Hansje van Halem balances between typography and optical illusion

Date
24 November 2014

It’s tricky to implement the intricate tricks of an optical illusion in a book cover design without the finished product appearing slightly heavy-handed, but designer Hansje van Halem does it with poise and perfectionism. She’s worked as a freelance graphic designer since graduating from Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietvield Academie in 2003 (as her About section explains) and her enjoyment of what others might find to be repetitive shines through in the illusory patterns in her portfolio.

Embracing curved lines and contrasting colours as openly as she does perpendicular lines and psychedelic colour palettes, Hansje works both digitally and by hand to create her designs, even creating a book containing over a decade’s worth of sketches, structures, letters and rejected ideas in the process. Her work is impressive in its continuity, unconcerned about following a well-established path where others might chase the new, and for that we can’t help but praise her. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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Hansje van Halem: Galerie Block C, poster for Nadine Stijns

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Hansje van Halem: Galerie Block C, poster for Ada Duker

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Hansje van Halem: Galerie Block C poster

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Hansje van Halem: Galerie Block C, poster for Johan Rumpt

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Hansje van Halem: From solo exhibition “Applied and Autonomous” at Piet Hein Eek gallery

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Hansje van Halem: Galerie Block C, poster for Dineke Oosting

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Hansje van Halem: Droit de citation, exhibition of old posters, Chaumont

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Hansje van Halem: What is Lost Can Be Found

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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