Vite, Responsive Description: ITS (Interior Design Studio) is a front-end integration project built from an artistic direction provided on Figma. The objective was to produce a clean visual showcase, with particular attention to details and animation quality. Context: The project was developed as a skills development exercise, in collaboration with designer Tanya Kucherenko. Exchanges took place directly on Behance, with progressive validation of maquettes. The brief: pixel-perfect integration with fluid animations, without altering the original design. Problem: The goal was to deliver an aesthetic and fluid interface, faithful to the initial graphic intention. The project also served to strengthen micro-interaction quality and integration rigor: margins, type weights, spacing, hover states - everything was precisely calibrated. Approach: The method relied on short back-and-forths: integration of a preprod version, review with the designer, then targeted corrections on UI details (component dimensions, spacing rhythms, timing adjustments). Page transitions were designed to reinforce the premium feel of the experience. Technical Implementation: Valentin handled 100% of the integration as the sole developer, with complete ownership of animations and responsive. The stack uses Vite, SCSS, GSAP (including ScrollTrigger for scroll animations), and Barba.js for page transitions. The responsive covers mobile to large desktop, with layout adaptations specific to each breakpoint. Live site: https://www.interior-design-studio.valentingassend.com/ --- ### Wooof App (2024) - Student Project URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/wooof-app/ Technologies: Application mobile, UX/UI, React Native, Design système Client: Student project Tags: Application mobile, UX/UI, React Native, Design système Description: Wooof is a mobile application connecting pet owners with pet sitters. It allows finding nearby service providers for walks, boarding, or feeding, with a focus on trust and simplicity. Context: The project emerged from a simple observation: finding a reliable pet sitter remains a low-friction process, often limited to word of mouth. The idea was to create an intuitive mobile experience, designed for a non-technical audience seeking quick reassurance on the quality and proximity of service providers. Problem: The main challenge was designing a clear and reassuring booking journey - profile photo, rating, distance, price, availability - without overloading the interface. The design had to inspire trust from the first screen, with direct visual cues of social proof (ratings, number of reviews, verified badges). Approach: The application is structured around four main screens: a nearby services feed, a map view, a detail page per listing, and integrated messaging. The onboarding guides the user in under 3 steps with a progressive permissions system (geolocation, notifications). Technical Implementation: The interface follows a consistent design system: golden and purple palette, readable typography, cards with foreground photos. Each screen was mockuped mobile-first, with particular attention to touch states and accessibility. Developed with React Native for cross-platform iOS/Android deployment. --- ### Hugo PINNA Portfolio (2024) - Hugo PINNA URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/hugo-pinna-portfolio/ Technologies: React, GSAP, Lottie, custom animations Client: Hugo PINNA (freelance creative) Tags: Site internet, Animation, React, GSAP, Lottie Description: A portfolio website for creative Hugo Pinna, designed to stand out visually and technically. The challenge: build a portfolio that reflects a strong identity while going beyond standard timing-based animations. Context: Hugo Pinna is a friend, classmate and freelance creative. They were also colleagues during their first two years of work-study. The portfolio proposal emerged during this period. The project was built with a clear brief: a site as visually ambitious as Hugo's work, with original interactive mechanics. Problem: This portfolio had to reflect Hugo's image while standing out visually and technically. In the graphic design world, competition is strong and every detail matters. Technically different from the competition, the goal was to go further than simple hover animation timings. Original scroll mechanics had to be invented: transition systems, page choreography, interactive elements directly connected to the content presented. Approach: Since the technical ambition exceeded standard animation timings, the project required thinking through original mechanics. Everything was synchronized: React managed state and structure, GSAP handled all scroll events and complex animations, Lottie integrated animated SVG illustrations without performance cost. Technical Implementation: Built with React and GSAP, featuring complex scroll interactions and Lottie animations. Performance became central quickly - Lottie enabled animated SVG illustrations without weighing on rendering. Valentin handled 100% of front-end development. Live site: https://www.hugopinna.com/ --- ### Voeux 2024 (2023) - Altimax Agency URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/voeux-2024/ Technologies: React, Three.js, WebGL, Lottie, real-time 3D Client: Altimax digital agency Tags: Site internet, Interaction, React, Three.js, Lottie Description: Second edition of the annual creative new year greeting site for Altimax agency. More technically ambitious than 2023: a real-time optimized 3D scene, precise mouse-controlled camera, and a central WebGL challenge: recovering the exact surface of a browser tab in 3D space. Context: The project continues from the 2023 greetings, with a more demanding technical framework as the sole developer in production. The visual concept relied on a dark atmosphere, with a 3D composition featuring real browser windows floating in space, each showing a different Altimax business unit. The objective: immerse the visitor in the agency's universe through a technically ambitious experience. Problem: The objective remained showcasing the agency's different business units while taking a step forward on real-time and 3D. A more immersive experience was needed, capable of demonstrating Altimax's ability to push creative and technical boundaries on each new edition. Approach: The design was built around an optimized 3D scene and a central challenge: recovering the precise surface of three screens to apply perfectly synchronized video textures. A complex interaction - mouse-controlled camera - was also designed to reinforce the immersive feel without requiring any scroll action. Technical Implementation: Developed in React and Three.js, with mouse-driven camera and constant attention to real-time rendering performance. The main difficulties concerned texture management, synchronization between objects and video content, and cross-browser optimization. Live site: https://voeux24.altimax.com/ --- ### Liveo (2024) - Gobelins Paris / La Re-Naissance URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/liveo/ Technologies: IoT, Python, LLM, Whisper, speech recognition, connected object Client: Gobelins Paris / La Re-Naissance association Tags: IOT, Python, LLM, Whisper Description: Liveo is a connected object project helping people with intellectual disabilities manage their appointments autonomously. It combines a paper agenda with a smart hub using voice recognition (OpenAI Whisper), LLM, and Python. Context: The project emerged from field interviews with association members, which highlighted recurring difficulties with memory, landmarks, and daily organization. After user research including questionnaires, personas, and direct exchanges, the team converged on a solution that combines the familiar (paper agenda) with the intelligent (voice recognition hub). Problem: Existing solutions often rely on smartphones and digital agendas, which excludes part of the audience less comfortable with these tools. Liveo's challenge was therefore to keep the paper agenda habits while adding an intelligent layer capable of managing complex interactions naturally. Approach: Liveo works as a paper agenda + connected hub ecosystem. The user continues writing appointments on paper, then triggers recording via a simple interaction. Back at the hub, they can ask by voice: "What do I have tomorrow?", "Add an appointment Tuesday at 3pm", "Cancel Thursday's appointment." The LLM interprets natural language and the system responds vocally. Technical Implementation: As lead developer, Valentin piloted the technical architecture and development of the connected object. The stack combines Python with Raspberry Pi, ESP32, RFID, LED, microphone, speaker, and screen. OpenAI Whisper handles speech-to-text, a custom LLM pipeline manages natural language understanding, and a Python GUI provides visual feedback. Full system integrates hardware and software for an autonomous user experience. --- ### Major CS2 (2023) - Altimax Agency URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/major-cs2/ Technologies: Three.js, WebGL, GSAP, Lottie, immersive editorial Client: Altimax digital agency Tags: Site internet, Animation, Interaction, Three.js, WebGL, Lottie Description: An immersive editorial web experience covering the first Counter-Strike 2 Major tournament. Built during an R&D period at Altimax, in collaboration with Hugo Pinna. Features 3D CSS effects, scroll-driven storytelling, team/player data visualization, and WebGL visual effects. Context: The context was particularly strong: after the transition from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2, the first Major on this new game was awaited as a historic eSport event. This Major was also the occasion to showcase Altimax's R&D capabilities to clients: can the agency produce experiences that go beyond standard editorial? Problem: The idea was to translate the competitive intensity of Counter-Strike into an immersive editorial interface. Dense content - teams, players, stats, tournament context - needed to be made readable and exciting, not just informative. The eSport audience expects visual dynamism and technical quality. Approach: The experience was structured around several narrative blocks: Major presentation, team/player content, and highlight of iconic game elements. The research phase was central: Counter-Strike visual universe (HUD, weapons, maps), editorial references in eSport and sports journalism. Everything was filtered through an interactive lens. Technical Implementation: Valentin contributed front-end interactivity and visual effects: 3D CSS effect on the player slider, JS/CSS hover animations, integration of an animated 3D knife model on scroll, and WebGL visual effects. Collaboration with Hugo Pinna on creative direction. Built with Three.js and GSAP for the animation layer. --- ### Voeux 2023 (2022) - Altimax Agency URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/voeux-2023/ Technologies: GSAP, MatterJS, Lottie, interactive physics Client: Altimax digital agency Tags: Site internet, Animation, Interaction, GSAP, MatterJS, Lottie Description: First major creative project at Altimax agency. An immersive new year greeting site showcasing the agency's different business units through scroll-driven sections with physics interactions (MatterJS), Lottie animations, and GSAP orchestration. Context: This project emerged from the desire to present Altimax's different business units through an experience more immersive than a simple greeting message. The idea: create a format that showcases the agency's know-how rather than just wishing happy new year. Each section had to reflect a specific business unit while forming a coherent whole. Problem: The greeting site became an important appointment for the agency: it maintains client relationships while demonstrating the capability to produce ambitious digital experiences. The challenge was technical and creative: proposing memorable interactions without sacrificing performance, on a site that would be seen by all agency clients. Approach: The work was structured around the designers' creative direction, then an R&D phase to validate the most relevant interactions without sacrificing performance. Each section became an independent challenge: physics for one, complex writing animations for another, Lottie for a third. Technical Implementation: Valentin developed the Conseil & stratégie, Gestion de projet, UX/UI, and SEO/SEA sections. Used GSAP for "writing" type animations, MatterJS for physics in the technology section, and Lottie for SVG animations. First significant creative project validating immersive front-end capabilities in an agency context. Live site: https://voeux23.altimax.com --- ### Syndesi (2022) - Gobelins Paris URL: https://valentingassend.com/project/syndesi/ Technologies: Dataviz, GSAP, ECharts, Mapbox, ecological data Client: Gobelins Paris Tags: Site internet, Dataviz, GSAP, ECharts, Mapbox Description: An ecological awareness web project built at Gobelins Paris. The goal: make complex environmental data immediately understandable through interactive data visualization. 4-month project by a 2-person team (1 designer + 1 developer). Context: The project relies on concrete research (questionnaire, user exchanges, personas) and a strong finding: 4 out of 5 young people declare having ecology-related thoughts in their daily life, but only 1 in 3 considers acting on their habits. The challenge: reduce this gap through an experience that both informs and engages. Problem: Dataviz was chosen from a simple need: make sometimes abstract data immediately understandable. The challenge was to propose a sensory and dynamic narrative, with interactive visualizations that could be grasped intuitively without requiring ecological expertise. Approach: The experience was built in several sequences, the first produced in final version. The journey personalizes the entry, then guides the user through a narrative thread and interactive dataviz moments. Each visualization was designed to provoke reflection rather than just display numbers. Technical Implementation: As the sole developer, Valentin handled complete integration, animations, and experience logic. The project combines ECharts and Mapbox for dataviz, GSAP for animation and scroll choreography. The project was recognized and presented at Gobelins as an example of experiential dataviz. Live site: https://syndesi.vercel.app/ --- ## Lab - Creative Experiments URL: https://valentingassend.com/lab/ A collection of self-contained interactive experiments exploring generative art, WebGL shaders, physics simulations, and creative coding. Each experiment is a standalone sandbox demonstrating specific technical capabilities in areas like Three.js shaders, particle systems, and creative interaction design. --- ## Hire / Contact Valentin Gassend is available for: - Freelance creative development missions - Agency partnerships and long-term collaborations - Ambitious front-end integration projects (Figma to production) - Interactive 3D / WebGL experiences - Motion design + development - AI-powered web applications (LLM, computer vision, Python backend) - IoT and connected object projects Email: contact@valentingassend.com Location: France (remote-friendly, available for on-site in France)