Thank you 2013

Last year I had the pleasure to work on interesting projects with nice people.

• As Creative Companion I worked for Vlisco on several projects with the focus on ‘Vlisco Stories‘, prototyping ‘iPad in the flagship store’ and a personas / brand related intranet platform.
• For the fashion brand DEPT I worked on the development of aspirational and reality persona to sharpen their customer centered and brand related strategy.
• We could present our new product ‘Pfitz – wall object and baking dish‘ at Fuori Salone during Milan Design Week and we found a new manufacturer in Germany. So it will be ‘Dutch Design – handmade in Germany’ very soon. And Pfitz is available in the heart of Amsterdam at Dutch Design Year.
• Finally the Executive App of NIBE-SVV was launched together with the top of the dutch financial world.
• The 1PLACE.ME iPhone and Android App was launched and I did the initial social media activation.
• Working together with Design Thinkers at Bosch in Germany on a Service Design project.
• During Dutch Design Week I teamed up with FRD and gave a lecture on ‘Persona in the HR field’. I also launched  The Company Real Score – a Music Thinking approach to Business Innovation. My daughter and I designed a prototype of a lamp inspired by Mart van Schijndel’s ‘Delta Vase’. The exhibition was shown at Design Perron during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven and in the Amersfoort Rietveld Pavilion in December and January.
• Became Member of the Faculty at Witten School of Management in Witten Germany.
• Started a persona development project for ‘the dutch love brand’ de Efteling.
• End of the year I developed the online strategy based on The Company Real Score for Hekwerk Theaterprodukties, the management (impressariaat) of dutch cabaret stars like Youp van ’t Hek, Jochem Myjer, Droog Brood and more.

Thank you all for working together and the nice time we spent. Curious what 2014 will bring.

Wishing you many Epiphanies in 2013

Last year I had the pleasure to work on a lot of very interesting projects with nice people. Today 6th of january is epiphany day – the 12th and last day of christmas. The holiday is over and we can focus on the coming year. A good moment to say ‘thank you’ and wish you all the best for 2013 and hope that you will have many epiphanies!

Projects worked on, initiated, realized, done; clients and friends worked with and had fun with: Relaunching www.vlisco.com begin of the year, personas workshops Launching Vlisco Stories the social platform for Africa, Storytelling and Vlisco Fabrics Development of our new ceramic product: Pfitz together with my partner Ine, design and launch of www.pfitz.me, registered the trademark and design at European Patent and Trademark Register Finally launch of the www.nibesvv.nl Development of the iPad app for The Executive Academy (will be launched very soon) Design identity, online strategy and creative consulting for the iPhone App and website of 1PLACE.ME musicthinking.com Music Thinking Weekly Raum-Musik für Saxophone at World Saxophone Congress in St. Andrews Scotland and John Cage MusiCircus, Heidelberg Won a place at New Job Circus during C’n’B Convention

More info on Epiphany, see last year’s post

What’s your Story – Around the World in 80 Brands

Today I had the pleasure to be at the book presentation of CoolBrands – Around the World in 80 Brands (www.aroundtheworldin80brands.com), an initiative by Anouk Papers and Maarten Schäfer. The stories about 80 brands and opinion leaders are written in a personal narrative style and are easy to read and share. Here is an excerpt of the impressive list: Richard Branson, Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Oscar Niemeyer, Amazon, Bacardi, Harley-Davidson and many more.

I am very proud that my client Vlisco is also featured as one of the 80 Brands!
Vlisco – The Afro-European love brand

As Creative Companion I am working since autumn 2011 for Vlisco, I was responsible for the relaunch of www.vlisco.com this year. At the moment I am working on a microsite for the persona development and on ‘maybe the nicest storytelling website on african fashion’: Vlisco Stories (now in the test phase, will be open for public later this year).

Milano Design Week 2012 – Salone e Fuorisalone

I spent two days  in Milan at salone and fuorisalone to see, get inspired, have talks, drinks meet friends and to see the family at Lago Maggiore.

It is impossible to see everything. There are so many shows, events,  shops, pop-up spaces, …  but what you see you can ‘catch’ (WYSYCC) and I have never seen so many iPhones, smartphones and real cameras in one place – people have fun to take pictures or take it ‘really serious’ and give you some order to step back.

Here are a few pictures  sorted by the following findings:
showing the process  (form idea and material to product); patterns everywhere; laser cut metal; books as decoration; playing with colour; light and nature; ceramic; ‘from handicraft to digicraft‘;  creative food; analog 3D modeling; Rossana Orlandi; Luceplan, …

… and here a video from Luceplan’s new lamp Nothing, by Francisco Gomez Paz

Nothing from Luceplan on Vimeo.