Who am I
I'm Vanderheeren Thomas. I'm 24 years old, full of energy and passionate about design. Besides designing, I enjoy sports and exercise. I have had a lot of hobbies like football, tennis, cross country, rowing and many others. Rowing is my latest passion alongside designing. I have been a student rower for 3 years and a rowing coach for 2 years now. I know what it's like to be part of a team and also what it's like to lead one. I love being part of a fun and dynamic team, but I can also appreciate some alone time.
Who am I as a designer
When I started my design journey, I prioritized function over form. The product just had to work and the more functions the better. As I grew I started to care more about the shape, colour, material and emotion behind the products. For the number of functions, I now adapt the philosophy, less is more.
At this moment, I still think that function prioritizes over form, but the two are much closer than before. The shape and functions should elevate each other to make it one cohesive product and more functions should only be implemented if they improve the overall design.
Design Language
I love to work with different kinds of styles and keep exploring more as I go along. The style that I am drawn towards the most would be minimalism, but not the boring kind.
My view on minimalism is influenced by Japanese culture like Wabi Sabi, the tranquillity of Zen gardens, Bonsai trees and Nature itself. These are things I want to incorporate into my products. I think it’s a shame that design trends go in and out of fashion. That’s why I aim to design timeless products.
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“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” – Massimo Vignelli