English

The largest organisation of professional designers in the Netherlands, the Association of Dutch Designers (BNO) unites more than 2,500 individual designers and 200 design agencies and corporate design departments, together more than 7,000 designers. BNO is committed to advancing the quality of the design profession and to promoting the economic, commercial, social and cultural interests of its member designers, agencies and design students.

Unity is strength

The history of BNO dates back to 1904, the year in which the first association for crafts and design was founded in the Netherlands. Out of the many split-ups, mergers and name changes that followed, the current BNO emerged 15 years ago. As a professional association, BNO is unique in serving as an umbrella organisation for every design discipline that exists in the Netherlands. Its members are active in communications design, product design, spatial design and interaction design, including all the specialisations within these fields such as brand design, corporate design, graphic design, illustration and infographics, industrial design, web design, animations, interior and retail design, environmental design, type-face design, styling, jewelry and accessories design, packaging design, retail design, textile design and conceptual crafts design. On the principle that unity is strength, BNO seeks to foster collaboration between design disciplines, to share inspiration and encourage convergence.

BNO... as a network

As the representative body of the design industry, BNO maintains a wide range of relationships with both private and public organisations. These include the Ministries of Economic Affairs, Education, Culture and Science, and the Agency for International Business and Cooperation, MKB Nederland (the association of small and medium-sized businesses), the Chambers of Commerce, and Syntens (an innovation network for entrepreneurs).

As part of its ongoing effort to ensure a healthy design climate in the Netherlands and abroad, BNO frequently teams up with trade and professional organisations, design institutes and sister associations. Internationally, BNO is member of the Bureau of European Designers Associations (BEDA), the European Illustrators Forum (EIF), and WCC, the World Crafts Council.

... as an event organiser

BNO regularly organises seminars and meetings relating to specific design disciplines. These are not only useful for designers to exchange information, but also worthwhile for design clients. BNO initiated NAGO (Dutch archive for graphic designers) and is involved in MOTI. BNO furthermore established the annual Via Milano exhibition (an overview of the best in Dutch interior design), the Infographics Jaarprijs (annual award), and is co-founder of the Nederlandse Design Prijzen (Dutch Design Awards). BNO is also partner in the European Design Management Awards.

... as a training institute

The BNO Academy is the term used to cover all the trainings, workshops and masterclasses that BNO organises for its members. Also for design clients, BNO occasionally organises sessions on various subjects.

... as a support desk

BNO Advice assists designers in their daily work activities. Their business and legal consultants are standby to help members deal with any practical problem they encounter. They also provide information and advice encountered by clients with design projects.

... as a publisher

BNO frequently issues publications. The special BNO yearbooks "Dutch Design series" provide an overview of its members and their work. For students and designers starting a business, there is the guidebook "Manual for Design Practice". In addition, BNO launched a new series of booklets for design clients in 2007, covering topics such as choosing a design agency, the briefing, the relationship between the client and the designer, and copyright.

... as a research institute

BNO's research activities focus particularly on the degree of result-orientation in all design disciplines, and on methods of quantification. This has resulted in the creation of the BNO DesignEffect measurement tool, which reveals the brand effects of communication design in facts and figures. In 2008, BNO also researched cases of commercial success in which the contribution of design was clearly demonstrated. The results were published in the booklet 'Best Practices'. BNO furthermore conducts an annual industry monitor to map the socio-economic position of designers in the Netherlands.

BNO Chairman Tom Dorresteijn: "BNO is a key player in the creative industry with an important mission: to show and prove to clients that design is a key competitive factor in business and that it effectively improves a company's marketing efforts and spending."

BNO Director Rob Huisman: "BNO is frequently acclaimed internationally, as an excellent example of a successful professional association: multidisciplinary, reputable, reliable, and vibrant. The Netherlands is one of the smallest countries in Europe, but is home to the largest professional association for designers!"

Contact

Association of
Dutch Designers

Danzigerkade 8a
1013 AP Amsterdam
The Netherlands
P.O. Box 20698
1001 NR Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T +31 (0)20 624 47 48
F +31 (0)20 627 85 85
E bno@bno.nl