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My vision on Graphic Design
in a few key steps.

studio Asja Keeman designs and gives advice for stories that inspire, move you, and stay with you. I design for cultural institutions, organizations, and individuals.

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Strength in vulnerability

Much of Western culture associates vulnerability with negative reactions such as uncertainty, weakness or fear. I believe there's strength in being vulnerable – it allows us to be authentic, empathetic and helps open up questions about belonging, about contemporary narratives, and about active listening to help build communities.

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Experience beyond design

Like Dr Natalie Loveless, I believe that how we create is more important than what we create. I aim to generate knowledge through creatively collaborating with others working with issues like migration, displacement, collective trauma, inclusivity and women’s rights. I'm not a 'social designer', but I draw on several years of experience working with people from different cultures and communities, many of whom could be categorised as 'marginalised'. As the outsider, my job is to bond with, actively listen to, and validate the makers and allies I work with.

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Simple as super-power

Simple is not the same as easy – I ensure that my design and storytelling choices support the overall project and strengthen the subject without overpowering it. This means a dynamic balance between different design elements in the layout, clarity in often complex issues, and accessibility for a broad audience.

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Teamplayer to the fullest

Working together brings out the best in each project. My work focuses on connecting expertise and knowledge so that we can tell every story in the most effective way. Drawing on multiple sources from mine and my clients' networks helps us to successfully communicate the work and the lived experiences of, for example, the Dutch-Hindustani community in The Hague. Their story was told through four young Hindustani people who produced an immersive insight into what it means to belong to two very different cultures, both of which met at a pop-up exhibition in The Hague.

services

1.  Multimedia projects

Photography, video, sound, and text to convey a compelling digital experience.

2. Communication design

Reaching people by both print and electronic media through well-designed information. 

3.  Exhibition design

Conveying an engaging story through storytelling, objecten and environment.

4.  Publications and photobooks

Photography, text, paper, and print techniques to provide an intimate storytelling experience.

clients

Fotoacademie Amsterdam
studio Europa Maastricht
Alexa Vachon
Caroline Kist
Naïma El Kadi
Next Nature Network

NL
NL
CA
NL
BE
NL

BE
BE
BE
BE
NL
NL

AWE studio
Fomu Antwerpen
Are We Europe
Tipi Photo Bookshop
Thana Faroq
Humanity House

BE
NL
NL
NL

Disarming Design from Palestine
Palestinian Embassy The Netherlands
Killing Architects
Tobias Bijl

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