Graphic Design with an Extra Dimension

Are you inspired by the same thing? / Two peas in a pod or completely different?

Most of the time we get different insights from the same inspiring sources.

What is your favourite WdKA memory?

Frans: I’ve got a lot of good memories, the best thing I remember is my very first lesson at the Willem de Kooning. On that Monday morning, we ended up in the bar where I had a great time getting to know my new classmates. I realised that the academic life started.
Thijs: The lessons of Lauran Schijvens in the first year of the academy. I really didn’t understand anything we had to do in those lessons (and I guess I was not the only one) but after a while, I began to understand the meaning of them and in the end, Lauran's class became my most favourite during my whole academic time.

How did your collaboration start?

After graduation, we intended to take part in Parking Day, an event where artists, designers and users transform parking spots into temporary parks. Our idea was to trigger the alienation feeling in public space, so we have decided to turn a car upside down. However, this didn’t work out so well because we couldn’t get the car off the rented truck. So no successful Parking Day for us, but a start of more adventures together.

How did your collaboration become a success? Was it a long way full of hardships or did it ‘just happen’?

We think the success is a result of our belief in the strong idea. Our ‘idea’ is the unique thing we share with the public or target audience. We have to transform that unique idea into a tactile project and we realise that good teamwork is essential for that. During our project  ‘Schaalkabaal’ – an art production at a big construction site in Utrecht we got a confirmation that we are a good team and able to pull things off.

Are you pioneers?

We are not the first graphic designers whose playing field is the 3-dimensional and public space, so we are no pioneers here. But we do search for the unknown connections between graphic design and object, as well as connections between people and their environments.

What is the future of your profession in your opinion?

We are still exploring the boundaries of our own design practice. Our field of work is multidisciplinary, being a combination of graphic design and spatial design with great interest for art and architecture. In our opinion, it is necessary to initiate interaction between our work and its viewers. We achieve this by inserting an interactive element in our work, that motivates people to understand design and relate to it better.

You never leave your house without…?

Frans: My pants on!
Thijs: Saying goodbye

Any words of advice to future students?

Frans: Don’t stay behind your desk or laptop, exit your comfort zone, experiment and just see what happens. Learning by Doing!
Thijs: Be curious, make mistakes and try everything.

Name your favourite recent project.

We recently designed the identity and the wayfinding for the exhibition ‘Vijand Schap’ that took place in the old fort Maarsseveen that was part of the ‘Dutch Waterline’. The wayfinding consisted of 40 white flags which the visitors could take to the exhibition to find their way and surrender to the art. The visitors seemed to enjoy using the signage we’ve made.

Visit Studio Bureau website for more information about their projects!