ONE WEEK ABOUT Driving Dutch Design by curator Patrick Aarts Sen (BNO). Over the next few days, we show the Drivers of 2025, Marjolein Heije is one of them.
I’m a graphic designer and art director collaborating with creative brands, artists, and entrepreneurs in the fields of fashion, art, and lifestyle. I work across editorial design, visual identity, brand collateral, and campaign art direction, shaping thoughtful, visually driven work with clarity and intent.
My focus lies in creating balance, in storytelling, in color, in calm — bringing ideas to life through both print and digital design. I support clients with brand and editorial strategy, using a conceptual approach that encourages connection and experimentation. For me, collaboration is about more than the final result. I refine the process, nurture creative flow, and build meaningful relationships. Design is a way of seeing, questioning, and engaging, not just delivering.
Book design is one of my favorite disciplines, where content, form, and material collide to create something you can feel. Design books, art catalogues, and fashion magazines aren’t just references, they shape how I think, work, and see. Nature is a constant source of inspiration, from textures and structures to color and stillness. A personal series of mine begins with photography and evolves through intuitive, experimental editing — a quiet exploration and visual pause, inviting you to look closer.
Driving Dutch Design programme
After five years of freelancing and working independently from my studio, I felt a strong need to step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to reconnect with like-minded people, gain clarity on where I’m heading, and create a concrete plan for my goals. Driving Dutch Design came at exactly the right moment. The program motivated me deeply and gave me the tools to reflect, refocus, and move forward with intention. Most of all, the connections I’ve made feel truly meaningful, a valuable network that continues to inspire me.
Driving Dutch Design
Driving Dutch Design is the professionalisation and networking programme of the Dutch design sector that helps driven designers get started in the world of creative entrepreneurship. Besides Design your business and Design your identityfor startups, in 2025 there is also DDD Next Level for mid-career designers.
The organisation is in the hands of the BNO and the programme is supported by Stichting Stokroos and the Cultuurfonds, thanks in part to the Ahrend Fonds.
