About

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The early days

At the age of 15 I started exploring web design. At that time (mid 1990s) a new medium, where information could be shared with basic coding and low-level design. As time passed on I developed my skills and got my first commercial job as a webmaster for an association of flower nurseries.

After secondary school I followed the Product Development course at the Technische Hogeschool Rijswijk where I earned my Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering in 2001. Around that period I also started creating web projects for several music companies, which resulted in me officially going freelance with the creation of Husz¹ Media Design in 2001.

¹ Husz [hus]: A deviation of side hustle.
Also the DJ name under which I played music internationally.

At this point in life I had to make a choice, continue in the field of technology with my newly earned degree or dive deep into the then still new world wide web. I choose the latter.

To seriously pursue my goals as a graphic designer I enrolled into the Digital Media Design course at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht (HKU) at which I further developed my skills and view on media. I graduated in 2004 with a Master of Arts in European Media. My final project revolved around Russia and the search for identity in a changing culture, for which I designed and created a fictional yet fully functional webshop and wrote a thesis about art in the post-communist era.

As a movie devotee I grabbed any opportunity to view, film, edit and post-produce video. This resulted in a series of films broadcasted foremost in my personal circle, but also at festivals and on national TV. Many of my video productions featured (title) animations and professional level (DVD) authoring.

Work/life

After graduation my freelance work gathered momentum, with a certain client claiming a bigger piece of the pie than others. So in fall of 2005 I enrolled as webmaster for The Third Movement, a music label which grew its music activities into bookings, events and design. The following 5 years I would be working as a designer, developer and all round creative for whatever work needed to be done. Next to maintaining the website and creating artwork for releases, my work included handling of the webshop, promotional activities plus the organisation of events like Club r_AW and the act Promo Live. Later on I broadened the scope of my work to include assignments from external organisations in the form of TTM Design, an inhouse design agency. This work consisted mostly of (print) design and the creation of video animation and editing.

With the market shift in music to digital and its consequences for my personal development as a creative I decided to pursue my interest to work for an agency. Which in 2010 led me to QRC Communications. An agency catering both regional and national corporations like travel agencies, coaching communities and logistics. At this agency I started off as designer, which in line with changes in the team soon resulted in me handling both design and front-end development for a series of projects.

Parallel to my work at the agency I continued working freelance. This included graphic design, illustration, motion design for events and a wide range of web-based assignments. On a personal level I made the move from mostly video to both video- and photography, where both shooting and post-production claimed a big part of my spare time.

In 2012 I started working at Grip Online, a company focussed on the development spectrum of the web. As front-end developer and designer I handled several (re)design projects for clients in the field of e-commerce, medical and industry. In the 10 years that followed I stepped up as lead designer and made a strong case for design which has resulted in a more balanced focus between both fields within the company.

Present-day

Today I continue to combine my work at Grip Online with freelance work for a variety of clients. I live in the city of Rijswijk, where my wife and I created a home for our two daughters. Through self-study and applying the new learned skill directly into projects, I continue to expand my range of proficiency and technique. My spare time is spent on photography work, watching or creating a film and the occasional run to keep fit. I maintain a healthy critical approach towards media consumption and look forward to whatever the future holds.

Check out some of my projects, client and personal work.

Do you want to know more? Contact me.