About Owen
Hi there!
I am Owen Spekschoor a digital Art Director/UI designer from The Hague in The Netherlands. With over 12 years of experience both in the agency world (Idean, Label A, Mirabeau, Clockwork) as on client side (CZ Zorgverzekeringen). In 2011 I fulfilled a guestlectureship in China at the Chonqing University of Art & Design. During my career I've had the opportunity to work for a variety of A-brands like: ING, Nationale Nederlanden, Wehkamp, Van Gogh museum, Wegener, PGGM, CZ Zorgverzekeringen, Ordina Open, KPN, Monuta, Nederlandse Energie Maatschappij etc.
Initially started as a visual designer and over the years evolved into an Art Director. My expertise lies in: UI design, mobile apps (iOS/Android), responsive design, concept development, design thinking sessions, prototyping and animation. Snippets of my work can be found on Dribbble. In 2017 I started to broaden my horizon towards UX. In order to get certified I've attended the highly regarded Nielsen & Norman UX courses. As a result that I've done some awesome service design projects for Shell, IKEA and KLM.
Next to Photoshop, I work a lot with Sketch and test my (mobile) designs with Sketch Mirror. I make prototypes and animations with InVision, Marvel App, Principle or After Effects. Photography is a passion of mine and I retouch my raw material in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Check out on my Flickr account if you're interested. I'm known with agile work methodics like Scrum and I love to facilitate Design Thinking sessions in co-creation with the client.
Furthermore I call myself a sneakerhead, have been surfing all over the world and love to climb mountains. I like to discover other cultures and listen to classic hiphop tracks. Oh, and I trash talk at the football table in order to win too, but that’s an other story…
Art Director/UI Designer
Bachelor Multimedia Sciences, working as a creative since 2007 for a variety of agencies and A-brands.
UX certified
UX certified by Nielsen & Norman (2017) and later on gained a NN specialisation in UX Management (2018).
Design Thinking
Organizes design thinking sessions together with the end user, generating out of box idea’s and concepts.
International
Willing to work abroad and has been involved in several international projects around the globe.
Team player
That person who connects people within a group. Social, friendly and fits any team!
Award winning
His firm conviction is that work should always be award worthy, hence the prices won over the years.
Curriculum Vitae
Principal Design Consultant
Navara
July 2019 – Present, Driebergen, The Netherlands
Continue my design consultancy skills with Navara. Working for ABN, Brand New Day and Novum (Sociale Verzekerings Bank innovation lab) as both, a hand's-on Art-Director, as well as an consultant outlining digital strategies for clients.
Art-Director
Idean (part of Capgemini)
September 2016 – June 2019, Utrecht, The Netherlands
As an Art-Director I deliver compelling user centered concepts and enhance costumer journeys with Capgemini's IT knowledge. I do this for clients like: IKEA, KLM, Shell and Ahold.
Sr. UI Designer
Label A
March 2015 – August 2016, Amsterdam/Rotterdam, The Netherlands
User Interface designer at Label A, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Worked for: Akzo Nobel, Veilig Verkeer Nederland, EV-Box
Owner
Owen Ontwerpt
August 2011 – Present, The Hague, The Netherlands
www.owenontwerpt.nl, online & graphic design.
Sr. Designer
CZ Zorgverzekeringen
September 2013 – March 2015, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Part of CZ's emerging online division, Netherlands's third-largest health insurance company. As a Sr. creative I've designed intuitive user interfaces, keeping in mind the company's corporate identity. Highlights were redesigning the corporate (responsive) website in 2013 and developing the concept & visual design of the 'nota app' for iOS & Android, which will be released mid-2015.
Sr. Designer
Informaat
September 2013 – December 2013, Baarn, The Netherlands
A 3 month recruitment period before signing a contract at health insurance company CZ Zorgverzekeringen (see above).
Visual Designer
Mirabeau
February 2012 – March 2013, Amsterdam/Rotterdam, The Netherlands
"Making businesses succeed online" is Mirabeau's mission statement. That said, I had the chance to work for the following brands: KLM, ING, Van Gogh Museum, Nationale Nederlanden, Shell and PGGM (PFZW). The foundation of my mobile design knowledge is laid at this agency.
Guest lecturer
Chonqing Technology and Busuness University
Februari 2011 – August 2011, Chonqing City, China
Guest lecturer Interactive Design, at the Modern International Art & Design Academy (MIADA), Chongqing University, China. Besides giving design lectures, I taught three classes and coached five graduate students.
Sr. Designer
Supershift
February 2010 – February 2011, Delft, The Netherlands
As a Sr. Designer I designed user interfaces for clients sucht as: Nederlandse Energie Maatschappij, World of Goals, Novartis.
Lead Designer
Dutch Coast
March 2009 – February 2010, The Hague, The Netherlands
Designed platforms in Google Wave for: Cordaid and Greenpeace
Visual Designer
Clockwork (Ordina)
March 2007 – February 2009, Zwolle, The Netherlands
In my very first job as designer I worked for: Wehkamp, Ordina Open and Monuta.
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UX certification
Nielsen & Norman
March 2018, London, Great Britain
UX certified, UX Management specialisation
UX certification
Nielsen & Norman
September 2017, New York, The United States
UX certified in the range: Interaction Design, Mobile, UX Management
Graduation Internship
Lukkien
December 2005 – April 2006, Ede, The Netherlands
Internship at Lukkien's New Media department. Designing websites and online content.
Internship (South-Africa)
Elgin Community College
September 2003 – March 2004, Gordon's Bay, South-Africa
Internship in Gordon's Bay (near Cape Town). Developed multi-media applications for the 'ethnic disadvanteged' at a community college.
