My background is not that spectacular, I studied IT at some point. I have a bachelor of engineering, I liked computers, whaddya gonna do? I had no idea about design and art schools, but I’d like to think it influenced my work for the better. Being mostly self-taught, and not moulded by ‘conventional’ schooling, which might sound crazy from someone from the Netherlands. I liked to draw when I was younger, but once I got my hands on a computer I neglected that for the most part.
When did you first get involved with design?
I used to make these signature images, ‘sigs’, for members of download boards in Paint Shop Pro. My dad bought computer magazines with CDs with shareware on it. That’s how I got interested in graphics. I still have all this stuff on hard drives somewhere, and it’s hilarious to look at sometimes. I remember getting super excited about it when people would put these in their posts. Later I moved more into web design, I made my first website in Microsoft FrontPage. It was blue I think.
Is there any work you’re particularly proud of? And why?
I like to look back at some of the interactive stuff. The Geox project was a lot of fun to work on. Everything just came together, the team, the production, it didn’t get boring. I want to keep changing it up. I usually have one or two personal projects a year where I to get out of my comfort zone and do something fresh. Like design a typeface or get into processing.
In your view, what were your biggest challenges?
Not too long ago I wasn’t too happy with my life. I needed to change something. I quit my job, broke up with my girlfriend and moved to New York. That’s simplifying it, it took over a year to get there, but it was the right thing to do. I’m a lot happier now.
What inspires you?
This question is always kind of strange I think. A human brain gets so much stimulation on a daily basis, I have no idea if that shape or button or anything comes from a specific source. It’s all a big jumble of inspiration and stuff I find fascinating. Of course, there are so many talented people out there, and surrounding me. They create all this amazing work that unquestionably influences my own. Music usually plays a part. When I’m the zone I might have a certain album on repeat for days on end. Sometimes in my imagination, I play an instrument, I get energy from it.