About

The interview

It’s a bleak winter day and across from me, in the sheltered warmth of a local café, sits Frederik Daamen behind a steaming mug of latte. Frederik is the creative director of Experius and the creative brain behind Mindspins. He talks enthusiastically, occasionally gesticulating broadly, about his passion and why he wanted to spread his wings as an independent entrepreneur. Since the late 1990s, he has been giving himself the time and space to give his clients all the attention they need.

“Most creativity does not allow itself to be directed and therefore does not allow itself to be placed in a time frame, that is very important to me.” 

Frederik is a down-to-earth Creative Director who is hands-on and learned the trade in the original crafts. Someone who counts as an early adopter of the most modern techniques, with original creativity that cannot be contained, and who looks for an appropriate application for that creativity. He is a true culture watcher and trend spotter with a broad interest. Whether it is architecture, industrial design, graphic design, or digital design. Anything with a visually appealing look and a powerful impact has his attentive interest.

Frederik greets a few acquaintances who come in, sits up straight, takes a deep breath, and then tries to put the process into words. The basis is free and unconstrained thinking, from a certain kind of raw genetic creativity. That’s where those ideas emerge that are unparalleled. If you try to force that, it almost never works. Then something gets “thought up” instead of “thought out” and that doesn’t work for me. And then in the second instance comes the structure. My work is characterized, by the Service Design methodology, often by cross-pollination between totally different disciplines in the work area. We have to be able to work together spontaneously and authentically and preferably not be bound by authority.”

The results of that process are so original and idiosyncratic that Frederik has quite an extensive honor list, with projects in art and culture, engineering, science, lifestyle, and more. To be appreciated by fellow professionals, “that’s the best compliment,” Frederik says. He beams when he talks about the interactions and cross-pollination between peers.

“The basis is free and unconstrained thinking, from a certain kind of raw genetic creativity. That’s where those ideas emerge that are unparalleled.”

How he prefers to work is quickly put into words. “In the most ideal situation, I am involved in the whole process from the beginning. Not only is that the most inspiring, but you can also empathize best with what will yield the best results for the client and the customer.” 

Frederik talks enthusiastically and with a broad smile on his face about that ideal involvement in a project. “To see a project being brought to life and to be involved from the very beginning in the emergence of the strategic and creative side of the process, is the ideal scenario for me. Nowadays, as a Creative Director, I am mainly involved in the overall picture, from start to finish, the way to the best end result. I know what the end product should be and work with people who only need half a word. A team of professionals and freelancers works under my responsibility, so you have to get a good feel for each other.”

While the coffee gives way to a freshly squeezed juice, Frederik continues, “What I like best are the cross-media projects. And then the ones where I can grow from the bottom up and where there is a real challenge. I just perform best when given the space for free creativity and exploring all possible variations.”

A creative, free, and original spirit that you shouldn’t want to tame for the best result. A unifier and coach, that is the Frederik Daamen I had the pleasure to get to know during this interview.

Original (Dutch) interview by Janet Kooren / PuntNet, previously published by EZmagazine.