The Folks of Amsterdam is an independent interview magazine that shares in-depth stories of today's creative, daring and adventurous folks or Amsterdam. The online (and future offline) magazine is founded by Dorien Franken and is published together with British writer Siji Jabber and Dutch photographer Jerome de Lint.

Designtree / Dorien Franken created the brand that involved designing the identity, building the website, creating a tone of voice and setting up a social media plan. Dorien is also responsible for setting up The Folks Talks, a quarterly talkshow where the creative industry meets to share and learn. Dorien will work on seeking investors and developing the brand more. 

For questions, collaborations or more, please contact Dorien at dorien@thefolksmagazine.com

Visit The Folks Magazine or follow The Folks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. 

Credits
- Concept and idea by Designtree / Dorien Franken
- Logo and brand design by Designtree
- Website by Designtree
- Photography by Jerome de Lint
- Text editing by Siji Jabbar

Being develops sustainable real estate. In 2017 Designtree started to bit by bit redesign several communication items, such as their corporate brochure, press releases and announcements.

This invitation was made for an exclusive event at the EYE film museum. The design is focused on the relation to and with architecture. So instead of using an image for this invite, we illustrated the EYE building, giving it an architectual look and feel.  

Client: Being Development
Job: Identity design / illustration
Realisation: 2017

Haven't got time to go through the Designtree's website? No problem. Just download my portfolio and watch it anytime you like.  

Want to collaborate or just say hi? Please contact me. I'm happy to hear from you. 

Thank you,
Dorien Franken

 

Designtree was happy to create a newspaper for NN Investment Partners that wants to raise awareness for (gender) diversity on the workfloor. 

The initial request for a glossy magazine got turned into a newspaper instead, on Designtree's advice as the publication is distributed within NN Investment Partners worldwide, where a newspaper feels as the most logical media type.

Added Value features an interview with Petra Stienen (writer, politician, spokes woman), an inspiring story with hockey coach Max Caldas, it reveals facts & figures and has a column of Valentijn van Nieuwenhuijzen. 

Client: NN Investment Partners
Job: Concept & Art Direction
Pages: 20
Realisation: 2017

PLTS is a new sports concept in Amsterdam that offers high intensity (reformer) pilates and barre. Designtree was responsible for designing the total identity. Together with owner Renée Vervoorn we worked on defining the brand, setting up tools such as a brand manual to ensure the stability of the brand throughout all communication channels.  

Client: PLTS High Intensity Pilates & Barre
Job: Total Identity Design
Realisation: 2017

Moustag is a fully interactive luggage-tag. It is a lost and found solution plus a great way to keep an online record of your travels & map your luggage locations. Moustag asked Designtree to develop several designs. The designs will be available soon in the Moustag webshop.

Client: Moustag
Job: Luggage-tag design
Realisation: 2016

Papa, je snapt er ook helemaal niets van he? (Daddy, you really don't understand anything, do you!) is the second book I designed for writer Tim van der Vliet.  It's a fun book/guide for daddys. Tim wrote the book based on his own experience of being a dad of four children. Drawings by Studio Koosje. Published by Water. 

Client: Tim van der Vliet
Job: Book design and Art Direction
Realisation: 2016
 

Designtree worked on creating a set of 5 illustrated postcards about LOVE. All cards are printed on high quality 100% recycled Woodstock paper, 285 g/m². The LOVE postcards are available in various concept stores and in the Designtree shop.

Three of the drawings are also available as art via JUNIQE; the online shop that offers exciting and affortable art to everyone. Visit the artist page and have a look. 

Stores that sell our postcards:
- Hartje Oost
- La Maison de Sophie
- Niche Rotterdam
- Thuyskamer
- Juniqe

Job: Art LOVE Postcards
Size: 10 x 15 cm
Price: € 9,95 (consumer price)

Vive La Danse is a high end dance magazine that was created in honor of the 50th anniversary of Het Nationale Ballet (The Dutch Ballet). The first issue of Vive La Danse was handed out to Queen Beatrix at the gala evening.

Client: Sanoma Media / Het Nationale Ballet
Job: Magazine concept and Art Direction
Frequency: Once (30.000 copies)
Realisation: 2011
 

Prominent, a specialist in relax chairs, invited G+J Media to participate in a pitch for the redesign of their magazine. The assignment was to create a lifestyle magazine that would change people's opinion about orthopedic chairs. 

G+J Media invited me to create the concept. With that concept we won the pitch allowing us to create a first edition of the magazine, working with existing copy and photo's. In 2016 two new editions will be printed, designed by Designtree. 

Client: G+J Media Custom Content / Prominent
Job: Magazine concept and Art Direction
Frequency: Bi-annually
Copies: 60.000
Realisation: 2016

Twice a year, Amsterdam International Fashion Week forms the centre-point of the Dutch fashion industry. Guests are informed through Frontrow magazine about the schedule of catwalk shows, trade fairs, presentations, lectures and parties. Designtree was asked three times to create a concept and do the art direction. This issue was made in collaboration with Sanoma Media/Harriet Calo (Editor in Chief).

Client: Amsterdam Fashion Week
Job: Magazine concept and Art Direction
Frequency: Bi-annually (30.000 copies)
Realisation: 2011

Twice a year, Amsterdam International Fashion Week forms the centre-point of the Dutch fashion industry. Guests are informed through Frontrow magazine about the schedule of catwalk shows, trade fairs, presentations, lectures and parties. Designtree was asked three times to create a concept and do the art direction. This issue was made in collaboration with Sanoma Media/Hilmar Mulder (Editor in Chief). 

Client: Amsterdam Fashion Week
Job: Magazine concept and Art Direction
Frequency: Twice a year (30.000 copies)
Realisation: 2010
 

For years Designtree has been responsible for the design of Oxfam Novib's magazine Close Up that updates contributors about achieved goals, current campaigns, activities and more. Designtree works closely with Bindinc on this project. In 2015 Designtree was asked to redesign the magazine. Oxfam Novib had communicated that the current layout wasn't strong enough to inform their contributors the way they wanted. The approach should be more traditional, less conceptual.

As a result Designtree created a more traditional cover design, added four pages with new content, kept the existing layout of articles but adapted them to the new cover design.

Oxfam Novib Close Up magazine is handed out exclusively to contributors and appears three times a year. 

Client: Oxfam Novib / Bindinc
Job: Conceptdevelopement and Art Direction
Frequency: 3 times a year (200.000 copies)
Realisation: 2017

In 2009 Greenpeace International published a spoof edition of the International Herald Tribune to highlight environmental issues and draw attention to the Copenhagen climate change conference. 

Designtree was asked to design the newspaper. We rebuild the grid of the IHT and filled it with Greenpeace content, an exiting and challenging project.

Greenpeace printed 50,000 copies of the spoof, of which 35,000 were distributed in Brussels where European Union leaders were meeting. About 15,000 copies were distributed in 16 European countries plus Canada, China, India, Mexico, the United States and Brazil

Client: Greenpeace International
Job: Newspaper design
Frequency: Once (50.000 copies)
Realisation: 2009
 

To draw attention to, and raise funds for the cure of diabetes, Designtree developed a concept and logo for a special interest magazine called DON, which is short for 'Diabetes Onderzoek Nederland'. With it being a charity project with little to no budget, Designtree made it possible to work with A-list photographers, stylists and make-up artists by using it's network.

The magazine was launched on November 14th 2013 during World Diabetes Day. Famous Dutch designer Jan Taminiau exclusively designed a t-shirt for the magazine. 

Client: Stichting DON
Job: Magazine concept and logo design
Frequency: Once a year
Realisation: 2013
 

Poster design by Designtree inspired by our core business: creating ideas for printed media. 

For more information please contact me.

Spiritual Awakening (the easy way) is a small, fun gift book about the process in personal growth. Author Tim van der Vliet asked Designtree to come up with a complete design idea for the book. Due to a tight budget I decided to fill the book with stong and fun typography instead of photography which resulted in a black and white book that was received very positivitly in the book industry.

The book is available in The Netherlands, USA, UK, India, Australia, South Africa and via Amazon and Bol.com. In February 2013 the book was sold to UK publisher Hay House who will distribute the book worldwide. 

Client: Tim van der Vliet
Job: Book design and Art Direction
Published by: Hay House, Bruna
Realisation: 2010 

Dagblad De Pers; the first free quality newspaper in The Netherlands was launched in 2007. Designtree took care of the art direction during the first five months and was responsible for setting up a workflow, creating a workable grid and guiding the design team throughout the start up period. Designtree worked closely on this project with Cases i Associats, who designed the base grid for the newspaper.

In 2011 the newspaper closed its doors due to losses reated to the financial crisis. A re-birth of the paper was announced in February 2013 with the app DNP, but unfortunately also this initiative failed. 

Client: Dagblad De Pers
Job: Art Direction / implement design
Frequency: Daily (250.000 copies)
Realisation: 2006-2007
 

Designtree has been working with KWF Kankerbestrijding since 2010. In 2014 I redesigned Kracht: the free quarterly magazine of the Dutch Cancer Association (KWF Kankerbestrijding).

For the redesign I was asked to keep all corporate typefases, colors and elements which made the redesign challenging. The unisex magazine needed to be inviting for readers and yet stay in touch with the corporate values of KWF. To give the magazine an updated feel I created a new and modern grid, added one new typefase and selected a whole new pool of photographers and illustrators to work with. I also decided to only use one color: the corporate KWF red. The result is a fresh new magazine that is still true to the KWF brand.

Client: KWF Kankerbestrijding
Job: Redesign and Art Direction
Frequency: Quarterly (80.000 copies) 
Realisation: 2010-2016

Note: Kracht magazine stopped being published in 2016. 
 

In 2015 Designtree designed a set of 5 Holiday postcards to support refugees around the world. A gift that gives back, as all the money is donated to Stichting Vluchteling. 

The price of a set of 5 postcards is € 12,50. You can order them in the Designtree shop. All postcards are printed on beautiful Invercote paper 300 g/m². The postcards come without envelope.

Job: Holiday postcards
Size: 10 x 15 cm
Price: € 12,50 (consumer price)
Donation: 100% goes to Stichting Vluchteling.

Mas is a magazine concept created by Designtree. For more information about the project and or possibilities, please contact me.

To draw new and younger readers to Margriet, Designtree created a bi-montly magazine called Margriet More. Each issue has a different theme such as Happy Body, Happy World, Let's Party, Living, Kids and Out and About. Designtree came up with the title and developed the magazine concept and logo. The design, grid, styleguide and other elements that Designtree created are still being used today by the design team. And with great succes.

Client: Margriet More (Sanoma Media)
Job: Magazine concept and logo design
Frequency: Bi-monthly
Realisation: 2012
 

In preparation for the launch of the Dutch Grazia in 2008, Designtree was asked to come help build the grid, develop a color- and font pallete and style guide plus set up the workflow. I also guided the designteam during the first five months. 

I still work for Grazia on a regular base, whether it be filling in during holidays or working on special editions. 

Client: Sanoma Media / Grazia
Job: Chief of Design
Frequency: Weekly
 

A-ware Food Group is a service provider that specializes in the maturation, cutting, wrapping and selling cheese in climate-controlled conditions. Designtree was asked to come up with the design of Cheeseppetizer: a deluxe and delicious cheese cookie. 
Cheeseppetizers are available in all the large grocery stores in The Netherlands. 

Client: A-Ware Food
Job: Packaging design
Distribution: The Netherlands

Ontdek is a glossy magazine for all Ziggo TV EXTRA subscribers. Besides a complete tv guide, the magazine shows interesting stories and behind the scenes material. Designtree created the concept for the magazine. Ontdek is exclusively available for TV EXTRA subscribers of Ziggo.

Client: Ziggo (via Rhbm)
Job: Magazine concept and Art Direction
Realisation: 2013
 

Radar+ is the magazine that supports the tv-show Radar which is presented by Antoinette Hertsenberg. In 2012 Designtree was asked to take on the art direction. I redesigned several items, gave the magazine a new cover look and cleaned up its font library and color palette. 

Client: Radar+ (Tros)
Job: Art Direction
Frequency: Bi-montly