Portfolio_2025_Gertjan_Coppens by Gertjan Coppens

Hi, I’m Gertjan Coppens

And I transform creative ideas into impactful solutions

About

As a Product Designer I create innovative solutions that seamlessly blend aesthetics, interaction, and experience. My goal is to create impactful and relevant designs that solve real problems for people.

For me, design is more than just shaping a product’s appearance—it’s about creating a cohesive vision where form, function, and strategy come together. It’s not just about making something beautiful, but about defining its identity, enhancing usability, and positioning it within its ecosystem. A well-designed product tells a story, resonates with its users, and stands the test of time.

With a structured yet explorative approach, I work at the intersection of form and function, emotion and logic, vision and feasibility. I design with intention, ensuring that every detail contributes to a product’s relevance and impact. My process involves researching trends, crafting visual strategies, and refining interactions—all while staying grounded in human-centered thinking.

Together, let’s push the boundaries of creativity and create a path to a more conscious and engaged future!

Scroll down for my work!

01 Bud

Encouraging safe nightlife through a connected ecosystem

Video Storytelling

Persona’s

Prototyping And Testing

Video storytelling

3D Animation Rendering

What is Bud?

Bud is a product-service system designed to enhance safety and well-being in nightlife environments. With the rise of large festivals and increased risks like harassment and spiking, Bud ensures people can take care of each other while going out. Through co-creation, stakeholder mapping, and service design methodologies, we developed a seamless integration of digital and physical safety tools for students.

Key Insights

Understanding how Product-Service Systems (PSS) create impact by combining products, services, and supportive tools into a holistic experience.

Key Skills

• Experience & Service Design

• Stakeholder Mapping & Research

• Video storytelling

• Systems Thinking & UX Strategy

Find the group of friends closest to you. Signal people around you that something’s wrong.

Let everyone know you are fine.

Storyboard

Make a group with your friends, or join an existing group.

Find the closest group of friends by following the lights.

Choose your attachment.

Let our team charge and program your devices

Return your devices at the end.

Help each other out. Create a safe space.

Join the party.

Signal for help.

Locate people that don’t feel well.

02 Vista

Modular rooftop shelter, creating adaptable outdoor spaces.

Process

Context: Urban Rooftops Form Language Rough Ideation Sketches

Verification

Development

Process

Weights in the bottom frame

Quick release pins for easy assembly

Integrated drain

Integrated wind deflection

Connection points for storm cables Sail attachments

What is Vista?

Vista is a temporary modular shelter created as my bachelor thesis. This ‘party shelter is designed to provide rain and wind protection for rooftop events in Central Europe. This project was commissioned by Renson Outdoor. The system consists of interconnecting modules that adapt to different terrace layouts, ensuring a balance between functionality, aesthetics, and durability. This project pushed my skills in technical design, design for manufacturing, and brand-aligned styling .

Mastering the integration of technical design, brand styling (Renson), and environmental adaptability into a scalable outdoor solution. Key Insights

• Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

• Functional Styling

• Technical & User Verification Key Skills

03 Nothing

Aesthetics through material storytelling

Nothing Ocean 2a

The Nothing Phone (2a) Ocean was my entry in a CMF design contest, where I was selected as a runner-up This concept explores sustainability and transparency in tech design by integrating recycled ocean plastics, including repurposed ocean waste. It embodies Nothing’s commitment to pushing boundaries in tech, while raising awareness about ocean pollution. Subtle design elements, like the ripple effect around the lenses, mimic the movement of water, reinforcing the phone’s deep connection to the sea.

Key Insights

Exploring CMF as a storytelling tool, where materials and finishes can raise awareness and create an emotional connection between the product and its impact.

Key Skills

• CMF Design & Sustainable Materials

• Color Theory & Environmental Storytelling

• Photorealistic Rendering

Recyled Aluminium

Rippling Water

Mimicking A Blue Wave

Signature Red Color Accent

Waste Seashell Plastic

Marbled Ocean Waste Plastic

Dark Blue Frame

Transparant Glass

Tactile Recycled Plastic

CMF

The deep blue hues reflect the beauty and mystery of marine ecosystems, evoking a sense of depth, tranquility, and sophistication. Sustainable materials are seamlessly integrated into the casing and accents, creating a tactile experience that invites curiosity. The spotted texture on the buttons or the flow of recycled plastics give the phone an organic, imperfect quality, drawing the viewer in to explore its origins and materiality.

04 Mavic Tracer

Enhancing mobility and comfort for urban cycling couriers.

Target Group

UX/UI Iteration

Co-Creation And Interviews

Prototyping User Testing

Story Sketching

Material Moodboard

Concept Sketches

What is Mavic Tracer?

The Mavic Tracer Suit is a cycling outfit designed for professional cycling couriers. It consists of a modular jacket, trousers, and messenger bag, all adaptable to different weather conditions. Designed through interviews, co-creation sessions, and prototyping, the suit integrates functional innovations that directly respond to user needs. The project also explored a digital service platform for Mavic, enhancing courier workflow management.

Key Insights

Translating stakeholder insights into product solutions and defining key functional details that make a design truly user-centered.

Key Skills

• Functional Product Styling & Detailing

• Soft Goods Design

• Co-Creation & User Research

• UI/UX Ideation for Service Integration

Key Details

Removable legs

Reflective pattern

Removable arms

Tactical lock placement strips

Rugged and waterproof materials

Messengerbag for essential gear

Airflow through the back

05 Åska

Shaping the future of urban transportation through sustainable and local manufacturability.

As my Master’s Thesis, I developed a new transportation product for Åska Bike, a Belgian speed pedelec manufacturer. The project, completed with great distinction, focused on manufacturing sustainability and user adaptability, aligning with Åska’s vision for the future of urban mobility. From research to a prototyping ready design, During this project I explored new materials, intelligent systems, market and user needs, ensuring the product was both technically feasible and market-aligned. Working closely with engineers and stakeholders, I refined the concept through prototyping and digital testing, integrating ergonomics, safety, and manufacturability into a commercially viable solution. Due to confidentiality, further details can be discussed in a personal conversation.

Key Insights

Balancing innovation and real-world production constraints, ensuring sustainability and manufacturability while pushing the boundaries of mobility design.

Key Skills

• Transportation & Mobility Design

• Brand-aligned styling

• Sustainable Innovation

• Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

06 Beyond Projects

Play, experiments and other personal creations.

Design is not just my job—it’s how I think, explore, and create. In my free moments, I experiment with emerging tools, from AI-powered visualization (Vizcom, Krea, Midjourney) to VR modeling (Adobe Substance Modeler), constantly pushing the boundaries of digital design. I thrive on fast design sprints and design contests, refining 3D concepts, rendering, and texturing to craft simple yet powerful visuals.

While these digital tools shape my workflow, my sketchbook remains my most valuable asset, allowing me to quickly give form to the concepts that pop into my head.