From the moment I joined A Lab, Annelies clicked. After countless conversations about world events, we decided to sit down together and talk about Zeppa's contribution to shaping a better society through strategy and visual identity. Her background in activism and art is not only the essence of who she is as a person, but is also the driving force behind the agency's work. Curious about how Zeppa makes a difference? Explore our conversation below!
Hey Annelies! Let's talk about you. Where did you actually grow up?
I'm originally from a small village called Uitgeest in North Holland. As a child, I always had the dream of moving to Amsterdam. After high school, however, I participated in an exchange program that took me to the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States. There, I signed up for all kinds of subjects, from Russian to theater lessons and various art subjects.
Did that period inspire you to work in the field of visual identity, or did you always feel attracted to (graphic) design?
As the daughter of a visual artist mother, I've always felt a strong affinity for everything visual. As a VWO student, I was disappointed when my school canceled all art lessons from the third grade. That gave me the idea that I couldn't do anything creative with my diploma. When I went to the United States and worked with clay, paint and drawings, I realized what I had missed. I then decided to go to the Rietveld Academy, where I studied for a year. During this study, I came into contact with the squatting movement in Amsterdam, which led me to a more activist path. When I saw how much homework piled up, I realized that there were far more important things to worry about; I wanted to change the world.
What themes did you work hard for?
I was very involved in feminist issues, the fight for better living conditions, political prisoners, environmental conservation, the fight against fascism and AIDS. This entire activist network made me feel like I was part of a subculture. But at some point, I lost touch with that. Then I joined a collective offset printing company in a squatted building. Various graphic designers came to us for designs that they used for social issues. That's when I realized that I could combine my creative skills and use it for a noble cause. This is where I discovered my ability to turn complex messages into clear stories, both in terms of content and visual content. For example, I founded Studio Annelies Vlasblom, which later became Zeppa in 2015.
Your personal history is anchored in Zeppa. Your agency focuses on making a social impact through visual identity. Is it a requirement for you that projects contribute to society?
At Zeppa, we find it extremely important to speak up and be involved in topics that really matter. Of course, we also have more commercial customers, but in general, we prefer to be part of projects that mean something to the bigger picture.
Which projects have given you the most satisfaction?
We really enjoyed working with Superuse Studios, an architecture firm in Rotterdam, for which we designed and developed a completely new identity. It was a challenge to get all stakeholders on the same page, but we are extremely proud of the final result.
Another exciting project we've been working on is PalliSupport. This pilot project focuses on improving palliative care in various hospitals. It was a challenge to transform complex information into a friendly and understandable identity that appeals to everyone.
Last but not least, I am very proud of the work we did for the Women Power Fashion Campaign. This was a partnership between Mama Cash (an organization that supports women, girls, transgenders and intersex people fighting for their rights) and the Clean Clothes campaign (focused on improving working conditions in the global clothing industry). For this project, we worked a lot with spatial design. For example, we transformed a container in a shopping street in The Hague into a sweatshop.
