dutchDesign2017

A microsite for interviews and photo content created during a two-month Dutch Design field study inspired by "brutalist" web design.

Role

Photography, Visual Design, UX, Art Direction, Video and Photo Production

Team

Amy T., Armina F., Cheryl C., Chris S., Esther P., Kaveh H., Malcolm K., Samantha S. Sumeet A., Wendy M., Prof. Russel T.

dutchDesign is a 7 week field study with a focus in design and culture within the Netherlands. The study was conducted across 7 cities in 3 different countries, distilled down into 13 studio interviews and 3 short documentaries for your viewing pleasure.

As a part of the program, our team conducted and produced studio interviews and short documentaries on design and innovation, specifically in the Netherlands. Our team had the opportunity to interview accomplished Dutch designers, artists and architects such as Claudy Jongstra, Marije Vogelzang, Jo Coenen, Pieke Bergmans and more.

Try out this interactive section or visit the site at 2017.sfudutchdesign.ca

Content as Navigation

Going against usual navigation conventions, we created navigation in the form of a list, highlighting typography and photography. We showcased the photography bluntly with instant hover interactions, and focused on direct delivery for pops of discovery and delight. Our focus was to get viewers to what they want, fast—and back for more by quickly closing and returning to the landing page to continue exploring.

As part of the concept of being upfront, frank, and having the content speak for itself, we strove to carefully edit our decisions to support our approach on Brutalist web design.

View Landing visual explorations

Legacy

Our legacy dropdown tells viewers there’s more to learn from the past. In previous field studies, their site only linked out to the previous site. This year we thought, “Why not show people all the amazing teams?” Each year, the field study offers the same program opportunity resulting in very different experiences to share. It was only appropriate to take a moment to make this a priority design during our concepting process.

I worked on the user experience, interaction and visual design of this section; differentiating it as a separate gateway to more content, all the while keeping it on brand.

View Legacy visual explorations

Go Team

The team page took a slightly different direction to the landing page. Instead of focusing on typography, we focused on photography first, and information on hover. We introduced the grid structure here, showcasing not only each individual, but also the in-between moments we snapped along the way. Apart from the user experience, interaction and visual design, I also carried out the art direction and execution of the team photos.

View Team visual explorations

Interviews and Documentaries

I interviewed with Momoko Kanaoka, Mae Engelgeer, and Pieke Bergmans (an interview I had the pleasure of editing). Bergmans’ interview comes close to my heart as she speaks about believing in the process and the surprises that come of it. She describes the curiosity of acting on what feels right while still creating with intent. What I wasn't able to put into words, Pieke Bergmans has been able to essentially describe how I feel about designing. I also edited the Textiles + Design documentary, it narrates the experimentation and appreciation for textiles design, taking a closer look at the impressive variety of work currently being produced, and how that was made possible.

What I enjoyed the most from producing this video was piecing together the story with b-roll, and colour correcting to create harmonious shots.
I enjoyed weaving the different narratives together and believe editing down this film was key to making sure all the dots were connected in a comprehensive way.

Photography

I was the lead photographer in-field. Here is a small selection of my favourite moments I captured during this trip. Or, to see the entire collection, visit the interactive photography gallery on each interview page (like this one).

Samira Boon in studio—Amsterdam, Netherlands
Centre Ceramique by Jo Coenen—Maastricht, Netherlands

At the end of this journey, we interviewed each other about our time in field. Our professor warned us about this moment; how the hunter becomes the hunted—the interviewer becomes the interviewee.

Take a listen to the ramble.

Look Ma,
we made it

Brutalist Websites is a gallery that features a collection of websites that are, perhaps, defined or perceived as freestyle, unusable, ugly, blunt, and raw. The dutchDesign2017 microsite was featured in their gallery.

Visit brutalistwebsites.com

This is AmsterFam, the amazing team I had the pleasure of working and travelling with.