Ronny Wieckardt

I'm a designer of digital stuff.

I think that good interactive design should not get in the way of a users flow, is transparent, can stand on its own and serves its purpose. Like the old pay-off from PHILIPS i strongly believe in Sense and Simplicity.

10 questions for Ronny Wieckardt:

• What did you do before becoming a designer?

  Actually not much. I studied Multimedia Design when I was 16. Then I did a followup study called Communication & Multimedia Design and I got my Bachelor as Interactive & Visual Interface Designer.

• Where do you turn for inspiration?

  When I started doing design I used to get my inspiration from all kinds of crazy magazines and graphical stuff. Also from paintings and pieces of art. Then the internet came along and I found myself getting more and more inspired by the people I met online and their weird flash experiments.

• Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?

  I don't really have a favorite design agency. I enjoy good work from all agencies. Currently I'm really digging the work of yourmajesty.co

• Is your city a good place for designers?

  Yes there is an up and coming creative scene. Everybody always thinks of Amsterdam when visiting the Netherlands. But Rotterdam (where I live) is getting noticed more and more. One of the studios I am really excited about in Rotterdam is fromform.nl/

• Which technologies are you excited about in 2015?

  Sketch, Swift & CSS animation ow yeah and flexbox!

• Do you listen to music while you work? Describe your playlist.

  Yes, mostly I listen to mixtapes of Los Bangeles , LeFtO and Brooklyn Radio

• What are you cultural influences? (Music, books, films, ideologies, etc.)

  See question one ;-)

• Have you got an academic background or are you self taught?

  Yes and no. I have a bachelor degree in Media Technology, but other than that everything is else is self taught. Well maybe that’s the wrong word because I also learn a lot from the people I work with.

• What do you do in your free time?

  I'm a dad, I love to be old-fashioned about things, I play volleyball, watch a shitload of movies & series and hang out with my friends IRL.

• Where do you see the industry in 5 years?

  I hope people will come to their senses and realize that not everything has to be done, simply because it's possible. Some things are better left undone. Also I hope we will come up with better standards. How lame is it that every phone, tablet, laptop or screen has different dimensions and resolutions. What's the point? It's like having 1000 kinds of toilet paper. C'mon people it's just paper to wipe your ass with! 3 types of 1 brand will be sufficient!

• Are you working on any personal projects?

  Yep, Multiple. Currently I've 2 fun little app-ideas. I'm trying to start a small new design studio and I work on this magazine called Los Bangeles Where I'm very proud to have interviewed some awesome creative people.

• If you could give one piece of advice to newbie designers, what would it be?

  If you're developing for the internet. First find out how the internet works. That doesn't mean you need to know the entire web history. But if you have a basic understanding of the underlying technology. You can make better decisions and build/design better products.