products, projects and art for exploration
Projects…
Brand Identity
Client | De Relatie Company
Game Design
Self-initiated | Various games
Infographics
Client | Blockchain for Lean
Exhibition Design
Client | The Hague Africa Festifal
System-Design-Thinking
Pilot | Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven
Art
Self-initiated | Me-We project
Brand Identity
Client | De Relatie Company
Design: Brand Identity
De Relatie Company
People often say that the best projects arise when a client doesn’t yet know precisely what they are looking for and asks you, as a designer, to help shape their vision. This was the case with the Dutch company ‘De Relatie Company’. There was a need for change and renewal. Initially, the idea was to create a new website with less text, more visuals, and a dynamic element such as an animation.
In the end, we achieved this, but only after an extensive process of exploration and validation. To document this process, I created two exploratory booklets. In these booklets, the language of the company played a central role and served as the foundation for the following visual concepts.
Starting Points
Through our conversations, it quickly became clear that body, reason, and family systems are closely intertwined and that clients are approached from these perspectives. To achieve harmony between these three components, De Relatie Company draws inspiration from Taoism.
This Chinese philosophy is based on the five elements—water, wood, fire, earth, and metal—and brings balance through both masculine and feminine perspectives.
The first exploratory booklet drawing inspiration from art
The second exploratory booklet visualising the concept
Starting Points
Through our conversations, it quickly became clear that body, reason, and family systems are closely intertwined and that clients are approached from these perspectives. To achieve harmony between these three components, The Relationship Company draws inspiration from Taoism.
This Chinese philosophy is based on the five elements—water, wood, fire, earth, and metal—and brings balance through both masculine and feminine perspectives.
Developing a Visual Language
The visual identity is built from multiple layers, each symbolising key aspects of De Relatie Company.
First, I translated the five elements of Taoism into symbols with corresponding colours. These colours, in a softened form, became the primary colour palette of the brand identity. The five elements also serve as the background for the logo I designed.
At the forefront of the logo is a human figure, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.
When highlighting the ‘family system’ component, the concept of the ‘inner child’ emerged. This led to a drawing of a man and a woman with an inner child, which later became the basis for an animation. A child figure is also subtly incorporated into the logo.
5 Chinese elements visualised.
The final logo design
Colour and shape sceme
The Final Result
The outcome is a set of visual elements that The Relationship Company can flexibly use across various online and offline communications.
Visit the website:
https://derelatiecompany.nl/
Homepage of De Relatie Company
An animation visualising the Inner child concept
Game Design
Self-initiated | various games
Design & concept: boardgames
Civilization Design through gamification
Gamification and serious gaming use game principles in a non-game context. Complex problems and challenges in daily life can be made transparent in this way because people can imitate situations from daily life. It has been shown that gamification increases people’s engagement because people are intrinsically motivated. A safe gaming environment where mistakes do not affect real life makes people less reluctant and allows people to experiment with different ways of thinking and strategies.
Below are 3 projects.
Me-We_game
The board game the Me-We game was developed between 2017, after which several versions of the board game followed in the following years. During the game, the players experimented with building a community and their own values model in combination with the principles of basic income.
Me-We game version | 2023
Me-We game prototype 5 | 2019
Me-We game home session | 2019
Me-We game prototype 4 | 2018
Me-We game prototype version 02 | 2017
UPD – Join the spark
Blockchain for Lean
In October 2021, a Lean systems thinking workshop was held during the UPD – Join the Spark* return days, in which waste in maternity care was made transparent through gamification. The participants then investigated how the chain process can be made more effective and efficient with blockchain technology.
Treeconomy game 2022
Introducing prototype levels 1&2
On June 16, 2022, a prototype of the Tr(e)economy game was played and tested by an audience at a Blockchain event at the beautiful event location Cupola XS in Haarlem. This game is being developed by a small team of 5 and inspires and challenges players to have a new understanding of value exchange and future Ecosystems. A game starting with Barter deals in a world without money inspired by an ancient civilization with RAI stones to our modern money-based world followed by a world with Decentralized Blockchain with Oracles and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organisations) The game is still in development.
Infographics
Client | Blockchain for Lean
Design: Infographics
Visualising complexity
ArtMotivator has teamed up with Blockchain for LEAN to develop an informative series of infographics to help people understand blockchain technology. Because many organizations are now familiar with LEAN, it makes sense to combine this with systems thinking and Blockchain technology.
This mainly focuses on how process optimization can be achieved by means of blockchain technology. The infographics were created to be combined with a blog that appears monthly on the Blockchain for Lean website and on Linkedin.
website: Blockchain for Lean
Exhibition Design
Client | The Hague Africa Festifal
Design: photo exhibition booth design 2018
Celebrating 10 years of The Hague Africa festival
For the Foundation Sankofa ArtMotivator realised a photo exhibit (display) celebrating the anniversary of the festival. The exhibit was in the atrium of the Townhall in the Hague.
System-Design-Thinking
Pilot | Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven
Design Mapping System
Exploring Synergies: Design Thinking and Systems Thinking in Circular Solutions
Introduction:
Welcome to an exciting and transformative session that brings together two powerful problem-solving methodologies – Design Thinking and Systems Thinking – tailored for students of the Minor in Circularity. Over the next 150 minutes, we embark on a journey to unlock the potential of your creative minds and equip you with the tools needed to tackle complex, circular challenges.
In today’s world, addressing issues related to sustainability, resource management, and circularity demands a holistic understanding of both user-centric design and systemic impacts. Design Thinking, with its empathetic and human-centred approach, allows us to deeply connect with the needs of individuals and communities. On the other hand, Systems Thinking enables us to comprehend the intricate web of interdependencies, feedback loops, and unintended consequences that shape our complex world.
By combining these two approaches, we empower you to craft innovative solutions that not only resonate with end-users but also consider the broader context, ensuring sustainable and meaningful impact.
Throughout this session, you will:
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Learn the key principles and methodologies of Design Thinking and Systems Thinking.
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Engage in hands-on exercises and interactive activities that encourage creativity and systems analysis.
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Collaborate with peers to tackle real-world circular challenges, applying the combined power of these methodologies.
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Gain insights into how to approach complex problems from multiple angles and envision comprehensive solutions.
Our goal is to foster a mindset of creativity, empathy, and systemic awareness that will serve you well in your pursuit of circular solutions. So, let’s embark on this intellectual adventure, explore synergies, and equip ourselves to be change-makers in the circular economy of tomorrow.
Above is an example of a foldable A0 mapping set (5pc) I designed for the workshop System-Design-Thinking. The attendees follow an iteration process within 5 steps where they define and analyse a complex (wicked) problem and come up with solutions (FRAME, DEFINE, IDEATE, PROTOTYPE) Then the outcome is evaluated in the fifth step (TEST) After this the session starts all over again reframing an redefining the problem and evaluating the outcome again. The process can be repeated several times until the attendees are satisfied with the solutions. In the process, the attendees represent the problem stakeholders by empathizing with the stakeholders’ perspectives but in each session, there is one extra stakeholder which is the SYSTEM perspective that connects all stakeholders resulting in a holistic view with a shared reality.
Above is an example of a pilot session that was done with 25 students from the minor circularity of Fontys Hogeschool Eindhoven in September 2023.
Art
Self-initiated | Me-We project
Me-We Project 2025
The Me-We vision continues to evolve. What began as a board game in 2016 became a sensory art installation exploring the relationship between the individual (Me) and society (We). Since 2023, this vision has become a tent-like structure with multiple passageways. Visitors are invited to move freely — as individuals and as part of a greater whole. Me-We makes the tension between autonomy and connectedness tangible and open for dialogue.
want to know more about the Me-We-world:
want to know more about other art projects:
