papa
Papa was a studio founded in 2013 by the designer Jelle Koper.
The hague
Netherlands
Who is papa ? I started with papa in 2013 with Thomas Brouwer, a former classmate of the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. Before that, we already worked together on various projects, from designing shirts to organizing parties. We even started a club for folding bikes. In the end, we had to become a bit more serious because we wanted to make a living out of it. In the meantime, Thomas was learning to become a tattoo artist. Then, he became known as TROBBIES. I continued with papa collaborating with different artists, photographers and programmers. At the moment the studio is working hard on a new website which will be online in December this year.
How illustration takes place inside your design work ? It plays an important role. Depending on the assignment, I can often use it to make things a bit more playful or funny. My drawing style is quite childish or clumsy, this means that it needs a counterpart. For example, I like the combination of rough illustration and clean graphic design. It's good when it has a bit of tension. Another example is a silkscreened card with a friendly drawing of Tupac in bright colours, which claims 'keep ya head up'. It's keeping it real, but in a friendly way.
Do you think your work is connected to your locality ? I'm not sure if there's a visible link between my work and my locality, but definitely in the state of mind. I especially like the no-nonsense culture of the Dutch, and I think that is influencing my work as well. My graduation project 'Door NL' was about the Dutch culture as well, where I was exploring the country by train and folding bike. This was the reason why we started this club for this underestimated vehicle.
Do you feel you have still to learn in graphic design ? Sure, I feel that I'm just getting started. I'm still able to make mistakes, but I think I have gotten better in recognizing it. It's also important to have a group of people around you that can be critical about your work, but also inspire you to make it better. Interview conducted in November 2015 ©ktlg