Ezra Konneman

“I design products that thousands of people use”

• Back at Design Group, six years after her internship

  ‘In 2017 I did an internship here, and I had a great time. So when I finished art school and saw that there was a vacancy here, I applied immediately. Obviously, some things have changed at the company in those six years, but the open, approachable atmosphere I remembered is still here. I felt extremely welcome, everyone is ready to help, and the feeling that I am allowed to learn – and make mistakes – is great. The first few months in particular were quite a learning curve. Luckily, I have a colleague who has worked here for 17 years from whom I can learn a huge amount. And as a team we are well-attuned. So we coordinate who is taking on which task and take over one another’s work when things are busy. There are only women in the design studio, and there is a friendly atmosphere with plenty of scope for both humour and serious topics.’

  ‘It’s not just within our own department that the atmosphere is really good; the sense of engagement between departments is also great. For instance, during my induction period I was given a tour of the entire factory to learn about the production process. And I have just started the Duizenpoot internal programme for new employees at Design Group Academy. Each department – from Sales and Customer Approach to Finance – thereby present what they are working on. In my role I deal with many different teams, so it’s very useful to get to know them.’

  ‘My granny proudly went to the Kruidvat to buy the gift packaging that I designed.’

• I constantly ask myself what I would have liked as a child

  What I love most about my work as a Product Designer is that I design tangible products that people are going to buy and use. I create something on my screen which thousands of people will ultimately physically hold in their hands. Like my granny, who proudly went to Kruidvat to buy the gift packaging I designed during my internship. Or the Dutch celebrity I saw on Instagram using “our” gift packaging.

  In the design studio I work for team France, which means in practice that I mainly work on Disney stationery. That includes pencil cases, notebooks and rulers with designs from Cars, Paw Patrol or Marvel. These are products that children take to school, for example. So I constantly ask myself what I would have liked or wanted to buy as a child. I find designing different products that have to make up a coherent whole together particularly fun and challenging. And of course it’s cool that these products are sold in larger shops, such as Carrefour.

• Sustainability is a daily topic of conversation

  In these times – when things are not exactly heading in the right direction with the environment – I think it’s important for a big company like Design Group to make a positive contribution to the climate by doing things like avoiding plastic or reducing our energy consumption. Sustainability is an almost daily topic of conversation for us. So we talk about which materials or production processes are the most sustainable. We look at what is the most sustainable solution for each product, even if it restricts us in the design. A particular finish or special effect on a pencil case can look great, but if it’s less sustainable due to the type of glue or the emissions of the substances involved, we opt for a more environmentally friendly alternative. And there are increasingly more sustainable options. Like the SMARTWRAP™, an innovation from our company that enables us to package our rolls of gift packaging 100% plastic-free. I really like the fact that more and more customers are opting for this.