Tim Boelaars | Graphic Designer & Illustrator
The Netherlands, although small in size, is known for its design history, and today, the country still counts many talented artists, illustrators and graphic designers. Amsterdam-based
Tim Boelaars
is one of them. The independent graphic designer, illustrator and cofounder of
Concrete Matter
, specializes in icon, identity, logo, and packaging design, and has worked for a whole host of international clients including
The New York Times Magazine
, AirBnB, Ray-Ban,
Wired
, CreativeMornings and more. We visited his studio in the west of Amsterdam, a quiet space just off the busy De Clerqstraat. We talked about his work and plans for the future while drawn to 'cabinets of curiosities' that adorned the room, packed with enough to spark interest and please the eye.
Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Santpoort-Zuid, where I lived until I was around 16 before moving to Haarlem and finally, Amsterdam where I’ve lived for about 6 years. I guess everything started with my interest in illustration – something I developed quite young. It kind of happened in waves: I would be obsessed with drawing for a while and then my interest would fade away momentarily. My grandfather used to paint and draw as a hobby, and every Wednesday afternoon, he would sit me down to teach me how to draw, sketch and paint. This was all of course, nothing too serious, but something I loved doing and encouraged me to keep at it. In high school I got involved in graffiti; my notebooks looked like black books, and I would secretly draw on walls (laughs).
When did you start to focus on design?
I studied interactive media at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA), and focused more on concept and user-experience. That’s where I developed an interest for web design and started an internship at Bravoure, a web design company in Amsterdam. After a year, I started working there part-time, whilst I reached out to others and looked for design jobs on Marktplaats (the Dutch Craigslist). I was 19 at the time, and decided I wanted to do as much work as possible. I didn’t have any clients and was hungry to get better. It paid nearly nothing, and was often doing work for free – but it got me excited about design – which I think mattered most. Once I got more involved in design, I noticed progress in the work I was doing and jobs I got asked for. This progress and never being entirely satisfied with the work I’m creating, has kept me passionate about design. All this time later, I’m doing what I enjoy and am fortunate enough to work on it full-time.
How did it start getting serious?
In the beginning, I used Dribbble quite often – where I was lucky enough to get in at the very beginning. I’m not sure, but this must’ve been at least two or three years ago. I posted scraps and illustrations about once a week. I think this is where I picked up a few more serious jobs. I remember my first so to speak ‘big client’ was Wired UK. When they reached out to me and, I was really surprised and excited. They told me they had found me on Dribbble.
Would you say you have a specific style?
I’m unsure. A lot of people say I do, but I do feel I’ve grown into this ‘style’ quite instinctively. I tend to work a lot with geometric shapes and on a grid. Because of this, I think my work is quite simple and often somewhat symmetric. I like the idea of focusing on the absolute most basic shapes. I like the challenge of constraining myself and finally have some kind of constraint always. My sketches are often super rough, sometimes even non-existent. I wish I could tell you differently, but my roughs are rather ugly and very premature. These are often just to get some ideas on paper. Oftentimes I dive straight into illustrator to get my lines straight. I like the idea of sketching on paper, but in all honesty, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I sketch directly in Adobe Illustrator and work my way forward.
Can you tell us more about the shop, Concrete Matter?
Together with Tomas Huveneers and Jacob Garvelink, I co-founded Concrete Matter. Before Concrete Matter, I was working with Tomas setting up a design studio. He’d studied at the IVA, a business school in Driebergen, and wanted to do something creative so we set out to work together. After a while, we realized that we found it difficult to set up an entirely new brand/studio. I also always enjoyed the flexibility of being a freelancer and started having doubts about the commitment of setting up a studio. When Jacob came up to us, he told us about his plans to start an online store asked wanted us to develop its visual identity.
What happened next?
We were all very excited about it and decided to join forces to set up an online store together. After running the web shop for more than a year and a half, we realized that presenting the products online wasn’t doing them enough justice. We had dreams of opening a store-front in the city and when we were handed the unique opportunity to transform an old video rental shop on the Haarlemmerdijk into a new space for Concrete Matter, we went for it. For six intense weeks we completely renovated the place, and opened our doors back in August 2013. Until last December I was still involved with the branding, photography and marketing. I recently made the decision to completely focus on my own work again - as the store was demanding too much of my time. Therefore, I had no other choice than to quit my activities for the store entirely. I had thought about it for while, but decided my own work was too important to me. I told Jacob and Tomas and they responded very well. I’m very proud of what we achieved and am happy to still be involved in decisions and drop by for a visit every now and again.
You work for many international clients. Have you ever had the desire to move abroad?
I’ve actually talked about this a lot with my girlfriend and also with friends from the US. For instance, I’d considered San Francisco for a while. I lived there for a 4 months in 2007 and fell in love with the city. When I went back in 2013, I was amazed by how much the city had changed. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved it, but I did feel it had lost a good deal of its authenticity due to all the gentri>ication. It might just be that I didn’t notice it before, or because I was a bit more naive when I was younger. The noticeable difference between rich and poor, put me off somehow. I’ve also thought about New York, but I every time I visit, I’m not sure if I’m cut out to live in a city that big, rushed and overwhelming. I grew up in the forest and think I therefore love nature and sometimes need a bit of peace and quiet; somewhat hard to find in New York. And it’s an incredibly busy city. Berlin appeals to me too most, and I fantasize about living there from time to time. But then again, it’s super close and I really like Amsterdam. Maybe I’m just not adventurous enough. I also really value that I’ve got my family, friends, work and home here. And I’m not sure why I would trade that in right now.
Do you have favorite places in the city?
I like to find the city’s hidden gems. In the Jordaan, there is an Italian place called Basilico, run by four grumpy Italian women. It’s brilliant. At lunch you can get a big and delicious pasta dish served on a plastic plate, for just 13 Euros. I really like that, it’s so authentic and not at all ‘hip’. I also like Hugo’s on Hugo de Grootplein, which seems to be influenced by New York bars. They serve great food and cocktails. Another favourite restaurant of mine is, Hotel de Goudfazant. The space itself is gorgeous and the food is delicious.
What are your plans for the future?
My absolute, far-into-the-future dream is to brand and own beautiful little bar or restaurant in Amsterdam. I’d need a great manager to run the show, so I wouldn’t have to be there every night, but I think it would fantastic to set something up like that. On a shorter term, I would love to design the visual identity of a beer or whiskey brand. Logo, packaging – the whole lot, but I think that’s the cliche dream of many male designers!