Founded and directed by brothers, Arwen and Mathijs Ronner, the studio de Ronners (@deronners) team consists of Wilfred van der Weide, Lieselot Coenen, Robbert Liekens, Marco Dalle Fratte and intern, Lisa Reckeweg. The creative agency produces visual identities which leave a lasting impression; standing out from the crowd with their bold ideas and bright concepts. ‘Our portfolio is broadly oriented’, the studio tells us, creating visual solutions across the board ‘from websites for start-ups, architectural publications and exhibition design to brand campaigns and identities for cultural organisations’. Aside from design, de Ronners members are ‘passionate about craft beer and clean typography’.
The small-yet-flexible team describe their aesthetic focus as oriented by ‘the perfect balance between Dutch boldness and Belgian finesse with a slice of Italian motion design’. Since starting the company 20 years ago in the North of the Netherlands, Arwen and Matthijs run de Ronners across 2 counties; their main office being based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, whilst Lieselot sets up new collaborations and projects in a secondary studio in Antwerp, Belgium.
One of our favourite Studio de Ronners projects is their online identity and campaign for Belgium-based art museum, Z33 (@z33be). ‘The new website functions as a Digital House to complement the Physical House: a place where limits are pushed, where you are confronted with the unknown’, the studio expand. ‘With this new online identity, we refer to the experience, location and programme of the new Z33’. The identity meets graphic sans type with the odd pop of displaced serif text and an experimental, jarring-yet-addictive visual rhythm in which exciting compositional selections create juxtaposing senses of flow.
‘It is an Oasis of Friction, where you can wander through endless artistic inspiration and be amazed, but where you can also be blissfully annoyed by the unexpected’, the studio explain. ‘Next to that, we created a publicity campaign that serves as a re-acquaintance with Z33. The eagerly anticipated reopening was announced on social media and posters all throughout Belgium’. Another really exciting project is the studio’s poster campaign for The International Architecture Biennial Rotterdam (IABR) — an organisation with sustainability, environmental and social factors at the heart of their mission. The Biennial looks to promote a firm belief in the social importance of architecture, urban planning and design.
Tasked with gathering momentum and attention for for the 8th edition of the IABR, entitled ‘THE MISSING LINK – Our Future in the Delta, the Delta of the Future’, de Ronner’s explain, ‘We came up with ‘Radical Optimism’ as the title for our publicity campaign while thinking of the Dutch anti-nuclear movement and their classic symbol of the smiling sun. We created a radical visual language with optimistic colours, which was visible throughout the city in print, interactive installation and the exhibition design’.
Looking forward, de Ronners tells us about some exciting ongoing projects; ‘As for this year: we were asked to be the new designers for the BNO (Association of Dutch Designers). In the years to come we’ll be re-branding their on-and offline identity & various campaigns. The first result of this long-term project is the release of the rebranded and redesigned Dude magazine: Dutch designers Magazine, #0… Alongside this we recently got selected in a Pitch for Architecture Workroom Brussels; an exiting project we’ll soon be able to tell you more about… Currently, we’re very much looking forward to the first new issue of the Dutch designers Yearbook for the BNO where we’re working on. It will be launched end of this year, and will get published internationally, so keep your eyes open for a copy!’.
Thanks for everyone at studio de Ronners for chatting with us today! To see more of the studio’s work be sure to check out their website and Instagram, and keep your eyes peeled for their super-exciting upcoming projects.
