Industrial Design & Creative Direction
We are a Dutch-Canadian duo with decades of experience in industrial design and creative direction.
Behind the scenes we worked individually for many brands and consultancies over the years. In 2019 we combined our strengths to form a small but fine design agency. We focus on creating smart solutions, cutting-edge aesthetics and heightened emotional connection in products/objects.
A solid foundation in industrial design, engineering and art
Our background is rooted in industrial design, aeronautical and mechanical engineering and art academy. With this foundation we offer outstanding looking, user-friendly designs that are engineered in the most elegant and efficient way. We work in a hands-on, agile way to tackle creative challenges, solve problems and effectively bring your ideas to life. There is a lot of synergy in how we work, technically and personally. Nothing makes us happier than to collaborate with clients who are as passionate as we are to go for the best.
Experienced designer eyes
Successful brands are built on legendary products. Whether it’s the iPhone or the Kikkoman bottle, they are the result of a design and development process where all stakeholders – marketing, branding, engineering, supply, design and others – have gone to their max.
Our broad experience and deep knowledge in diverse product categories, enable us to skillfully navigate this process. From first idea through to point of sale presentation, we turn ideas and propositions into successful objects of desire.
Therefore we can support you at different points in this process. From advice and research to full-on projects, from sketch to final design.
Cutting edge technology
We are also front-runners in using today’s powerful computing technology to explore new aesthetic frontiers in product design with traditional design tools, generative design and AI. Examples of this are the creatures project, Kromm watches and the energy cuff.
Hanno Groen
Hanno’s career spans from the space industry to motorcycle- and jewellery design, as both designer and creative director. Hanno is a hands-on designer and high-tech craftsman with a deep understanding of both the design process and the emotional relationship between people, brands and products.
Hanno has a unique combination of degrees in both aeronautical engineering and summa cum laude Industrial design at the Royal College of Art in The Hague.
He started his professional career working at Flex Design. Next he was invited to join GK Europe, the European branch of GK Japan. GK Design Group is one of the biggest design studios in the world, founded by Kenji Ekuan. At GK he worked for many international brands including Yamaha Motor.
After he left GK he continued as an independent designer and creative director. He worked for a wide range of brands such as Heineken, Mattel and many others.
Pioneer in generative design
During the last decade Hanno has been pioneering in using advanced 4th Industrial Revolution design tools. For example generative design, AI and mass-customization, in addition to conventional design tools. Together with Joanna exploring new frontiers in design.
Hanno’s hybrid background and hands-on mentality makes him the kind of designer who can put his mind to designing just about anything. From motorcycles to jewellery and watches, anywhere beauty and technique come together.
Besides working as a designer/creative director, Hanno is also a semi-professional photographer. His photography work can be found here.
Joanna Boothman
Joanna is an experienced, versatile designer. She is skilled at designing and styling ‘hard’ products like the Dutch Letterbox, as well as designing and developing ‘soft’ goods. Joanna is especially adept at exploring and working with the latest sustainable materials and techniques. She uses this to create new form language and aesthetic expression for products and brands.
Joanna studied at Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design in Ottawa, Canada. The school was founded by the renowned, pioneering Dutch Designer Wim Gilles.
Versatile industrial designer with high distinction
After graduating as an Industrial Designer with high distinction, Joanna started out her career working at Flex design in Delft. This is where she first met Hanno Groen. In 1994 she went to live in Cape Town, South Africa. There she worked as in-house designer for Alplas Plastics. During this period she learned hands-on about the plastic injection molding process from design through to tooling and manufacturing.
In 1995 Joanna returned to the Netherlands and began her career at npk design. Npk is one of the Netherland’s most long-standing and prestigious design consultancies. At this agency she became a senior designer and worked on bespoke projects. Her work includes the design of the Dutch national letter box, street furniture for the City of Rotterdam (‘Rotterdamse stijl’), as designs for numerous consumer and profession products.
In 2010 Joanna went solo as Joanna Boothman Design and worked on various design and creative direction projects for established companies like Asics & Geesa. She combined this with work for lesser-known brands; transforming new product propositions into concrete products.
During this time she began working together with Hanno when their professional paths crossed again at the Kromm Watch company in 2016.
An intense and synergetic design collaboration together, lead to Hanno and Joanna joining forces as Groen & Boothman in 2019. Together, exploring new design frontiers and creating products with soul where aesthetics, emotion and technology come together.
Hanno Groen
Hanno’s career spans from the space industry to motorcycle- and jewellery design, as both designer and creative director. Hanno is a hands-on designer and high-tech craftsman with a deep understanding of both the design process and the emotional relationship between people, brands and products.
Hanno has a unique combination of degrees in both aeronautical engineering and summa cum laude Industrial design at the Royal College of Art in The Hague.
He started his professional career working at Flex Design. Next he was invited to join GK Europe, the European branch of GK Japan. GK Design Group is one of the biggest design studios in the world, founded by Kenji Ekuan. At GK he worked for many international brands including Yamaha Motor.
After he left GK he continued as an independent designer and creative director. He worked for a wide range of brands such as Heineken, Mattel and many others.
Pioneer in generative design
During the last decade Hanno has been pioneering in using advanced 4th Industrial Revolution design tools. For example generative design, AI and mass-customization, in addition to conventional design tools. Together with Joanna exploring new frontiers in design.
Hanno’s hybrid background and hands-on mentality makes him the kind of designer who can put his mind to designing just about anything. From motorcycles to jewellery and watches, anywhere beauty and technique come together.
Besides working as a designer/creative director, Hanno is also a semi-professional photographer. His photography work can be found here.
Joanna Boothman
Joanna is an experienced, versatile designer; skilled at designing and styling ‘hard’ products like the Dutch Letterbox, as well as designing and developing ‘soft’ goods. She is especially adept at exploring and working with the latest sustainable materials and techniques to create new form language and aesthetic expression for products and brands.
Joanna studied at Carleton University’s School of Industrial Design, in Ottawa, Canada. The school was founded by the renowned, pioneering Dutch Designer Wim Gilles.
Versatile industrial designer with high distinction
After graduating as an Industrial Designer with high distinction, Joanna started out her career working at Flex design in Delft. This is where she first met Hanno Groen. In 1994 she went to live in Cape Town, South Africa. There she worked as in-house designer for Alplas Plastics. During this period she learned hands-on about the plastic injection molding process from design through to tooling and manufacturing.
In 1995 Joanna returned to the Netherlands and began her career at npk design. Npk is one of the Netherland’s most long-standing and prestigious design consultancies. At this agency she became a senior designer and worked on bespoke projects. Her work includes the design of the Dutch national letter box, street furniture for the City of Rotterdam (‘Rotterdamse stijl’), as designs for numerous consumer and profession products.
In 2010 Joanna went solo as Joanna Boothman Design and worked on various design and creative direction projects for established companies like Asics & Geesa. She combined this with work for lesser-known brands; transforming new product propositions into concrete products.
During this time she began working together with Hanno when their professional paths crossed again at the Kromm Watch company in 2016.
An intense and synergetic design collaboration together, lead to Hanno and Joanna joining forces as Groen & Boothman in 2019. Together, exploring new design frontiers and creating products with soul where aesthetics, emotion and technology come together.
Interested in our services? Or maybe you have a project coming up where you can use our experience and expertise? Then feel free to contact us. We are happy to answer any questions you may have.
