MAY 2009

IONews 30
Latest Prof.
JO GERAEDTS

Koos Eissen
FINELINERS AND MARKERS
AT TU DELFT
The good,
the bad, the ugly
40 YEARS OF PRODUCT DESIGN

Famous alumni
WOLFRAM PETERS AND JEROEN VAN ERP
Number 4000
MEET THREE RELATED NUMBERS: 4, 40 AND 400.
2 6 4 8 7
2
The toluene in the markers
made drawing even more fun
used to be final products for presentations
but became a tool in pre-presenting an
idea, in showing a first impression.
Fineliners and markers had the advantage
that they looked better than pencil when
reproduced on a copier.
I remember the smell of the
markers.
,,They used to be filled with a toluene-
containing liquid. It made drawing even
more fun right? The refills are now based
on alcohol. I do regret one thing though:
I should have bought stocks in Pantone.
They must have sold millions of markers
and refill-units.
You were offered a peek in the
kitchen of famous designers.
What was your most bizarre
meeting?
,,Hard to say. Maybe one of the most
bizarre meetings we have had was with Job
Smeets (Studio Job). He fills white sheets
of paper with a blue ballpoint. He uses only
the A4-format, and he fills the whole area
of the paper, like children do. I asked how
many sheets he had already filled. He took
me to a room with four large piles of A4
sheets. Four piles! He gave us half-an-hour
to choose. I could have watched his
drawings for hours and hours! So much
fun.
Here at Amsterdam AutoRAI we
are surrounded by sportscars.
I was told the red Ferrari 328
GTS on one of the pictures in
your book is your own. Are you
a petrol head?
,,Yes, definately. Besides the Ferrari, I have
got a Citron Traction Avant and an AK 400
Eend bestel. I also use an old 76 Porsche
911 targa for rallying. I would like to buy
more classic cars, a Porsche 928 for
example, but I wouldnt know where to
put it. I think Ill stick to drawing sports
cars for now.
Are designers still making
drawings by hand? Isnt it
more advanced to use a
computer in this era?
,, Some may think so, but if you ever enter
a design studio, you will find out
differently. Studios still make sketches and
drawings by hand. They are part of the
decision-making process and used in the
early stages of design: in brainstorming
sessions, research and concept
exploration. Drawing has proved to be a
powerful tool for communicating with
fellow designers, engineers, model makers,
clients and contractors.
Is drawing the best way to
show an idea?
,,Drawing makes you aware of the spatial
impact of your thoughts. A fast way of
communicating and interpreting, faster
than making a model. People like Khodi
Feiz also use drawing as a tool to
remember. Feiz, whos sketches are
published in our book, often uses a
dummy sketchbook for collecting his ideas.
A nice way of working, although I could
never do that. I would be annoyed by the
less succesful drawings and tear out the
pages.
Can freehand drawing beat
Computer Aided Design?
,,We paid a visit to the makers of Killzone,
a very succesful computer game designed
by an Amsterdam based company. It
turned out that this high-tech, CAD-driven
company starts the design of their
computer games by first making freehand
drawings: artist-impressions and paintings
showing a certain atmosphere. What kind
of vehicles are to be used, how much dust
has to be on the hood, how many bumps
should the car have and so on. Classic
drawing techniques seem to be very
helpful in CAD-drawing: a fading
background, for example, will reduce the
amount of polygons in a digital image.
Is your book meant to be a
guideline?
,,It is instructive, but its not as
explanatory as my previous books. The
book shows how our leading designers use
their sketching skills, offering inpiration for
both students and professionals. Some
people consider the book as a guideline:
we recently received a request from a
Chinese student, who asked for comment
on his drawings. It turned out that he had
made perfect copies of some of the
drawings in my book.
You have introduced fineliners
and markers in Delft. Why should
we leave drawing with pencils?
,,Freehand drawing used to be done with
pencils, preferably thick and black ones
like Koh-i-Noor 4b. Fineliners were
considered to be not noble. However, the
design profession was changing. Drawings
Koos Eissen
introduced fineliners
and markers at
TU Delft
Associate professor Koos Eissen (59),
responsible for the freehand drawing
classes at IDE since 1975, employed
current Pininfarinas director of design
Lowie Vermeersch as his student-
assistant. Eissen and his wife Roselien
Steur paid a visit to his former students,
now leading designers, and asked them
for first sketches of products.
At Amsterdam AutoRAI, Eissen talks with
IO News about the sketches collected
in Sketching, drawing techniques for
product designers.
Koos Eissen and his daughter Eiske
www.sketching.nl
Sketching; drawing techniques for
product designers K. Eissen, R. Steur
ISBN : 978-90-6369-171-4
Koos instructs exchange students
The year 2009 is a jubilee year for the faculty
of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE): our
40
th
anniversary. We will celebrate this with
a big party on June 18
th
for employees and
alumni. We also organized a number of
special activities and symposia, such as
the Mobility Event, featuring a number of
IDE-graduates with key positions in the
automotive industry. In cooperation with
Kunsthal Rotterdam, we are preparing an
exhibition of 40 years of excellent design,
showing both the past and the future-fitness
of the IDE approach. IDE methods and
knowledge can help developing the future,
not only to the benefit of the industry, but
also in socio-cultural ways. IDE engineers
have the ability to design and visualize
different versions of the future, and offering
a choice. In October we will have a
conference on this theme: Challenging the
future; designing for sustainable living and
working. A symposium that will apply to our
key-ambition: Sustainable wellbeing.
prof.dr. Cees J.P.M. de Bont, dean
PREFACE
C
o
l
u
m
n
Salone
del Mobile
In 2003 four of us left Eindhoven on our way to the design fair in Milan. We travelled by way of
Brussels Charleroi, then on to Bergamo where we boarded a coach (the cheapest mode of transport)
for the remainder of the journey. We slept out of doors at a campsite located far outside the city
centre: we had to walk, take a bus and connect to Milans underground to reach the city.
The next day we attended the only football match Ive ever seen live Rome v Milan. Collina was the referee and the
match ended in a 3-3 tie. We ended our day with drinks at Le Tre Marie close to Via Torino. You find places like this by
sheer coincidence. You then find yourself returning night after night because the food is so good, the service by Marianne
is so attentive and Alfonsos cocktails are so surprisingly refreshing. We will simply have to forgive him for sending us to a
trendy nightclub on our last night in town we ended up waiting for an hour in the rain before finally being sent packing.
Of course we also saw design: Droog, Cappellini and Armani... the Zona Tortona and we even had a look at the design
course at Polytecnico di Milano. Really exciting stuff... Really.
Two of the four of us are now designers, one is a mechanical engineer and the fourth is a designer and researcher in
Delft. These days when we get together for drinks and talk about the trip, we never discuss Jurgen Bey, but we always talk
about Collina, Marianne and Alfonso. Working as a designer is really nice, but sometimes design is just a really good
reason for other unique experiences.

Thomas Visser
PhD candidate at the ID StudioLab
AGENDA
www.io.tudelft.nl/events
I.D-KAFEE FOR ALUMNI:
Every first Wednesday of
the month
Go to www.ioalumni.nl to register. The
association is open to everyone with a
bachelor or master degree in Industrial
Design Engineering at TU Delft.

We hope to see you soon,
the board of the IO Alumni
association.
3
Throughout 2009
Ten Top Talks
Inspiring lunch lectures. Rodney Fitch
(January), Stephen Batill (February),
Henrique Cayatte (March) and John
Ehrenfeld (April) were already very
successful. The following lectures are
planned: Huibert Groenendijk (28th May)
and Mirjam van Coillie (18
th
June). After
summer holidays, four more lectures will
be planned.
Tuesday 26 May 2009
MKB Innovatieontbijt
Entrepeneurs are invited to have
breakfast and learn about IDEs
contribution to D-INCERT (Dutch
Innovation Centre for the Electrification
of Road Transport) and Car In The
Future, a cooperation between the three
Dutch universities of technology.
Key-speakers: Cees de Bont (IDE dean),
Sacha Silvester (Delft Design Institute).
Registration obligatory:
www.valorisationcentre.tudelft.nl
Thursday 18 June 2009
Lustrum Party Wonderland
Celebration of 40
th
IDE anniversary for
(former) employees and alumni. During
this event we will raise money for Help
Manuel (www.io.tudelft.nl/helpmanuel).
Friday 25 September 2009
Mobility Event
Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Lowie
Vermeersch (Pininfarina), Laurens van
den Acker (Renault) and other IDE
alumni with key-positions in the
automotive industry have been invited
to give their vision on future mobility.
17 - 25 October 2009
Design United
Information will become available on
our website
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Living
International symposium coinciding with
the inaugural speech of professor Keyson
(Smart Products and Environments). The
symposium addresses the role of design
and design research regarding the issue
of sustainability from social and
environmental perspectives, with a focus
on the living and work contexts.
Thursday 12 November 2009
Design for Usability
How to reduce usability problems with
electronic products? Design for Usability
is a collaboration of the three Dutch
Universities of Technology, Philips, Oc,
Thales and Indes. Hosted by professor
Daan van Eijk.
16 - 18 November 2009
Conference Impact of
Base-of-the-Pyramid
Ventures
Main question: how to define, measure,
and optimize towards enduring value
creation of BoP ventures? Hosted by
professor Prabhu Kandachar.
19 December 2009
- 14 March 2010
Exhibition 40 years of IDE.
4
Norbert Roozenburg
Ton Horsten
Paul van den Bosch
Wolfram Peters
The good,
the bad,
the ugly
40 years of
product design
December 2009, Kunsthal Rotterdam will exhibit 40 years
of excellent product design. We have asked the people
interviewed in this magazine to give an example of good,
bad and funny design. Some chose among their own
designs, some chose a product designed by others.
The 1980 VBA flower container, the
graduation project of Rob Willemsen. One
of our most succesfull graduation projects.
Millions of these have been sold and it is
still in production. Functionally,
aesthetically and commercially a perfect
product, comparable with the Senz
Umbrella storm umbrella.
The sun umbrella, my first commercial
product in Africa (1978), produced by Mr.
Diagne, president director general (as he
stated himself) of a metal workshop, which
included himself and an irregular bunch of
helpers. The umbrella was to replace the
First graduate Norbert
Roozenburg (right) with
his project buxi in 1971
Probably an obvious choice, but Im still
fascinated by Apples iPhone. The simple
design and ease of use hide an incredible
amount of technology.
I would like to add our E-Connect series
for Wila Lighting, because its one of the
most intellectual designs we have ever
made. High quality materials and perfect
manufactured. We received the 1997 Kho
Liang Ie Award of the City of Amsterdam
for this product range, together with Jos
Oberdorf. Another design that I am very
proud of, is Blue Performance, a sailing
yacht accessory line: not only the
products, but also the whole brand
development, website, user instructions
and trade fair introduction in 2003.
5
Jo Geraedts
Wolfram Peters
Jeroen van Erp
The Oc VarioPrint 1055 BC, a copier/
printer/ scanner designed for public
environments, enabling scanning without
loss of information or damage to fragile
books, as pages can be placed fully flat on
the glass. Users can easily combine several
scans in one document and convert them
into Word or PDF. The challenge was to
create a reliable, inviting design and to
reduce anxiety feelings that novice users
often experience. The 1055 BC acquired
the iF product design award 2007.
Wim Kolenbrander
A memorystick, representing the huge
development in this area over the past 40
years. I graduated in a time when computers
were very expensive and filled up a whole
room. Nowadays this technology has been
applied in a wide range of products and it
will keep on changing our profession.
Sometimes things get really silly, such as the
Presovar, a coffeemaker designed by Martin
Necas in 2008. Say no more... An example
of a very good design is the Pininfarina
conceptcar Nido, designed by IDE-graduate
Lowie Vermeersch. A brilliant concept. The
new Volkswagen UP and new Fiat were
inspired by this concept. The Nido has won
the most prestigious design prize of Italy.
What was your graduation project?
The buxi: a dial-a-ride bus delivering door-to-door public transport.
The municipality of Emmen wanted a pilot project based on the
dial-a-ride concept developed in the United States. In cooperation
with fourth-year-student Jaap Maartense, I developed the steelwork
and interior of the buxi, based on a Mercedes-Benz chassis and
powertrain.
You graduated in 1971. What did you do next?
I started working for IDE. During the eighties I worked as a team
leader at Total Design in Amsterdam and I was executive-officer of
the Akademie Industrile Vormgeving Eindhoven (the current Design
Academy). In the end I felt most at home at Delft University of
Technology and chose for a career at IDE.
What part of your IDE education has been most useful
regarding your current job?
Being executive officer of education at IDE, it is very helpful that
Ive studied here myself. I have especially enjoyed graphic design,
photography and philosophy. Unfortunately these are no longer
obligatory in the current curriculum.
What, in your opinion, should be added to the IDE
education, or intensified?
I think technology should be taken more serious. Too many students
and teachers limit their attention to form, concept, interaction
and experience. The actual engineering is often left to mechanical
engineers. To me that is a sad misunderstanding. We are not a
Design Academy and shouldnt strive to be one.
What are you most proud of professionally?
An article that I wrote and that was published in Design Studies in
1993: On the pattern of reasoning in innovative design. The article is
based on the ideas of the late professor Johannes Eekels and proves
that the making of a design cannot be traced back to deductive
processes and that design processes aimed at new solutions cannot
be automated. Every designer knows this by intuition. The article
provides scientific proof for this thesis. Writing the article gave me a
sense of adding to science.
Which question has, to your own relief, not been asked in
this short interview?
What have 40 years of research and development in education
added to the practice of design and engineering? Has it led to a
fundamental change?
Norbert Roozenburg
After graduating as IDEs first ever graduate in 1971,
Norbert Roozenburg (63) continued working for IDE.
N
U
M
B
E
R

0
0
1
secondhand repaired umbrellas that foreigners
in Senegal left behind. These were fairly
expensive and rather vulnerable in the rough
street and market life of Dakar. The design was
based on market research by a Senegalese
co-worker, who ran around with prototypes to
get comments on the design, price et cetera.
The umbrella was made of building materials
that were readily available in Senegal.
Another design I would like to add is the desk
set for Casteleijn (1983). The basic idea is a set
of props supporting a glass plate. The
cupboards take into account the status of the
real manager, unwilling to or incapable of
bending over to reach lower drawers. The
cupboard is not attached to the wall, as the
walls in modern offices cannot support such
loads.
We have contacted Rob (59) in order to find out to find out his
current occupation. Since my graduation, I have always been an
Industrial Design Engineer. Next to the VBA flower container, the
Senseo Crema coffee machine is the second highlight in his career.
I headed the entire team as project leader for the first two years."
Both of those products have sold millions in their own markets.
"But the first was a one-man project, the second the result of efforts
by an entire team. Yet I think the following credo applies equally to
both: Everything thats needed, but nothing that isnt. Rob is now
Managing Partner of Well Design (www.welldesign.com).
Number 4, 40, 400... and
who will be number 4000?
What was your graduation project?
Designing audio-visual media for schools in
developing countries. The project ended up
to be a pretty theoretical piece of thinking
on how a designer could design for foreign
cultures.
You graduated in 1976. What did you
do next?
I left for Senegal, where I started working for
UNESCO. I was charged with the development
of school materials that were to be produced
locally (furniture, learning materials). I also
designed a couple of commercial products
for the local market such as sun umbrellas for
market women.
What part of your IDE education has
been most useful regarding your
current job?
Ive learned to doubt the apparently obvious,
both in problems and in solutions.
What, in your opinion, should be added
to the IDE education, or intensified?
I dont have any idea how the present training
looks like. I left in 1976 and have never been
back but once, to see the building at the
Mekelweg.
What are you most proud of
professionally?
First of all, that I have been able to make
a living out of design during my whole
life. Secondly, having gone to Africa as an
industrial designer in 1976 and working there
for 5 years. Some of the things I did there
really had an impact. Thirdly the design
of an office furniture set for Casteleijn in
the eighties. Some projects I did (ceiling
system/3d blinds) for Hunter Douglas and
recently my contribution to the development
of a successful industrial product development
training at Windesheim, University of applied
sciences, Zwolle.
Which question has, to your own relief,
not been asked in this short interview?
Do you think you are a real good designer?
Did you always work according to your own,
professed, beliefs? Has design a positive
impact on the world?
What was your graduation project?
I graduated at DAF trucks Eindhoven on
a modular design for a dashboard. I made a
full-scale model of foam. The dashboard was
never taken into production since DAF had
just started the manufacturing of a metal
dashboard. During my graduation
I also re-wrote and translated an American
guideline on human factors in passenger
car design. My translation was an early
example of ergonomics and was used up
till the late eighties.
Do you have a drivers license for
a truck?
No. I only drove on the parking lot...
You graduated in 1972. What did you
do next?
I graduated on December 19th, I started at
DAF on December 20th. I think I was the
only one in my class to find a full-time job
that soon. I worked on the development of
simulation models for trucks. The models
made it possible to trigger design solutions
based on calculations of exploitation costs,
planning et cetera. It was a pioneering
technology that has become standard.
What part of your IDE education has
been most useful regarding your
current job?
Being trained in pioneering in design. I never
lost that approach. Im still developing new
things.
What, in your opinion, should be added
to the IDE education, or intensified?
Re-introduction of the Dutch language.
Why do students and teachers talk to each
other about their deepest design visions
and thoughts in a foreign language?
Fingerspitzengefhl gets lost in translation.
What are you most proud of
professionally?
Besides pioneering in truck simulation models,
Im quite proud of my idea for the 1-1-3
photo delict emergency call. I took part in a
contest in which I presented my idea for an
emergency number based on photos: 1-1-3
sends a photo straight to the police. The idea
wasnt taken seriously. I received a kind of
honorable mention: a small police flashlight.
Later on, several police captains became
enthusiastic about the idea. They now claim to
having thought it up themselves and started a
pilot project.
Wim Kolenbrander
The day after graduating at IDE in 1972, Wim Kolenbrander (60) started
working at DAF Eindhoven. After working for Philips and Eindhoven University
of Technology, he currently works for Obec Software.
Ton Horsten
After graduating at IDE in 1976, Ton Horsten (59) left for Senegal, where he
started designing school materials and furniture for UNESCO. He returned to
The Netherlands, started his own company, worked for Hunter Douglas and is
currently teaching industrial design at Hogeschool Windesheim (Zwolle).
www.onewaywave.nl
www.p-i-d.nl
N
U
M
B
E
R

0
4
0
N
U
M
B
E
R

0
0
4
Student number 4000 will graduate during the 40
th
anniversay of Industrial Design Engineering. Meet three related numbers: 4, 40 and 400.
6
7
Number 4, 40, 400... and
who will be number 4000?
What was your graduation project?
I did a project for Alisun, a producer of sun
tanning equipment. They were looking for
new products to add to their portfolio. I did
a market research and proposed to start
developing a range of fitness equipment
products. I concluded my project with the
development of a concept for a treadmill.
You graduated in 1987. What did you
do next?
My first job was at Formaat, a sub contractor
for Philips. I participated in a project for
automating and centralizing the control
of Rijkswaterstaat tunnels, bridges and
motorways. Our assignment was to develop
several alternatives for the new organization
of control rooms, design control room layouts
and to assist in the user interface design.
What part of your IDE education has
been most useful regarding your
current job?
In my job as a business consultant at Fujitsu
Services, it is very important to understand
both business and user requirements and to
translate these into feasible solutions, based
on available technology. I think the broad
generalist view of the IDE curriculum has been
very useful.
What, in your opinion, should be added
to the IDE education, or intensified?
Its been 20 years since I graduated. Im not
familiar with the current curriculum.
What are you most proud of
professionally?
In a previous company I introduced an idea
for a new software product: a work permitting
solution for the process industry to support
technical personnel to execute maintenance
activities in a safe way. We developed this idea
into a full product range. It is now being used
in dozens of companies throughout Europe.
Which question has, to your own relief,
not been asked in this short interview?
Would you have chosen again to study IDE?
N
U
M
B
E
R

4
0
0
Paul van den Bosch
After graduating at IDE in 1987, Paul van den Bosch (47) started working on
the design and re-development of Directorate General of Transport, Public
Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) control rooms. He is currently
working as a business consultant at Fujitsu Services.
Student number 4000 will graduate during the 40
th
anniversay of Industrial Design Engineering. Meet three related numbers: 4, 40 and 400.
www.fujitsu.com
www.global.oce.com
After graduating in physics at Eindhoven University of
Technology in 1976, Jo Geraedts (56) obtained a PhD
in Physics and Mathematics. He started working for
Oc Industrial Design in Venlo and is IDEs latest
professor (December 2008).
What was your graduation project?
I did a research on laser development, optics, plasma physics and
gas dynamics. My thesis: De twee-golflengten-laser-schlieren-
methode toegepast op een thermische grenslaag in een Argon
plasma.
You graduated in 1976, what did you do next?
Starting in 1979, I worked for four years as an experimental physicist
at Radboud University Nijmegen. In 1983 I obtained my PhD, based
on research of Infrared Laser Excitation of Clusters, the first step on
the road to nanotechnology. The radiation was produced by a self
designed CO
2
laser.
What part of your education has been most useful regarding
your current job?
I consider my work in the company as an important part of my
education, especially the learning process during the technical design
of the Oc 3165 printer and the mechatronic research projects at
Oc Group Research. Generally speaking I think its important that an
industrial designer can act as a member of a team instead of playing
the industrial designer as a consultant role.
What, in your opinion, should be added to the IDE
education, or intensified?
Intensifying the focus on integral product development. As a member
in a multidisciplinary team, one needs to understand that a team
should optimize the total product instead of each individual efficiently
optimizing his sub-solution.
What are you most proud of (professionally)?
Working on the biggest development in the office scenery of the
last 25 years, which is unquestionably the PC on every desk. This
development changed the copying machine into a multifunctional
printer, which influenced both the engine and the interface. At Oc
Design, I was responsible for developing one look and feel.
Where do you see IDE in ten years?
We will experience an increase in the use of adaptive control. The
basic algorithms have been known for decades, but they have hardly
been applied because of the intense calculation that they require.
This is not a problem anymore. Adaptive control can compensate
for user behavior, variations in the environment or in the system
itself. In general, the controller can simultaneously learn about the
process while controlling its behavior. These developments will result
in a decade in which we will be less focused at stand-alone products
that you can touch, and more on products with a mix of reality and
virtual-reality.
Jo Geraedts
IO News is a publication of the
faculty of Industrial Design
Engineering of the Delft University
of Technology (TU Delft). It is
published twice a year and will be
sent to all professional contacts
free of charge.
Delft University of Technology
Faculty of Industrial Design
Engineering
Marketing and Communication
Landbergstraat 15
NL-2628 CE Delft
The Netherlands
Telephone +31(0)15 27 89166
Fax +31(0)15 27 87662
Email io@tudelft.nl
Website www.ide.tudelft.nl
Final editors
Michel Heesen, Angeline Westbroek,
Hugo Nagtzaam.
Design
Haagsblauw, The Hague
Photography
Sam Rentmeester/FMAX
Printed by
DeltaHage, The Hague
Print
4500
Contributors
Marketing and Communication IDE,
Pleun Lauwerier, Cees de Bont,
Thomas Visser, Koos Eissen,
Norbert Roozenburg, Wim
Kolenbrander, Ton Horsten,
Paul van den Bosch, Jo Geraedts,
Wolfram Peters, Jeroen van Erp.
Interested in receiving
IO News twice a year to keep
you up-to-date? Send us an
email or give us a call!
Telephone +31(0)15 27 89166
Email io@tudelft.nl
IO News is published on our
website. Visit www.ide.tudelft.nl
and download IO News in
PDF-format.
CREATING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTS
PEOPLE LOVE TO USE
Our mission is to contribute to the knowledge, skills, methods and
professional attitude in the field of integrated product development.
We aim to achieve this through education and research at an
internationally recognized scientific level. We study, innovate and
improve the development of durable products and their related
services for people, on the basis of the balanced interest of users,
industry, society and environment.
What was your graduation project?
The redesign and organization of the control
centre dealing with the traffic control for
the Rotterdam Harbor, located in Hoek van
Holland. The design of the building and its
specialized computer furniture was realized in
1980.
You graduated in 1978. What did you
do next?
I started my own design studio together
with Peter Krouwel. We named it Peters en
Krouwel. In 1985 we changed the name of
the company into ninaber/peters/krouwel
industrial design, followed by npk industrial
design (1996) and npk design (present).
What part of your IDE education has
been most useful regarding your
current job?
Learning to use both your left and right brains
in translating dreams into real products and
services.
What, in your opinion, should be added
to the IDE education, or intensified?
First of all scenario development in complex
issues and, secondly, working together with
other professions.
What are you most proud of
(professionally)?
Thirty years of npk design and all the
products we made.
Which question has, to your own relief,
not been asked in this short interview?
How will the market for industrial design in
Europe and worldwide develop in the next
40 years?
www.npk.nl
Jeroen van Erp
After graduating at IDE in 1988, Jeroen van Erp (49) started working as
a freelance designer. In 1992, he was one of the founders of Fabrique.
What was your graduation project?
It was an electronic routing system for large
buildings such as hospitals. All the signs could
be altered from a central point. I did the
research and I designed the system, the signs
and a readable typeface for the LCD screens,
which at that time were still pretty low-res.
Together with two students in Electrical
Engineering, I built a working prototype.
You graduated in 1988. What did you
do next?
It was a horrible time for finding a job.
I managed to get some assignments so
I decided to start working for myself. It
went pretty well. In order to get bigger
assignments, we started Fabrique in 1992.
What part of your IDE education has been
most useful regarding your current job?
To be honest, the most useful parts were in
fact the inspiring lessons by people like Wim
Crouwel, Ootje Oxenaar, Hans Baudet and Paul
Mijksenaar. Besides that its a big asset that
we are trained as generalists.
What, in your opinion, should be added
to the IDE education, or intensified?
It would be great if personal skills and talents
were more valued and developed. I also think
theres a big future for discipline-independent
creative thinkers. I think the overall focus
should shift more towards design thinking
rather than design doing.
What are you most proud of professionally?
Im most proud of the people I work with, the
products and services we create and being one
of the co-creators of Fabrique.
Which question has, to your own relief,
not been asked in this short interview?
Why are you so critical about the Design
education?
Famous alumni
Many Industrial Design Engineering alumni have reached key-positions in the industry. Adrian van Hooydonk (BMW), Lowie Vermeersch
(Pininfarina) and Laurens van den Acker (Mazda) are international role models in automotive design. Automotive design is not the only
industry in which IDEs alumni are leading: meet Wolfram Peters (npk design) and Jeroen van Erp (Fabrique).
N
U
M
B
E
R

0
7
4
Wolfram Peters
After graduating at IDE in 1978, Wolfram Peters (56) started his own design
studio Peters en Krouwel with Peter Krouwel, currently npk design.
www.fabrique.nl
N
U
M
B
E
R

5
0
4