PROOF OF GENIUS #07 — HOSPITALITY
When a City Becomes Your Canvas
Is Leiden his canvas?
Beau Artist laughs at the question. Neither he nor his girlfriend has a driver’s license. With two kids, a lot of their life happens on the cargo bike. As a result, a significant part of his world unfolds within the city. Maybe he should have spent a year in New York first, he says. But why, exactly? In his view, Leiden deserves just as much diversity in places, people, and experiences.
Beau is now involved with four restaurants and bars in Leiden. Not four versions of the same successful concept. On the contrary. Every place has to be different, because every environment is different. Copy-paste is out of the question right now. As the conversation progresses, it slowly becomes clear that Beau might not be designing hospitality businesses at all. He’s building environments where people can feel at home.
PROOF OF GENIUS #06 — CRAFTSMANSHIP
When Your Hands Take Over
Anyone who refers to Lois Vlasblom solely as a plasterer is missing half the story. He restores ornamental ceilings dating back to the seventeenth century, reconstructs the techniques of artisans who worked centuries ago, designs new decorative work, and trains new masters. It takes nine years before you can truly call yourself a master plasterer. Lois knows why. In his studio in Zevenhuizen, it’s not just about plaster, lime, and tools, but about something much harder to pass on: the moment when knowledge leaves your head and settles into your hands.
PROOF OF GENIUS #05 — CRAFT and the Courage to Create
PROOF OF GENIUS #04 — UX & RESEARCH Design Starts with Understanding
Peter van de Geer demonstrates that good design doesn't start with pixels or prototypes, but with research. Through curiosity, critical questions, and strong ethical convictions, he develops digital solutions that are not only user-friendly but also responsible.
PROOF OF GENIUS #03 — INCLUSION A museum you can feel and hear
Valentijn van Harn (CMD, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences) designed sensory interactions for people who are blind or visually impaired, tested his prototypes with users at a museum — and saw his project selected for the Golden Dot Awards.
PROOF OF GENIUS #02 — DIGITAL SOCIETY Technology that supports people rather than controlling them
Tyneisha van Veltum won the Golden Dot Award for her graduation project on our digital identity and an approach that prioritizes people over technology.
PROOF OF GENIUS #01 — SOCIETY A few seconds that break through online hate
Lucid doesn't block anything or punish anyone—it simply builds in a moment of delay. Just enough to break an impulse. It earned Lanxiang Vermeulen a Golden Dot Award.