Everybody is a designer! But why? Why do we color, organize, and form the world around us – and why do we call that a profession?

In this book, thonik, the Amsterdam-based studio led by lauded designers Nikki Gonnissen and Thomas Widdershoven, researches eleven personal reasons why they design – from the need to create impact to a constant search for independence; from the benefits of systems to the urgency of play. Additionally Why We Design looks back on twenty-five years of design practice and speculates on the future of graphic design.

thonik was founded in 1993 and specializes in visual communication, graphic identity, interaction, and motion design. To the studio it is important to create work that sets apart and differentiates, work that sparks discussions and initiates change – one design at a time.

With contributions by Aaron Betsky, Adrian Shaughnessy, Gert Staal, Nikki Gonnissen, Thomas Widdershoven.

Everybody is a designer! But why? Why do we color, organize, and form the world around us – and why do we call that a profession?

In this book, thonik, the Amsterdam-based studio led by lauded designers Nikki Gonnissen and Thomas Widdershoven, researches eleven personal reasons why they design – from the need to create impact to a constant search for independence; from the benefits of systems to the urgency of play. Additionally Why We Design looks back on twenty-five years of design practice and speculates on the future of graphic design.

thonik was founded in 1993 and specializes in visual communication, graphic identity, interaction, and motion design. To the studio it is important to create work that sets apart and differentiates, work that sparks discussions and initiates change – one design at a time.

With contributions by Aaron Betsky, Adrian Shaughnessy, Gert Staal, Nikki Gonnissen, Thomas Widdershoven.