In 2023, the BNO published both the forth editions of Dd Magazine and Dd Yearbook, with ‘Naturing’ as the central theme. This verb refers to ‘designing with and for nature’. At a time when the world is facing the negative consequences of climate change, geopolitical conflicts and rapid technological developments, designers are looking for solutions to create a better world. What if it is possible to rebuild a sustainable relationship with our planet instead of destroying it? How can designers contribute to a healthy balance between people, nature and technology?
Each publication highlights a different designer on the cover. Dd Magazine 3 showed ‘Botanical Bath’ by Joost Emmerik, from Have We Met? Humans and non-humans on common ground for the Dutch pavilion at the 23rd Triënnale di Milano, Italy, in 2022. The Yearbook ’23-’24 features Aleksandra Gaca’s ‘Architextiles’. Through these publications and community involvement, the BNO has become a brand for, with and made by Dutch designers.
The Professional Association of Dutch Designers (BNO) is the largest community of designers and design firms in the Netherlands. As part of their visual identity rebranding, we developed the Dutch Designers (Dd) platform to inspire, connect and celebrate Dutch designers. The Dd platform includes the annual publications Dd Magazine and Dd Yearbook. In Dd Magazine, we focus on design and essays around a theme, while the Yearbook reports on everything that happened that year in the field of Dutch design: from award winners to up-and-coming talent and student work. Both the design and content of these publications are based on an annually recurring, topical theme.