Douwe Schilstra: “I am more than a maker of beautiful things”
You put the key in the lock of your front door. When you step onto the floor of the hall, you see a stack of letters on the doormat from the corner of your eye. One by one you open the letters. You see a lot of bold letters. Numbers. It could be a date, a quantity or an amount. The letters are written in Dutch, but it might as well have been gibberish. With a sigh you throw the letters in a box, with the rest of the old paper.
Unfortunately, there are many Dutch people who have trouble reading. By the way, have you ever read a letter from a minister? Policy documents are tough stuff even for bookworms. Can't that really be done differently?
“Yes, that can be done differently!” says CMD alumnus Douwe Schilstra (1997). “I work as a visual storyteller at Klare Koek. It is our mission to convey information in such a way that it is accessible to everyone”. Douwe knew quickly during his studies that he wanted to contribute something to society. “At CMD it goes further than making beautiful things. It revolves around making things that work. Only then have you really made something beautiful”.
Making the world more fun, simpler and accessible: that is Klare Koek
Jorrit and Mark from Klare Koek gave a workshop on making infographics, at the minor Frisian Design Factory. “I was so enthusiastic that I asked them if they had a graduation assignment for me,” says Douwe. They certainly did: Talents Without Borders (Talenten Zonder Grenzen). A project that helps status holders to find a job in healthcare. “When I started my graduation project, there was only an idea. And a partnership in The Hague for the implementation.”
Full of enthusiasm, Douwe went to work. “If there is one thing I learned at CMD, it is that you have to test. Test, test and test again. This prevents you from discovering at too late a stage of your project that your brilliant solution to a problem turns out not to be so brilliant after all. I also applied this to my graduation project at Klare Koek. I started with research and deepening into my target group, after that I made a prototype as quickly as possible. I tested that prototype at different times with different people, this way you work iteratively on a solution that really catches on with the target group.”
The design journey of Douwe
“I want everyone to be able to participate”
Douwe's graduation project not only earned him a diploma: the game he developed is also still being used. The Talents Without Borders game helps the players with, among other things, creating a CV and preparing for a job interview. “I think it is important that everyone can participate in society, everyone wants to participate,” says Douwe. “For this project I spoke with many status holders, that made a big impression on me. You hear the stories about where they come from, about why they are here. Of course I have seen these people walking on the street before, but I had no idea of the stories of these people. What struck me is that everyone I spoke to is working very hard to participate in society. I think it is really cool that I was able to contribute to this.”
The dream student
We are of course very happy to share success stories of our students, but the whole story. Did everything always go smoothly for Douwe during his studies? “Certainly not! When I started in the propaedeutic phase, I thought I would be done learning when I got my diploma. I now know that you are never done learning. I barely passed the first year. A teacher cautiously suggested that this might not be the study for me. At that moment a switch flipped, after the summer I started working at the minor Branding, Advertising & Design and I passed my credits amply. That really gave me a boost. 'See, I can do it!' I thought to myself.” Douwe laughs: “Yes, apparently I did something right. I now work four days a week at Klare Koek. I really enjoy it there. It is my job to convey information as a designer. That this goes further than a beautiful design, my graduation project is living proof of that.”
It can also be done like this
You fish your keys out of your pocket. When you swing the door open, you see an envelope on the doormat. You open the envelope. You see at a glance what the intention is: it is time to pass on your water meter reading. You open the door of the meter cupboard and immediately take a photo of the water meter. With a smile you throw the letter in a box, with the rest of the old paper.
Douwe Schilstra
Lives in Leeuwarden, with his girlfriend Dannee and Fat Louie (his cat). When he is not working at Klare Koek, he likes to be busy with music. For example in the band where he is the drummer.