Looking back

My previous site has been far more successful than I ever dreamed it could be. Yet, I felt it was time to move on. Some people wondered why I wanted to redesign. So many people like it, so why change it? Well, just like many other graphic designers, I always want to improve my own creations. Some sort of gene must prevent you from being pleased by your own creations after a certain period of time. I always say I am my own worst client.

When I launched my previous site, I was trying out different things, such as interviewing designers, illustrators, and other artists. Later on, I also began writing about modern home design from time to time. But, as with other sites (and many aspects of life), you grow and experiment, and before you know it, you need to restructure in order to have balance, clarity, and an experience that makes sense. I was bothered by the way you had to navigate through the old site to get to the content you wanted, and I sensed that a lot of good content was sort of hidden and hard to find.

My new icon uses bright colors that match my personality. I’ve used a three-dimensional geometric object with V shapes to reflect the first letter of my name.

New approach

This post’s title and homepage already reveal that this isn’t a simple redesign—some new colors, new look, new skin. No, with this new site I want to clearly differentiate my areas of interest so that people can enter the site and immediately focus on the subjects that impassion them. Secondly, I see a critical need for sites that have only one voice when designers are looking for graphical inspiration. I know that I’m not inventing the wheel here, but often inspiration sites are run by several people or have many reader contributions. The result can be a mix of too many different styles (and levels of quality) all shouting at you. This isn’t the environment in which I feel inspired. I need one very selective voice, a sort of design firewall that filters out all the junk so you discover quality instead of just quantity. I need a clean environment to see the array of inspiring pieces; this means guided direction and no flashing ads. I’m trying to take a different path and find that niche. Last, but not least, I’m proud to be Belgian. But, unlike Dutch design, you don’t see much on the internet from our little country. I’d like to change that by sharing some of Belgium’s graphic designs from the past and the present.

Four different sections

On my new site I make a clear distinction between graphic/web design and modern home design because I realize that not every graphic designer is interested in both. I decided to split these into two sections. I also added two new sections, both gallery-style, that I hope you’ll enjoy. So I offer:

• Graphic & Web Design
• Modern Home Design
• Belgian Graphic Design
• My colorful wellspring of inspiration

New look

The color palette

As much as I like the look of my previous site, a new direction was needed to create this site. A new approach calls for a new look. I knew I wanted to have a completely different color palette. This time, no light text on dark background, yet I didn’t want a light background, either. One of the strong points of using a dark background is that illustrations and photos pop more. This was the main reason why I chose this particular color palette. For this site I tried to find the middle ground without resorting to plain mid-grey. Mid-grey isn’t an inherently wrong choice, but it would be for my site, as I believe that colors on a personal site should reflect who you are—your personality. This is one of the fun, but also most challenging parts of creating your own website, especially for a lover of color, as I am.

The new icon

The icon was created purely from experimentation with shapes. After doodling for a while, trying out different things with the letter V, from curly, rounded ones to a 3D look, I ended up with this kinda weird cube. People who have seen some of my illustrations know that I like geometric shapes, so combining one with the V shape was a natural choice and felt right. The straight lines, combined with the transparent effect, give the icon a modern look, which I believe goes perfectly with the new look of this site.

Neutraface of House Industries, the typeface of choice for my new design.

The typography

Chalet has been a signature typeface for me, but since I’d chosen to go for an entirely new look, I also wanted to change the typeface. I have a preference for sans serif fonts, especially for big headings. After investigating for some time I decided on Neutraface. I’m using different Neutraface fonts for my large headings and navigation.

As for the body text, I initially wanted to use the MS Vista typeface Corbel. However, the alternatives, such as Lucida Grande or Sans, Verdana, Helvetica, or Arial, appear much bigger, so the layout can look quite different when seen with one of those typefaces. That’s why I chose Lucida Grande/Sans instead.

The header illustration

The “girl illustration” in my header, which sort of represents an idealized version of me, became my trademark, so it was clear to me that I should use her here, too, but with a different and more refined look. The previous girl illustration was inspired by a photo of me, that I used on my first blog. This time I didn’t use an actual photo. I just tried to imagine how I wanted to see myself in the header. In the previous version I liked the shyness, which reflects me; this time I tried a more confident look with a seductive flair. Maybe it’s the “me” that I want to be :)

Geeky bits & love

Maybe you have noticed this already in my footer, but in case you haven’t, I’ve created a page where I answer a lot of rather *geeky* questions people might have about this site, together with some credits to people who have been a tremendous help during this design, code, and implementation journey.

RSS Feeds

With the new things going on I’ve also created some new RSS feeds to subscribe to. People who are currently subscribed to http://feeds.feedburner.com/veerlesblog are automatically subscribed now to receive ALL the content from this blog. If you do not want that, I suggest that you opt for the separate feeds found at:

• Graphic and Web Design
• Modern Home Design
• The Inspiration Stream
• Belgian Graphic Design

Out with the old and in with the new

I hope you enjoy every pixel of it and its content. Oh, and before I forget, for those who are worried about all my old articles, and for those who believe this site is just plain rubbish and would love the old site back, here you go. From now on, maybe old, but not dead—just archived.

Photos by Julien Lannoo

Vitra architecture

Since no interior space was available for the presentation of the Home Collection on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, the company commissioned Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron in 2006 to design the VitraHaus. Thanks to its exposed location and striking appearance, it not only enhances the already outstanding ensemble of Vitra architecture, but assumes the important role of marking the Vitra Campus. Standing on the northern side of the grounds in front of the fenced perimeter of the production premises, the VitraHaus joins two other buildings in this area, the Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry (1989) and the Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando (1993).

The ample size of the plot made it possible to position the new structure a good distance away from the Vitra Design Museum and adjacent gatehouse, making room for an extension of the orchard meadow in front of the buildings, a typical feature of the local landscape.

Theme of stacked volumes

The concept of the VitraHaus connects two themes that appear repeatedly in the oeuvre of Herzog & de Meuron: the theme of the archetypal house and the theme of stacked volumes. In Weil am Rhein, it was especially appropriate to return to the idea of the ur-house, since the primary purpose of the five-story building is to present furnishings and objects for the home. Due to the proportions and dimensions of the interior spaces – the architects use the term ‘domestic scale’ – the showrooms are reminiscent of familiar residential settings. The individual ‘houses’, which have the general characteristics of a display space, are conceived as abstract elements. With just a few exceptions, only the gable ends are glazed, and the structural volumes seem to have been shaped with an extrusion press. Stacked into a total of five stories and breathtakingly cantilevered up to fifteen meters in some places, the twelve houses, whose floor slabs intersect the underlying gables, create a three-dimensional assemblage – a pile of houses that, at first glance, has an almost chaotic appearance.

The VitraHaus functions as an entryway to the Campus

Photos by Julien Lannoo

The charcoal color of the exterior stucco skin unifies the structure, ‘earths‘ it and connects it to the surrounding landscape. Like a small, vertically layered city, the VitraHaus functions as an entryway to the Campus. A wooden plank floor defines an open central area, around which five buildings are grouped: a conference area, an exhibition space for the chair collection of the Vitra Design Museum and a conglomerate comprising the Vitra Design Museum Shop, the lobby with a reception area and cloakroom, and a café with an outdoor terrace for summer use. A lift takes visitors to the fourth story, where the circular tour begins. Upon exiting the lift, the glazed northern end of the room offers a spectacular view of the Tüllinger Hill. The opposite end – where the glass front is recessed to create an exterior terrace – opens to a panorama of Basel with the industrial facilities of the pharmaceutical sector. As one discovers on the path through the VitraHaus, the directional orientation of the houses is hardly arbitrary, but is determined by the views of the surrounding landscape.

Fascinating visual relationships

The complexity of the interior space arises not only from the angular intersection of the individual houses but also from the integration of a second geometrical concept. All of the staircases are integrated into expansive, winding organic volumes that figuratively eat their way through the various levels of the building like a worm, sometimes revealing fascinating visual relationships between the various houses, at other times blocking the view. The interior walls are finished in white in order to give priority to the furniture displays.

Secret world

With maximum dimensions of 57 meters in length, 54 meters in width and 21.3 meters in height, the VitraHaus rises above the other buildings on the Vitra Campus. The deliberate intention was not to create a horizontal building, the common type for production facilities, but rather a vertically oriented structure with a small footprint, which grants an overview in multiple senses: an overview of the surrounding landscape and the factory premises, but also an overview of the Home Collection. Just as interior and exterior spaces interpenetrate, so do two types of forms: the orthogonal-polygonal, as perceived from the exterior, and the organic, which produces a series of spatial surprises in the interior – a ‘secret world‘ (in the words of Herzog & de Meuron) with a suggestive, almost labyrinthine character. On their path through the five stories, visitors traverse the Vitra Home cosmos, ultimately returning to their starting point.

Daytime view and a night time view

The VitraHaus has a daytime view and a night time view. In the evening, the perspective is reversed. During the day, one gazes out of the VitraHaus into the landscape, but when darkness falls, the illuminated interior of the building glows from within, while its physical structure seems to dissipate. The rooms open up; the glazed gable ends turn into display cases that shine across the Vitra Campus and into the surrounding countryside.

Photos by Julien Lannoo

Vitra architecture

Since no interior space was available for the presentation of the Home Collection on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, the company commissioned Basel-based architects Herzog & de Meuron in 2006 to design the VitraHaus. Thanks to its exposed location and striking appearance, it not only enhances the already outstanding ensemble of Vitra architecture, but assumes the important role of marking the Vitra Campus. Standing on the northern side of the grounds in front of the fenced perimeter of the production premises, the VitraHaus joins two other buildings in this area, the Vitra Design Museum by Frank Gehry (1989) and the Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando (1993).

The ample size of the plot made it possible to position the new structure a good distance away from the Vitra Design Museum and adjacent gatehouse, making room for an extension of the orchard meadow in front of the buildings, a typical feature of the local landscape.

Theme of stacked volumes

The concept of the VitraHaus connects two themes that appear repeatedly in the oeuvre of Herzog & de Meuron: the theme of the archetypal house and the theme of stacked volumes. In Weil am Rhein, it was especially appropriate to return to the idea of the ur-house, since the primary purpose of the five-story building is to present furnishings and objects for the home. Due to the proportions and dimensions of the interior spaces – the architects use the term ‘domestic scale’ – the showrooms are reminiscent of familiar residential settings. The individual ‘houses’, which have the general characteristics of a display space, are conceived as abstract elements. With just a few exceptions, only the gable ends are glazed, and the structural volumes seem to have been shaped with an extrusion press. Stacked into a total of five stories and breathtakingly cantilevered up to fifteen meters in some places, the twelve houses, whose floor slabs intersect the underlying gables, create a three-dimensional assemblage – a pile of houses that, at first glance, has an almost chaotic appearance.

The VitraHaus functions as an entryway to the Campus

Photos by Julien Lannoo

The charcoal color of the exterior stucco skin unifies the structure, ‘earths‘ it and connects it to the surrounding landscape. Like a small, vertically layered city, the VitraHaus functions as an entryway to the Campus. A wooden plank floor defines an open central area, around which five buildings are grouped: a conference area, an exhibition space for the chair collection of the Vitra Design Museum and a conglomerate comprising the Vitra Design Museum Shop, the lobby with a reception area and cloakroom, and a café with an outdoor terrace for summer use. A lift takes visitors to the fourth story, where the circular tour begins. Upon exiting the lift, the glazed northern end of the room offers a spectacular view of the Tüllinger Hill. The opposite end – where the glass front is recessed to create an exterior terrace – opens to a panorama of Basel with the industrial facilities of the pharmaceutical sector. As one discovers on the path through the VitraHaus, the directional orientation of the houses is hardly arbitrary, but is determined by the views of the surrounding landscape.

Fascinating visual relationships

The complexity of the interior space arises not only from the angular intersection of the individual houses but also from the integration of a second geometrical concept. All of the staircases are integrated into expansive, winding organic volumes that figuratively eat their way through the various levels of the building like a worm, sometimes revealing fascinating visual relationships between the various houses, at other times blocking the view. The interior walls are finished in white in order to give priority to the furniture displays.

Secret world

With maximum dimensions of 57 meters in length, 54 meters in width and 21.3 meters in height, the VitraHaus rises above the other buildings on the Vitra Campus. The deliberate intention was not to create a horizontal building, the common type for production facilities, but rather a vertically oriented structure with a small footprint, which grants an overview in multiple senses: an overview of the surrounding landscape and the factory premises, but also an overview of the Home Collection. Just as interior and exterior spaces interpenetrate, so do two types of forms: the orthogonal-polygonal, as perceived from the exterior, and the organic, which produces a series of spatial surprises in the interior – a ‘secret world‘ (in the words of Herzog & de Meuron) with a suggestive, almost labyrinthine character. On their path through the five stories, visitors traverse the Vitra Home cosmos, ultimately returning to their starting point.

Daytime view and a night time view

The VitraHaus has a daytime view and a night time view. In the evening, the perspective is reversed. During the day, one gazes out of the VitraHaus into the landscape, but when darkness falls, the illuminated interior of the building glows from within, while its physical structure seems to dissipate. The rooms open up; the glazed gable ends turn into display cases that shine across the Vitra Campus and into the surrounding countryside.

Who’s Dan Cederholm?

For most people the name Dan Cederholm will ring a bell, but if it doesn’t, here is some background. Dan Cederholm, also known as Simplebits, is a well-known veteran web designer. There’s also a very good chance you’ve read one of his other popular books: Bulletproof Web Design or Web Standards Solutions. Dan’s most recent project is called “Dribbble,” a community for sharing small (400×300 max) screenshots of your work. Anyway, back to the book now.

It’s all about craftmanship

Craftsmanship is the theme that runs through the book. Dan shows us that there is a connection between craftsmanship and web design. This book shows you that attention to small design details can sometimes make a big difference by using this transitional approach. What I truly love about this book is Dan’s writing style: down to earth and practical. He explains different scenarios and thinks about the things that should be taken into account when designing websites. While doing this he also keeps flexibility in mind. These are the small details that can turn a good design into a great design.

Case-study based

A fictional website called Tugboat Coffee Company is used as a case study. The book is focused on aspects to make a website bulletproof while demonstrating progressive enrichment techniques over more traditional labor-intensive methods. Progressive enrichment is Dan’s adjustment to “Progressive enhancement” and refers to things we can do to enrich our designs for users who are using the most modern browsers. This means that things may not look the same in every browser, a subject that Dan talks about in Chapter 4. If you’re doubting, here is the definite answer to that question.

Subjects covered

Some of the subjects covered in this book are:

• building for unanticipated future use
• progressively enriching designs using CSS3 properties
• using RGBA color for transparency with an alpha channel
• modular float management
• crafting flexible frameworks
• fluid layouts using grid-based design principles
• craftsmanship details on typography, jQuery, and shifting backgrounds

Modular float management

There is one chapter that is written by Ethan Marcotte. It’s about fluid layouts using grid-based design principles. This particular chapter was the one that I personally learned the most from because as a designer I hardly move away from fixed layout based web designs. However this technique requires that you make a mental click to step into the unknown. You have to release control a bit and that’s a daunting thought for a designer sometimes. It’s definitely a technique I’ll keep in mind for future website designs.

My conclusion

For me, personally, this is a book I would recommend to any web designer who is forward-thinking and proud and passionate about his or her job. You see, I never have problems with starting a book, it’s finishing it that is usually a problem for me. Either I lose patience or I just lose interest and skip parts and pages. I think it says a lot if I tell you that I completed this book in one week and I loved every bit of it. While reading it I was still in the middle of the CSS coding of this site and it gave me a lot of inspiration. So, thank you, Dan :)

Who’s Dan Cederholm?

For most people the name Dan Cederholm will ring a bell, but if it doesn’t, here is some background. Dan Cederholm, also known as Simplebits, is a well-known veteran web designer. There’s also a very good chance you’ve read one of his other popular books: Bulletproof Web Design or Web Standards Solutions. Dan’s most recent project is called “Dribbble,” a community for sharing small (400×300 max) screenshots of your work. Anyway, back to the book now.

It’s all about craftmanship

Craftsmanship is the theme that runs through the book. Dan shows us that there is a connection between craftsmanship and web design. This book shows you that attention to small design details can sometimes make a big difference by using this transitional approach. What I truly love about this book is Dan’s writing style: down to earth and practical. He explains different scenarios and thinks about the things that should be taken into account when designing websites. While doing this he also keeps flexibility in mind. These are the small details that can turn a good design into a great design.

Case-study based

A fictional website called Tugboat Coffee Company is used as a case study. The book is focused on aspects to make a website bulletproof while demonstrating progressive enrichment techniques over more traditional labor-intensive methods. Progressive enrichment is Dan’s adjustment to “Progressive enhancement” and refers to things we can do to enrich our designs for users who are using the most modern browsers. This means that things may not look the same in every browser, a subject that Dan talks about in Chapter 4. If you’re doubting, here is the definite answer to that question.

Subjects covered

Some of the subjects covered in this book are:

• building for unanticipated future use
• progressively enriching designs using CSS3 properties
• using RGBA color for transparency with an alpha channel
• modular float management
• crafting flexible frameworks
• fluid layouts using grid-based design principles
• craftsmanship details on typography, jQuery, and shifting backgrounds

Modular float management

There is one chapter that is written by Ethan Marcotte. It’s about fluid layouts using grid-based design principles. This particular chapter was the one that I personally learned the most from because as a designer I hardly move away from fixed layout based web designs. However this technique requires that you make a mental click to step into the unknown. You have to release control a bit and that’s a daunting thought for a designer sometimes. It’s definitely a technique I’ll keep in mind for future website designs.

My conclusion

For me, personally, this is a book I would recommend to any web designer who is forward-thinking and proud and passionate about his or her job. You see, I never have problems with starting a book, it’s finishing it that is usually a problem for me. Either I lose patience or I just lose interest and skip parts and pages. I think it says a lot if I tell you that I completed this book in one week and I loved every bit of it. While reading it I was still in the middle of the CSS coding of this site and it gave me a lot of inspiration. So, thank you, Dan :)

An overview of typography-related terms, adapted from Wikipedia.de (via The Smashing Book)

Neutraface Slab

House Industries’ Neutraface Slab is an elegantly designed slab serif that features a comprehensive range of weights and styles including five display weights, from the elegant Display Thin to the strong Display Titling; four text weights, running through Light, Book, Demi, and Bold—with accompanying italics; and a stencil style.

Other cool stuff

Neutraface Slab Blocks

I absolutely love wooden toys! These blocks help children understand the important nuances that define fine alphabets long before they learn how to spell cat, dog, mom or dad. This is a cute set of 12 Neutraface Slab alphabet blocks so darn pretty that you might not let the kids play with it, keeping the set for yourself. :)

Small Neutraface Slab Pillow

Wouldn’t mind resting my weary head on a Neutraface Slab-covered pillow after a hard day at the office. This type-patterned pillow reminds us that typography can provide visual and physical comfort. House has more cushions, t-shirts, and even a chair in their Furnishings section. Just remember that browsing there could mean adding more items to your wish list.

An overview of typography-related terms, adapted from Wikipedia.de (via The Smashing Book)

Neutraface Slab

House Industries’ Neutraface Slab is an elegantly designed slab serif that features a comprehensive range of weights and styles including five display weights, from the elegant Display Thin to the strong Display Titling; four text weights, running through Light, Book, Demi, and Bold—with accompanying italics; and a stencil style.

Other cool stuff

Neutraface Slab Blocks

I absolutely love wooden toys! These blocks help children understand the important nuances that define fine alphabets long before they learn how to spell cat, dog, mom or dad. This is a cute set of 12 Neutraface Slab alphabet blocks so darn pretty that you might not let the kids play with it, keeping the set for yourself. :)

Small Neutraface Slab Pillow

Wouldn’t mind resting my weary head on a Neutraface Slab-covered pillow after a hard day at the office. This type-patterned pillow reminds us that typography can provide visual and physical comfort. House has more cushions, t-shirts, and even a chair in their Furnishings section. Just remember that browsing there could mean adding more items to your wish list.

An overview of typography-related terms, adapted from Wikipedia.de (via The Smashing Book)

Neutraface Slab

House Industries’ Neutraface Slab is an elegantly designed slab serif that features a comprehensive range of weights and styles including five display weights, from the elegant Display Thin to the strong Display Titling; four text weights, running through Light, Book, Demi, and Bold—with accompanying italics; and a stencil style. Kai Bernau and Susana Carvalho are responsible for the design of Neutraface Slab and you can read about their process here.

Other cool stuff

Neutraface Slab Blocks

I absolutely love wooden toys! These blocks help children understand the important nuances that define fine alphabets long before they learn how to spell cat, dog, mom or dad. This is a cute set of 12 Neutraface Slab alphabet blocks so darn pretty that you might not let the kids play with it, keeping the set for yourself. :)

Small Neutraface Slab Pillow

Wouldn’t mind resting my weary head on a Neutraface Slab-covered pillow after a hard day at the office. This type-patterned pillow reminds us that typography can provide visual and physical comfort. House has more cushions, t-shirts, and even a chair in their Furnishings section. Just remember that browsing there could mean adding more items to your wish list.

An overview of typography-related terms, adapted from Wikipedia.de (via The Smashing Book)

Neutraface Slab

House Industries’ Neutraface Slab is an elegantly designed slab serif that features a comprehensive range of weights and styles including five display weights, from the elegant Display Thin to the strong Display Titling; four text weights, running through Light, Book, Demi, and Bold—with accompanying italics; and a stencil style. Kai Bernau and Susana Carvalho are responsible for the design of Neutraface Slab and you can read about their process here.

Other cool stuff

Neutraface Slab Blocks

I absolutely love wooden toys! These blocks help children understand the important nuances that define fine alphabets long before they learn how to spell cat, dog, mom or dad. This is a cute set of 12 Neutraface Slab alphabet blocks so darn pretty that you might not let the kids play with it, keeping the set for yourself. :)

Small Neutraface Slab Pillow

Wouldn’t mind resting my weary head on a Neutraface Slab-covered pillow after a hard day at the office. This type-patterned pillow reminds us that typography can provide visual and physical comfort. House has more cushions, t-shirts, and even a chair in their Furnishings section. Just remember that browsing there could mean adding more items to your wish list.

Colour Rain

According to the studio’s Profile page, they absolutely “ooze creativity, color, coffee, and all the other artistic clichés! Piles of
books, pencils, and paint brushes surround the Mac that hosts colourrain.com.” The design studio is run by Nicolas Fuhr. Below you’ll see some examples.

Some examples posters I personally like

Colour Rain

According to the studio’s Profile page, they absolutely “ooze creativity, color, coffee, and all the other artistic clichés! Piles of
books, pencils, and paint brushes surround the Mac that hosts colourrain.com.” The design studio is run by Nicolas Fuhr. Below you’ll see some examples.

Some examples posters I personally like

Colour Rain

According to the studio’s Profile page, they absolutely “ooze creativity, color, coffee, and all the other artistic clichés! Piles of
books, pencils, and paint brushes surround the Mac that hosts colourrain.com.” The design studio is run by Nicolas Fuhr. Below you’ll see some examples.

Some examples posters I personally like

Colour Rain

According to the studio’s Profile page, they absolutely “ooze creativity, color, coffee, and all the other artistic clichés! Piles of
books, pencils, and paint brushes surround the Mac that hosts colourrain.com.” The design studio is run by Nicolas Fuhr. Below you’ll see some examples.

Some examples posters I personally like