VPRO Annual Review

The theme of this VPRO annual review 2019 is Future Builders. Shaping and wanting to help build the future is a fixed value in the stories and programs of the VPRO. During the Dutch Design Week, VPRO already collected future questions from the public. Questions that VPRO should work with, whether for research or otherwise. It yielded them many hundreds of responses, written on large colored cards.

These cards were the inspiration for the design of the annual overview. Not a bound book, but a stubborn box with loose cards. With a bit of a nod to the old-fashioned videotape. The first card is a blank card for members to send their own future question to the VPRO.

Arita Ceramics Symposium

The Arita Ceramics Symposium was held in November 2016 in Arita in Japan. Arita ware is one of Japans most famous ceramics and rich in tradition. This book is the transcript of the symposium and is a gift for the speakers and organizers. During the 2 days lots of valuable information on ceramics is shared between different cultures and this is not be be lost.

The brief was to design a book that shows the full transcript of the symposium in both English and Japanese and turn this into something special and a collectors item.

The essence of the symposium is Ceramics. Therefore we chose to have a ceramic platter on the cover of the book. On the front cover the is the image of the ceramic platter, this represents the talking about ceramics. And on the back we have a 3D moulded Arita ware platter, which represents the actual making of the ceramics. This also makes the book float when you lay it on the table and keeps the big wiro- spine elevated.

The inside contains different grams of paper from 300 grams on the outsides it slowly transforms from 280, 260, etc into lighter paper 80 grams on the heart of the book. The represents the different possibilities of ceramics. It can be really thick and strong, but also fragile and transparent.

Because of almost 400 pages there was no wire-o available to bind the book and this had to be custom made by hand by the binder. This book is the first of it’s kind with such a big wire-o.
All the above and the run of just 35 copies makes the book a unique design and a collectors item.

 


Trapped in Suburbia award

Silver | European Design Awards

Room to play


Ruimte voor de spelende mens (Room to play) presents The Hague’s dream to become a utopian city based on artist Constant Nieuwenhuys’ New Babylon. Here the city is an environment where its inhabitants can focus solely on their creativity and exist as homo ludens, ‘playing man’.

This financial report documents the cultural budget distribution across the many institutions in The Hague. The document details the government’s spending for the following four years in comparison to previous.

Fulfilling the city’s dream, the design of the report actually gives the reader the opportunity to play. The content is divided into seven books which form a tangram puzzle. ‘Alles moet mogelijk blijven, alles moet kunnen gebeuren’ (Everything must remain possible, everything can happen), the report’s ethos, is emphasised through the tangram’s ability to form infinite combinations.

As a tangram puzzle the previously dry and complex document is transformed into one of creativity and joy. Additionally, the shapes of the tangram become an abstraction of The Hague’s visual identity of which the report is designed within.

This is Experience Design


Our monograph This is Experience Design showcases the studio’s work from the past thirteen years and explains the theory behind Experience Design.

With the term Experience Design people often think of digital interaction. But not at Trapped in Suburbia. By embodying our Confucius motto: ”Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I’ll understand.” the monograph becomes an interactive publication.

Two accompanying 10” vinyl records tell the stories behind the projects. The 156 pages show only images of this work. The reader must be involved in both in order to fully experience the book and understand.

With a foreword by Erik Kessels of KesselsKramer.

Published by Coltrane & Dixon.

Listen to a sample from Side 2 – The Medium is the Message.

      The Medium is the Message (Sample) - Trapped in Suburbia

 

This is Experience Design is available to purchase below.

Shipping Options (Incl. Book €34,95)

 

Talking Ceramics 1


The kiln, the ceramicist’s oven, plays a major role in the ceramic process. Ceramicists can spend weeks creating their object yet when it is placed into the kiln all control is taken out of their hands. Even the most proficient ceramicist on opening the kiln after firing cannot predict the outcome – it could be perfection or disaster.

To experience this excitement, anxiety and surprise, the reader must literally bake the white book in an oven – watch and wait – all is revealed as the heat transforms the cover and reveals the design.

Taking Ceramics I discusses the topic of mistakes with several past artists-in-residence from the European Centre of Ceramics’ (EKWC) . Playing with the subject, the book’s layout emphasises fragility, splitting content over pages and positioning it precariously close to the edges.

The special edition furthers this theme with its 1mm thick porcelain cover. Inevitably, whether through the sheer weight of other books or mishandling the cover will crack. The reader, like the ceramicist, learns to accept and appreciate the beauty of mistakes.

 

Trapped in Suburbia award

Gold | 2017 European Design Awards
Bronze | 2017 European Design Awards
Nomination | 2017 ADCN Awards

Jaap Drupsteen Designer Explorer


Jaap Drupsteen, legendary Dutch designer/video artist was revolutionary in the use of chroma keying, also know as the blue screen effect. This technique allowed him to superimpose actors or elements into totally different environments.

An accompanying app allows the reader to experience chroma keying firsthand. The app contains a library of video clips from Drupsteen’s productions that can be superimposed onto the solid blue book, thus bringing the monograph to life whilst explaining his process.

Video productions form the majority of Drupsteen’s oeuvre meaning every second holds a uniquely beautiful graphic image. Unlike the traditional graphic designer, Drupsteen creates twenty-five incredible images per second.

Consequently, the inside pages present over 400 stills rarely seen as individual frames, revealing their incredible colour and detail, emphasised by the fact many were created before the use of computers.

Download Jaap Drupsteen from the Apple App Store.

This book was part of the exhibition Jaap Drupsteen – Designer | Explorer  that we also designed.

The Twenty Year Yourney


Eurocontrol are responsible for the air-traffic management and regulation across the entire European airspace. This is an overwhelmingly complex task with a huge amount of responsibility and information. The Twenty-Year Journey marks the organisation’s anniversary and through clear infographics presents its detailed history in an easily comprehendible manner. Fold out pages accentuate certain infographics for maximum impact.

The book was presented to employees and associates in two hardcover editions. The standard edition is covered with grey linen and a limited special edition features a white leather cover with gold foiled text and edges.

Considering its enormous task and responsibility the Eurocontrol headquarters retains a calm, peaceful and controlled atmosphere. This is captured through a series of commissioned photographs included throughout the publication.

Graphic Happiness I


Graphic Happiness consists of a publication, traveling exhibition and educational programme covering 100 years of Dutch graphic design. Travelling through China the exhibition showed work of over 60 designers highlighting their love of design. 

Based on the Chinese symbol of ‘double happiness’ and the Dutch flag (red, white and blue) the logo symbolises the two countries uniting in design. The logo is divided and produced as three different straps which hold together the exhibition furniture and bind the publication. The logo is literally and metaphorically the binding factor in the whole design.

The publication consists of 246 loose pages presenting work by Dick Bruna, Wim Crouwel, Theo van Doesburg, Anthon Beeke, Lust, Thonik, Niessen & de Vries, Studio Dumbar, Trapped in Suburbia among others.

Graphic Happiness is available from Museum Hilversum for €32,50 as a bilingual English/Chinese edition.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Silver | 2013 European Design Awards
Bronze | 2013 International Design Awards
Bronze | 2012 Hiiibrand Awards

Where there is smoke…


Waar rook is, is vuur (Where There is Smoke, is Fire) is a publication about the old Caballero Cigarette factory, which has been transformed into a creative work area. Where once cigarettes were made now architects, photographers, industrial designers, graphic designers and web designers carry out creative projects.

The spine and typography on the cover are silkscreen printed with a matchbox structure so you can actually strike a match on the book. Inside, several kinds of paper are use to represent the different architectural surfaces throughout the building.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Silver | 2010 European Design Awards

Graphic Happiness II


The catalogue accompanying Grafisch Geluk (Graphic Happiness), an exhibition of 100 years of graphic design, tells the story of one specific part to Dutch design history. This is de Jong, one of the most famous Dutch printers. They were the first to work really close with designers like Wim Crouwel, Dick Bruna, Anthon Beeke and Otto Treuman and carried out all kinds of experiments that are now considered standard printing techniques.

The cover of the book consists of five loose covers that together form the logo of the printer, de Jong. This symbolises the special collaboration between the printer and the designer, working together they produced their best designs.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Silver | 2012 International Design Awards

The real deal


The cover of this book is turned inside out. The design is inside and the endpapers are outside. Het Echte Werk is not printed in regular CMYK. Given the subject of experimentation, cyan, magenta and yellow are replaced by neon PMS inks. However, the book is still printed as normal CMYK printwork giving a completely surprising result and making the photos ‘pop’ with vibrancy.

F.C. de Omslag is a collaboration between the library and archives of Gouda. This initiative was set up to explore and experiment how they, together with the inhabitants of Gouda, can create culture. The book is an adventure into dealing with culture in a new experimental way.

‘De Omslag’ means ‘book cover’ and refers to both the books in the library and the archive. Yet, it also means ‘turning point’, which the team believes this project could mean for them. This is the reason behind the cover being such a focal point. Turning it inside out makes you look twice and that is what F.C. de Omslag is about.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Silver | 2014 European Design Awards | Book Cover
Finalist | 2014 European Design Awards | Book Layout

Innovation in Dance


Movement and rhythm are central to the identity of Fresh Tracks Europe. Innovation in Dance for Young Audiences presents the philosophy and projects of this youth dance network in a publication that embodies dance.

Six cover variations, showing shapes taken from the identity, are choreographed as a stop motion animation adding motion and rhythm to the usually static printed object.

There is more than one truth


VJ Movement gives journalists and cartoonists around the world the opportunity to share their stories and tell their truths. They reveal subjects and perspectives that aren’t covered in mainstream news.

Anyone can pitch their untold story to VJ Movement and if it receives enough votes a professional VJ Cartoonist will report on this and publish it online. The best cartoons are collated in this book. Removing the translucent red band allows the reader to reveal these other truths for themselves.

Knowledge economy monitor


This publication written by Kennisland (Knowledgeland) shows the situation in Dutch society regarding the future. Kenniseconomie Monitor 2010 (Knowledge Economy Monitor 2010) discusses in detail the value in strengthening knowledge to guarantee future prosperity and welfare.

As well as thorough reports, over ninety infographics printed in five fluorescent colours summarise the facts clearly and informatively throughout the book.

Amsterdam Opportunity zones


This publication shows the results of a study by the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), on the grant programme Amsterdam Kansenzones (Amsterdam Opportunity Zones). The programme provides financial opportunities for small independent retailers.

The study revealed a lack of understanding between the municipality and the shopkeepers. This dispute manifests as two booklets. One uses the visual language of the shopkeepers to express their views. The other shows the research result in the classic, formal language of the municipality.

The two booklets are interweaved meaning the reader has to consider both sides of the conversation turning a page at a time. Due to friction the two booklets cannot be pulled apart when closed highlighting the dependency these two parties have on each other.

The large A3 format stems from the researcher’s desire to make the report visible and not to be placed in a drawer never to be read.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Bronze | 2013 European Design Awards

Hi brand book


Hi is a Dutch telecom company with a target group of young adults. Instead of looking in from the outside, Hi wanted their staff to be part of this world and really live the life of their target group. Therefore the brand book is the diary a young adult full of photos, stickers, concert and train tickets, flyers and a beer mat scrawled with phone numbers. It features several scratch-off ink tests, five fold out pages, a resignation letter (if you fail the scratch tests), many illustrations, UV spot ink and a huge pop-up. You name it; it’s in there!


Trapped in Suburbia award

Finalist | 2010 European Design Awards

 

The gift of Sound and Vision


This farewell gift for the departing president of the Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (Dutch Institute for Sound and Vision) translates video and sound across 600 pages. Segments of television programmes are reproduced frame by frame making them still comprehendible even when printed. As well as the vast collection of imagery the book contains a single of David Bowie’s Sound and Vision, pop-ups, a DVD, several flip booklets and a RFID tag all bringing the printed page to life.

Creative City the Hague


This publication gives insights into the results of Creatieve Stad Den Haag (Creative City The Hague), a development programme to progress the creative scene in The Hague. Like the creative inhabitants who build this city, the book is a building block that when united with others forms an impressive and beautiful construction.


Trapped in Suburbia award

Bronze | 2010 International Design Awards