1978

• December 24, 1978
• Born #

Kapellen, Antwerp, Belgium. Born to Hans and Veerle on a cold winter’s night.

1994

• September
• School #

I am nothing if not a stubborn student, and youthful impulsivity makes me leave school. I need to learn a trade …

1997

• July
• The summer of ’97 #

The summer of ’97 unexpectedly leads me to South Africa where I’m destined to follow in my father’s footsteps as proprietor to his industrial air cooling companies …

• August
• My first design job #

I convince the owner of R & B Paving, a local masonry, to go half-price on our new driveway in return for a new logo, brochure and website …

1998

• August
• Before viral #

While studying, I befriend Brendan Scanlen, an event promoter in his spare time. Being house music fans, we hit it off instantly and as Brendan goes on to organise events nationwide, I help him get the word out …

2000

• March
• An abrupt end #

My life in South Africa comes to an abrupt end and I’m forced to leave the country (and with it, my trusty Austin and Morris.)I return to Belgium …

• May
• Accepting a new course #

Accepting this new course, I start employment at Kleur & Beeld, a midsized design agency in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands …

• August
• san630 #

I launch san630, a design weblog …

2001

• April
• Confronted with loss #

My employer merges with a larger group. It’s a hard time with an unexpected increase of red tape. “Innovation culture” has yet to be invented but I find myself confronted with its sudden loss.

2002

• January
• Being brazen #

Being brazen (and unfulfilled as an employee), I set out to become independent by starting my first company; the curiously named Alles Past (or ‘Everything Fits’.) …

• October
• E.D.&A. #

I take up work for electronic controller manufacturer E.D.&A …

2003

• May
• hmmhmm #

I launch humhum, a bulletin board for (European) creatives …

2006

• April
• A learning school #

Around this time, I release Lilisto, a personal bookmark manager. It’s pretty innovative from the go, offering new concepts such as dynamic categorization, advanced sorting and auto-suggesting similar favourite links. I’m in a position to iterate fast and the service booms, growing to more than 250.000 active users in a few years (who collectively manage over a …

2009

• January
• Founding LogoDebut #

Moving away from Alles Past, I found LogoDebut in 2009. At the time, I feel Alles Past as an agency is too traditional in its structure (having learned it so) and come to believe clients prefer more options …

2013

• October
• OCTO, an all-time favourite #

My local watering hole at this time, OCTO in Antwerp, is in dire need of ‘branding’ …

2015

• May
• Ideology as a basis for aesthetics #

I help co-founders Sandra Aerts and Nico Huybrechts with naming and branding their big data start-up …

• July
• A testament to being hands-on #

The Vlaams Huurdersplatform (VHP) is a tenant interest group which combines and supports the Huurdersbonden (the Flemish tenants’ associations) and VIVAS, the network for social tenants. To create and promote unity, I am requested to rebrand the group as a whole and develop an all-encompassing brand system …

• November
• Joining forces as Parlay #

I’m invited to create a brand design and strategy for Life Expert Centre, a highly specialised medical center in Leuven, Belgium …

2016

• September
• Two Fold Square #

The late summer of 2016 finds me amidst silk fabric samples and hexagonal patterns. Having always been somewhat of a dandy, I adopted wearing (and appreciating) those ‘colourful handkerchiefs, folded and tucked playfully inside a jacket’s pocket’ soon in life. So much, it eventually inspires me to found Two Fold Square, a brand of pocket …

2017

• May
• A huge turning point #

Longstanding client Simbolo—a maritime consortium I’ve worked with since 2000—requests a next-gen Track & Trace application for one of their companies …

• June
• From launch to market #

I’m hired by Antwerp based pharma start-up HEW to create Tinge, a natural cosmetics brand and rapidly push their launch to market …

2018

• January
• Growth #

2018 is an exciting year. Two Fold Square is gaining traction, and LogoDebut is growing. Life is smooth …