De Praktijk Studio

Develop your practice. Strengthen the meaning of your work.

Your work is developing. But is the practice around it developing just as consciously?

De Praktijk Studio is a development programme for contemporary artists and product designers who want to build a strong, distinctive and sustainable practice. Many makers feel that the quality and potential of their work are not yet fully reflected in how their practice is presented, understood and valued. Not because the work itself falls short, but because a strong practice requires more than good work alone.

De Praktijk Studio helps you make visible what is already present in your practice. We explore the underlying logic of your work and translate it into a clear practice identity, positioning, context, representation and communication. This creates greater clarity, coherence and direction — enabling you to make more deliberate choices about the further development of your practice.

Apply for De Praktijk Studio ->

Discover what is already present in your practice
A maker’s practice often develops over many years through making, exploring and experimenting. Along the way, recurring fascinations, choices, ways of working and ideas emerge that together shape the distinctiveness of the practice. You know your work and your practice better than anyone. In De Praktijk Studio, we add a different perspective: we look at the practice as a whole, recognise patterns and explore the underlying logic that connects its different elements.

That is why we do not begin with the question of how you want to be seen, but with the question: What logic does your practice generate again and again?
Through conversation, reflection, analysis and close attention to your work, we make that logic more explicit and translate it into direction for the further development of your practice. We do not create a new identity for your practice. We make visible what is already there and give it greater coherence and direction.

From insight to practice
De Praktijk Studio consists of two consecutive phases.
In Phase 1, we develop your Makers Brand Guide: this is not a traditional branding document, it is the strategic foundation for the further development of your practice.
In Phase 2, if you wish, you can continue working with Dutch Luxury Design on implementation and further practice development.

Phase 1 – Developing your Makers Brand Guide
The first phase takes approximately eight weeks. During this personal programme, we explore the underlying logic of your practice step by step.

We look at your work, the way you work, recurring fascinations and choices, and the context in which your practice develops. Not to invent a new identity or a new story, but to make visible and explicit what has already developed within your practice over time.

Each session builds on the previous one. Gradually, this creates a clearer understanding of your practice and a well-founded direction for its further development.

From practice to presentation
De Praktijk Studio is not a traditional branding or marketing programme. We do not develop a positioning or communication strategy first and then apply it to your work.
We work in a different order:

1. Practice Diagnosis
   What do we see in your work and practice?
2. Practice Identity
   What makes your practice your own?
3. Positioning
   Where does your practice stand within its relevant field?
4. Practice Context
   Where does your practice gain meaning, who is it relevant to, and where can its value develop?
5. Representation
   Which works and which story represent your practice most strongly?
6. Communication
   How do we translate the practice consistently to the outside world?

These elements are not developed separately. They are different translations of the same underlying practice.

The Makers Brand Guide
The results of the development process come together in your Makers Brand Guide. It forms the strategic foundation for the further development of your practice. The Makers Brand Guide includes, among other things:

• practice identity, brand essence and design philosophy
• positioning
• practice context, audience profiles and relevant relationships
• value and pricing logic
• core portfolio and practice story
• communication- & content Strategy.

It is not a document designed for you. It is a foundation developed from within your practice.

The result – Phase 1
The result is your Makers Brand Guide: a practical and strategic document that brings together the key outcomes of the development process. The Makers Brand Guide is the record of that process and provides direction for future choices, representation, communication and further practice development.

At least as valuable as the Makers Brand Guide itself is the development process. Through conversation, reflection, analysis and strategic exploration, you have the opportunity to look at your work and practice from a different perspective, explore connections and make more informed choices about where you want to take your practice.

The Makers brand Guide therefore gives you not only a coherent understanding of where your practice stands, but also a well-founded basis from which to continue developing it independently. The result is a practice that not only reflects the quality of your work, but also supports and strengthens it.

The decision point
Once your Makers Brand Guide is complete, Phase 1 is fully concluded. You have a solid foundation from which to continue developing your practice independently. If you would like further support with implementation or development, you can continue working with Dutch Luxury Design. Both options are entirely valid.
Together, we determine which next step best fits your practice, ambitions and way of working.

Phase 2 – Implementation & further practice development
Phase 2 is optional and tailored to your practice and development goals. Depending on your needs, we may work on:

• implementing the communication- & content strategy
• further developing your positioning and communication
• presentation and visibility
• exhibitions, collaborations and professional opportunities
• periodic evaluation and strategic refinement.

Duration and investment: by agreement.

What you gain
After completing the programme, you will have a practice that is more clearly organised, more clearly positioned and better prepared for further development. You will develop, among other things:

• clear and distinctive positioning
• greater coherence between your work, portfolio and presentation
• greater structure, focus and direction within your practice
• a clearer understanding of the meaning and value of your work
• consistent presentation and communication
• stronger connections with collectors, clients, galleries and other relevant professional contexts
• a solid foundation for continued professional and economic development.

How we work
De Praktijk Studio is a personal development programme. Every practice is different and requires its own approach.
We work individually through:

• one-to-one online sessions
• analysis and strategic feedback
• conversations about direction, choices and development
• reflection on your work and practice
• the collaborative development of your Makers Brand Guide.

You bring your work, experience, reflection and choices. We bring analysis, structure, depth and coherence.
Always with one goal: greater clarity, coherence and direction in your practice.

Who is it for?
De Praktijk Studio is for contemporary artists and product designers who:

• want to consciously develop their practice
• feel that more of the potential of their work could be made visible
• are looking for greater focus, coherence and direction
• want to better understand what their practice stands for
• want to present and position their work more effectively
• are willing to look critically at their own practice
• want to build a sustainable professional practice.

Selection & participation
De Praktijk Studio is a personal development programme. To ensure sufficient space for individual guidance, we work with a limited number of makers each year. Participation begins with an intake conversation. We discuss your work, your practice, your development questions and ambitions, and explore whether De Praktijk Studio is the right fit for you at this stage.

Apply for De Praktijk Studio →

Dutch Luxury Design
Strong work deserves a strong practice.