Marenthe Portfolio 2015

Welcome to the daring design world of Marenthe.

She invites you in to discover her captivating characters, luscious lettering and bonkers botany. Marenthe is an illustrator of wondrous things, graphic designer, typographer, concept-maker and adventurer. Her work is radically different and sought after by the sharp and shrewd across the globe.

Marenthe Otten hallo@marenthe.nl www.marenthe.nl (+31) (0)6 31 044 644

About Marenthe Editorial Lettering Characters Children’s Books Decorative Products Clients Awards Publications Contact

Marenthe’s sense of adventure began at an early age. The family home in the south Netherlands offered many a make-believe world and plenty of hiding places. The wild garden boasted a forest where Marenthe spent hours playing and discovering.

Marenthe’s parents loved her fiercely and fervently with a feast of experiences and creative nurturing. Her father was a photographer of nature and believer in beauty.

Marenthe got her own camera at the age of 5. “That’s where I learned to observe and watch. I took photographs, drew, painted and wrote all the time. I could escape into the forest and my very own world, where the animals were my friends. I spent so much time with my dog, the rabbits, a tame magpie and a jackdaw. My father had 100 owls… I’m not kidding. I still love drawing flowers, butterflies and birds.”

Her mother was a free spirit. She was Marenthe’s guiding light when it came to travel, treasures and crafts. She took Marenthe with her on her travels to far-flung places, exhibitions and cultural activities. Marenthe was inspired and hooked. She dried flowers, sewed textiles, made jams and collected keepsakes. She knitted her own pullovers (and by the age of 15 had filled her wardrobe with 20 self-made items of clothing).

Marenthe studied at the Academy of Arts, Graphic Design and Illustration in Belgium, graduating cum laude in 1994. Soon after, Marenthe co-founded Studio ‘t Brandt Weer. She was instrumental in the company’s development and success for 10 years, producing cutting edge designs that gained the Studio acclaim across the Netherlands.

Marenthe has a passion for creating and an unquashable desire to share the wonders of nature, love and happiness with the world.

She does this from her shop and studio in The Hague, looking out over a beautiful garden visited, this time, by animals of the city.

She shares the space with a talented silversmith, who is also her partner in crime (and creativity).

Marenthe’s work has been recognised in Europe, Asia and the United States. She has won a number of prestigious international awards, including a European Design Award and Merits from the Art (and Type) Directors Club, New York. Marenthe was shortlisted for an award from the Type Directors Club Tokyo and has been nominated several times for the Dutch Design Awards.

Marenthe loves food, flowers, books, writing and cooking.

Marenthe hopes you enjoy her portfolio as much as she has enjoyed every little step towards creating it.

Marenthe is a prolific designer, illustrator and art director for magazines that matter. Marenthe climbs inside the client’s mind to create the perfect image - where the publication’s ethos, tone of the story and audience meet.

For Happinez Magazine, visual storytelling is just as important as the wisdom we share in words. Marenthe’s art work is layered and full of meaning; it can really complete content, making it beautiful, inspirational and attractive. Her art work is distinctive and yet speaks a universal language: the one that goes straight to the heart.

Eveline Helmink Happinez Magazine

Client: Happinez Magazine - NL Life is not a school, life is a tool. So use it and use it wisely.

Happinez magazine celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition, featuring another of Marenthe’s inspiring montages.

Client: Happinez Magazine - NL Happinez launched in The Netherlands in 2003 and was an immediate success with women seeking answers to esoteric wellbeing questions.

Happinez is a spiritual and groundbreaking ‘mindstyle’ magazine focusing on mental and physical welfare.

Client: MoodieZ - NL Marenthe’s 12 double-page spreads in Moodiez, the innovative mind-style mag for Dutch youth, include a description of each astrological sign.

“Marenthe is an inspiration – for both the magazine I publish and me personally.

The way she translates the material is emotionally striking and incredibly special. I have worked with Marenthe now for five years and she consistently manages to touch me with the work she makes for my magazine.�

Veronique Wertz Creative Director Lotje & Co

Client: Lotje & Co - NL Lotje & Co is a magazine for parents of disabled children. Marenthe contributes to every edition and approaches the work with sensitivity and care.

Self-initiated project

Self-initiated project

Rick Poynor in Kwintessens: ‘In a poster for Villa Basta, Marenthe Otten scatters casually drawn decorative lettering across a photograph of an elderly woman wearing the traditional clothes of a peasant. The crudely formed letters carry associations of folk art, while also recalling the doodled letterforms found in contemporary work by designers such as Ed Fella in the US and M/M in France. The graphic and photographic layers clash awkwardly, yet the poster still knits together as an image.’ Rick Poynor is a British writer on design, graphic design, typography and visual culture. He began as a general visual arts journalist, working on Blueprint magazine in London. After founding Eye magazine, which he edited from 1990 to 1997, he focused increasingly on visual communication. He is writer-at-large and columnist of Eye, and a contributing editor and columnist of Print (magazine).

Those moments where lettering and image click give Marenthe butterflies in her tummy. Her love affair with lettering is about technique, relationship and expression. Illustrated typography is where the unexpected happens.

Self-initiated project

Client: Marenthe - NL Marenthe has relished the process of collaborating with Silversmith Chris van Grinsven. Design, concept and text grew simultaneously, each influencing the other. Marenthe and Chris live the poster’s message and invite you to too.

Self-initiated project Blaffer in street slang means gun. It also translates as ‘a person that barks’. Schoon is beautiful. A gutsy self-initiated award winning project that demonstrates Marenthe’s ability to work confidently with fonts.

Published in ‘Area 2’, Phaidon Short-listed Type Directors Club Tokyo International poster exhibition Shanghai Included in the collection of the ‘Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam’

Finding just the right character takes perseverance, courage and skill. Sometimes she is hiding. Sometimes he is invisible. Marenthe coaxes them out in an exchange - she invites them into our world so they can entice us in to theirs.

Client: Elle Girl - NL / Korea To illustrate the magazine’s horoscope section, Marenthe developed a new generation of culturally reflective fairy tale characters appealing to stylish teenagers. These images were popular and their originality earned Marenthe a lot of fans.

Short-listed Dutch Design Awards

Self-initiated project Little Red Riding Hood

Client: Popje.com Popje.com was founded by Marenthe Otten. Beautifully coloured designs and stunning graphics together with charming illustrations have become the trademark of the birth, wedding and greeting cards produced by Marenthe.

Published internationally, Marenthe’s children’s books are where fantasy and reality collide. There’s always a dance between being a child or grown up. Everything is possible. Play is essential. Dreams are real.

Self-initiated project

Self initiated project in collaboration with Liz Mitchell

Self initiated project in collaboration with Liz Mitchell

Marenthe’s desire to make the world more beautiful becomes manifest through her fantasy (or just plain fancy) flora and fauna.

These illustrations adorn textiles, wall hangings, wrapping paper and more, connecting and celebrating diverse design disciplines.

Self-initiated project

“Roger la Borde were delighted to commission and publish a range of quirky, individual cards. Marenthe is responsive, inspiring and fun to work with�.

Alison Solnick, Roger La Borde - London

Client: Roger La Borde - UK Roger la Borde (London) commissioned Marenthe to create a range of five gorgeous greetings cards: baby boy and baby girl announcement cards, two birthday cards and a Valentine card.

Client: Succes Agenda Luxury stationary giant SRT International B.V. commissioned Marenthe to design diary covers for their Succes, Ryam and NewMe ranges.

Marenthe believes her work can be beautiful and useful.

Intriguing stories and wonderful worlds bring to life ‘everyday’ objects such as ceramics, bags and diaries. A quirky character, stunning pattern or alluring lettering bring joy to any day.

What kind of designer were you looking for?

“I was looking for a designer that would be able to create, in terms of style and approach, a design strikingly different from the previous birth and love stamps, yet remaining within the realm of illustration.”

Why did Post NL choose Marenthe?

“The work of Marenthe is ideal for both subjects because the feelings her work evokes fit so well with love and birth. The work has a soft, pleasant feel; you can call it tender and romantic. It’s also distinctive and personal enough to avoid clichés.”

Tell us a little about the process of working with Marenthe.

“I would describe working with Marenthe as very enjoyable and constructive. She seeks to create the very

best and is therefore prepared to produce many sketches. Eventually this leads to a concept where everything is complete - where both the client and the designer are more than enthusiastic about the outcome.”

Would you recommend Marenthe to other clients and, if so, why?

“We wanted to surprise our customers with something new (Marenthe’s designs were the first reincarnation of these stamps for 10 years).

The fresh, new designs had a very positive response from the audience. I would certainly highly recommend Marenthe to other clients.”

Julius Vermeulen Post NL

Nederland

Client: PostNL What is love? This age-old question; pondered by many, answered by few. When asked by Post NL to re-imagine the Love stamp Marenthe began searching and asking once more. Her answer? Love is: contained in this tiny stamp; in it’s creation, in it’s design, in the reason for sending it, in the recipient’s smile.

Nederland

1

After 18 years, the current Birth stamp – the well-known ‘stork’ – has been replaced by a bright, colourful design with recognisable baby objects by Marenthe Otten.

This is not the first time Marenthe and Post NL have collaborated.

Marenthe’s fabulous fungi stamp series decorated envelopes for a while, as did her characterful pigeon.

Client: Pink Ribbon Marenthe supported the Pink Ribbon campaign and the fight against breast cancer. She contributed to this worthwhile cause by designing this cute T shirt, exclusively for C&A shops.

Self-initiated project Little Miss Riding Hood bag from the ‘Little Red Riding Hood Collection’

Self-initiated project in collaboration with Jeannine Vrins Once upon a time there was a collaboration between ceramics designer-maker Jeannine Vrins and designer-illustrator Marenthe Otten.

Little Red Riding Hood hides from the wolf. The wolf hides from Little Red Riding Hood. It’s an intriguing tale of suspense, shoes, a handbag and hide and seek. Each item is handmade and unique; a living fairytale, not for the feint hearted.

Self-initiated project Risos from the ‘Little Red Riding Hood Collection’. Marenthe has been experimenting with Riso printing and has a new collection of posters, designed specially for Designkwartier Den Haag Festival. This relatively new technique was developed in Japan in the 1980s. It produces the same effect as screen printing within a fraction of the time and expense.

Clients: Boekie Boekie Carp* Children’s Book Museum Christine Pannebakker De Pers Newspaper Design Flanders Dutch National Opera Amsterdam Dutch Royal Mail (PostNL) Elle Elle Girl (NL / Korea) Erik Verdonck Fashion Flow Magazine Happinez Magazine (NL / Germany) Heineken Kek Mama Magazine Libelle Magazine

Lotje & Co Magazine MoodieZ Magazine Museum Corsica, France Netherlands’ Dance Theatre Oilily Ouders van Nu Magazine Parool Newspaper Philips Pink Ribbon C&A Paris Books PLUS Supermarkets Roger La Borde, London Sanoma Publishers Succes Agenda TU Eindhoven VU University Medical Center Amsterdam

Awards: Art Directors Club New York Dutch Design Awards European Design Awards (Silver) Tokyo Type Directors Club Type Directors New York

Publications: 100 Fashion Designers | Work published in 100 Fashion Designers - Phaidon Press Area-2 | Phaidon Press

Etapes The French magazine on visual culture and design Experimenta | Spain Fashion Unfolding | Hong Kong Hand To Type | Gestalten Verlag Berlin Handmade | Ginko Press USA How To Type | IDEAfried Studio Kwintessens Novum | Germany See Nothing | Italy

Marenthe Otten hallo@marenthe.nl www.marenthe.nl (+31) (0)6 31 044 644 Instagram: @marenthe