Social Signals

Social signals are used everyday. By ‘liking’ and ‘tweeting’ social media indicates our interests. In 110 flags the Social Signals of Valkenberg Park in Breda are presented as a collaboration between Graphic Design Festival Breda and Trapped in Suburbia. The project explores how the park can be seen as a reflection of society. Information was gathered about the different ways in which Breda’s main park was used by city dwellers. Vakenberg Park is a main artery through the city as everyone has to pass through it on their way to the central station or city centre. In the summer months the park becomes a leisure staple for Breda’s residents. As the park is so widely used by many different people it becomes a micro-society. The data gathered about the park explores how this society functions. Social Signals gives a visual representation of the collected data. The flags are positioned throughout the park and show how important the park is for the city. The flags were also part of the I Love Breda exhibition in the Museum of the Image.

Shy Poster

Expanding the Sound Poster series, the Shy Poster furthers this inquiry into new experiences with the traditional poster medium.

This time the poster gains personality by personifying shyness in an interactive installation. If the poster is left alone its colourful inner character is revealed. However, if someone interrupts this personal comfort zone the poster immediately retracts its doors hiding itself within the conformity of its background.

Providing the new visitor is patient and tactful, the Shy Poster will become comfortable and slowly reveal its true personality. Yet, you must be careful…

Any large movements are detected by motion sensors which trigger the doors to slam shut!

With special thanks to Alice Stewart and Jiawei van Kleef.

Flags of Peace

Throughout history there have been several attempts to establish a peace flag. A universal collection of symbols exist that we associate with peace yet no single peace flag has gained complete international recognition and permanence. What defines peace? How could it be symbolised? And what can a peace flag achieve?

With this project the studio seeks to answer these questions. The project aims to gather a flag design from every nation in the world. Through contributions from both established and young talented designers, artists and other creatives it creates a visual dialogue around peace and its symbolism. Together the flags form a traveling exhibition and present a global spectrum of ideas on peace, each highlighting particular relationships and views towards the topic.

Art and design can be a binding factor between people, cultures and countries. It can contribute to better communication between individuals, close gaps and help work towards a more peaceful world.

Flags of Peace is a work in progress, more flags are still to come.

flagsofpeace.com

Trapped in Suburbia award

Bronze | 2015 European Design Awards

Decoding Design

The theme for the Graphic Design Festival Breda 2011 poster exhibition was decoding design. In essence the design process is about making choices. Sometimes though, after putting in a lot of work, you decide to change a design and then come to the conclusion that the initial design worked better. This poster captures that feeling.

Initially, the poster shows a large silver square of scratch-off ink. Prompting people to scratch the ink, text appears from the edges of the square. After taking time to scratch off all the ink the poster reveals: “I think I like it better with the silver square.”

Trapped in Suburbia award

Red Dot Award | 2011 Red Dot Design Award
Short listed | 2011 D&AD award

Diligentia Theater

Humour is not always universal. Different people find different things funny yet this poster campaign for comedy theatre Diligentia had to be humorous for many people. Reminded of childhoods spent drawing on photos in gossip magazines this seemed a common experience. This campaign takes that idea to the streets.

Using a portrait of the theatre director a simple poster was designed and printed. Colleagues, fellow designers, friends and students were then invited to join in with the fun. Just like those magazines the posters were customised into unique designs. Over 150 different posters were created and displayed around The Hague.

Aim for the Day

Aim for the Day is a calendar with ambition. This quality constructed piece is composed of a dartboard and chest containing 365 individually dated darts. Rather than the traditional scoring pattern, the dartboard’s segments present an aim for the day – ‘Do something scary’, ‘Take a new route to work’, ‘Learn something’… Each day the user throws a dart and depending on where it lands, a new aim is given.

This calendar encourages the user to break free from routine, discover new experiences and develop a sense of achievement and happiness throughout their day-to-day life.

After one year the complete dartboard becomes a showcase of 365 achievements giving the user a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Trapped in Suburbia award
Silver | 2015 International Design Awards

Events

2016

Flags of Peace | presentation of 44 peace flags created by international designers

 

2015

Flags of Peace | presentation of 44 peace flags created by international designers

 

2012

Deadorama | solo exhibition by Mc. Bess

Bring it on! | group exhibition of more than 50 designers and their favorite works

Trial & Error | solo exhibition by Brecht Vandenbroucke

Going Places | solo exhibition by Andy Rementer

Music to my eyes | Group exhibition with 160 record sleeves

Black and White are not colors | group exhibitions with 100 designers and 100 posters – in cooperation with fontanel.nl

 

2011

Really Shit | solo exhibition by Ian Stevenson

Don’t believe the type III | typography festival with workshops, lectures, exhibition | o.a. Niessen en de Vries, Mario Hugo, Sean Freeman, Si Scott, HORT, Jeff Canham

 

2010

AnalogFest | festival on analogue techniques with workshops, lectures, exhibition | o.a. Jon Burgerman, Anthony Burill

More is a bore | group exhibition on minimalistic graphic design | o.a. Buro Destruct, Noma Bar, Leandro Castelao, Gorilla

Summer School | group exhibition of old school maps |
o.a. ROA, Ian Stevenson, Merijn Hos

Absurdism is our religion | group exhibition on absurdism | o.a. Gummbah, Andrew James Jones and Mudwig

Don’t believe the type II | typography festival Shanghai with workshops, lectures, exhibition | o.a. Underware, Trapped in Suburbia, Yomar Augusto

Bode, Botlek, Erosie | exhibition Luuk Bode, Daan Botlek en Erosie

 

2009

Don’t believe the type I | typography festival with workshops, lectures, exhibition |
o.a. Alex Trochut, Luca Barcellona and Job Wouters

Jackyll & Hyde | solo exhibition Superoboturbo

You give me fever | Solo exhibition | Erwin van Amstel

Ship of Fools | opening group exhibition | with o.a. John Burgerman, Andy Rementer

Jobs and Internships

Job Openings

We don’t have any jobs available and due to the amount of daily email we cannot replay to open applications. If you are interested in working at Trapped in Suburbia please do not send us an open application but subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on  Instagram. As soon as there is an opening available we will post this here.

 Internships

We don’t have any internships available and due to the amount of daily email we cannot replay to open applications or questions. If you are interested in at Trapped in Suburbia please do not send us an open application but subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on  Instagram. As soon as there is an opening available we will post this here.

Lectures

2018

Speaker | Graduation festival | Nottingham Trent University, UK

 

2017

Speaker | Something Good festival | Bristol, UK

Speaker | ADCN club | Amsterdam, NL

Speaker | Agrafa Conference | Katowice, PL

 

2016

Speaker | Printing Solutions | Maarssen, NL

Speaker | Design Manchester | Manchester, UK

Speaker | Grafist Festival | Istanbul, TR

 

2015

Speaker | European Design Award Conference | Istanbul, TR

Speaker | Out The Box | Hannover, DE

Judging ‘Poster project’ | Graphic Design Festival Breda | Breda, NL

Lecture ‘Experience Design’ | European Design Festival | Istanbul, TR

Lecture ‘Experience Design’ | Beyonderground Festival | Hasselt, DE

Lecture ‘Experience Design’ | Shanghai, CN

 

2014

Lecture ‘Experience Design’ | Museum van Communicatie | The Hague, NL

Speaker | FESPA Conference | Munich, DE

 

2012

Main speaker | DE.SIGN | Prague, CZ

Speaker | Graphic Design Festival Breda | Breda, NL

Speaker | PrintFarm | Taiga Institute | St Petersburg, RU

Judge | PosterHeroes.org | Turin, IT

Speaker | Plug:Conference | Turin, IT

 

2011

Speaker | Graphic Happiness | Museum Hilversum, NL

Lecture | Falmouth University | Falmouth, UK

Interview | What’s Up | Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam NL

Lecture | School of Visual Communication | Haderslev, DK

Speaker | Zeefir7 BNO | The Hague, NL

 

2010

PechaKucha | The Hague, NL

Judge | Analog Fest national poster contest | The Hague, NL

Lecture | Falmouth University, Falmouth UK

Speaker | Raffles Design Institute | Shanghai, CN

Speaker | Don’t believe the Type | Shanghai, CN

Judge | Nieuwe Garde national poster contest | The Hague, NL

 

2007- 2010

Typography teacher | Utrecht School of the Arts | Utrecht, NL

Awards

2018

European Design Awards

Silver | Books | Arita Ceramic Symposium

 

2017

European Design Awards

Bronze | Books | Talking Ceramics 1

International Design Awards

Gold | Books | Talking Ceramics 1



ADCN Awards
Nomination | Books | Talking Ceramics 1

 

2016

European Design Awards

Bronze | Self-initiated Projects | Flags of Peace

Hiii Brand Awards

Bronze | Branding | Driiip

 

2015

Hiiibrand Awards

Bronze | Corporate Identity | Hague Talks

Merit | Corporate Identity | Develops

International Design Awards

Gold | Corporate Identity | Just Peace

Silver | Calendars | Aim for the day

 

2014

European Design Awards

Silver | Exhibits | XXS Dutch Design

Silver | Books | Het echte werk

Silver | Posters | Sound Poster

International Design Awards

Silver | Exhibits | XXS Dutch Design

 

2013

European Design Awards

Silver | Books | Graphic Happiness II

Bronze | Books | Amsterdam Opportunity Zones

Finalist | Corporate Identity | Who’s the fool?

Hiiibrand Awards

Gold | Corporate Identity | Suited Concepts

Bronze | Corporate Identity | Graphic Happiness II

Merit | Corporate Identity | Who’s the fool?

Finalist | Corporate Identity | Fresh Tracks Europe

International Design Awards

Silver | Exhibits | Graphic Happiness II

Bronze | Books | Graphic Happiness II

 

2012

European Design Awards

Silver | Corporate Identity | Fresh Tracks Europe

Finalist | Corporate Identity | Design it Yourself

International Design Awards

Silver | Books | Graphic Happiness

Silver | Identity | Fresh Tracks Europe

Silver | Exhibits | Design it Yourself

Silver | Exhibits | Graphic Happiness

 

2011

D&AD Award

Short listed | Poster design | ‘I think I like it better with the silver square’, Graphic Design Festival Breda

European Design Awards

Bronze | Corporate Identity | Work a lot

Bronze | Corporate Identity | Suited Concepts

Finalist | Self Initiated Projects | Analog Fest

International Design Awards

Gold | Corporate Identity | Suited Concepts

Red Dot Design Award

Red Dot Award | ‘I think I like it better with the silver square’, Graphic Design Festival Breda

 

2010

Creative Ambassadors City of The Hague

European Design Awards

Gold | Exhibits | Torture Basement

Silver | Book cover | Where there is smoke, there is fire

Finalist | Book design | Hi Brand book

International Design Awards

Silver | Exhibits | Torture Basement

Bronze | Books | Creative City The Hague

 

2009

European Design Awards

Silver | Corporate Identity | Coos!

International Design Awards

Bronze | Corporate Identity | Gouda bij Kunstlicht

 

2008

European Design Awards

Bronze | Printed Self promotion | Play More Note Pad