The many colours of Rotterdam, through the eyes of From Form

With little sense of the city’s character, we both moved to Rotterdam in 2007 as ambitious 20-somethings to begin our studies at the Willem de Kooning Art Academy.

At the time, the harbour city was often painted as grey, raw and unpolished – especially when compared to the postcard-ready canals and 16th-century streets of its sister capital. A stigma that often overlooked the fact that the city had been almost completely destroyed during the WWII bombings and redefined its own visual character during its decades-long reconstruction.

And yes, it may have felt like that from time to time as young art students, feeling lost between its concrete high-rises, windswept bridges and stark architecture. But over the years, that impression began to shift as we not only discovered ourselves as artists over durum and kapsalon, but also started to uncover the city’s true character. A buzzing nightlife, numerous museums and art galleries, world-renowned architecture, and a home to over 170 nationalities, Rotterdam can rightly be called a colourful city in every sense of the word. We’ve come to see that Rotterdam wears its colour not as a polished layer on top, but as something intrinsic and unapologetic, emerging from the city itself.

Almost two decades later, we’re still here. Still living (recently as a family of three), still working, and glad that we stayed long enough to see how much the city pulses with life. Since starting our studio From Form in 2012, we’ve had the chance to meet countless talented designers, artists, illustrators, and filmmakers. With many of them we share the same obsession over colour. And some even bring colour quite literally to the city, through bags, murals, sculptures, or spatial designs.

Colour has always played a central role in our own projects, too. People often ask how we put our palettes together. The truth is, there’s no rigid formula. No Pantone swatches neatly laid out, no PDFs with strict schemes. It’s an intuitive process – testing, tweaking, resetting. Playing it by eye rather than by rule. We imagine it’s the same for the following artists and designers: they seem to combine colours as if it were second nature. And perhaps that’s the most Rotterdam thing about it: here, colour isn’t ornamental, it’s instinctive.

One of the most noticeable pops of colour in the streets of Rotterdam can be found in the shape of a bag. On almost every street corner, you spot them. Kids wearing them to school or an elderly couple doing their grocery shopping. It’s safe to say that the colourful striped bags of Susan Bijl dominate the streets of Rotterdam. And with their sturdiness and lightweight design, they’re easy to fall in love with.

Designed by Bijl in 2000 (this year Susan Bijl celebrates its 25th anniversary), the bags are based on the iconic plastic bag design with two handles. Their most recognisable element is a diagonal stripe across each bag, but what they’re most famous for is their unexpected combinations of colour: lavender purple, chestnut brown, olive-mustard yellow or bright green. Susan Bijl says: “Colour plays a big part in what we do. It’s not about using colour to compete for attention or trend. Every collection is a new exploration of nuances and subtle shades. We find that a colour can connect with customers on different levels. We create campaigns and collections around themes that matter to us to shine a light on them – inclusivity, creativity, nature, and sustainability. And we share stories that keep us going, that keep us inspired - culture, nutrition, design.”

We find more bold colour combinations in the work of the artist duo Marie Bernard. Besides just being very lovely people, designer Masja van Deursen and artist Serge Game work between sculptures, paintings, and collage works. Their intuitive and playful forms always make us want to hug them for some reason. But whether they work with 3D objects or paper collages, the true power of their work lies in their meticulously assembled colour palettes. You can just feel the intuitive process in their approach to colour:

“Anything goes as far as colour is concerned we believe. As long as we can avoid black straight from the tube. We always compose our blacks from a wide array of colours which makes all the difference. Done this way it’s a true addition instead of a mere void.”

Whether the scene is a dreamy ride on a night train, a mid-century coastal house, or the wall of a Rotterdam flat, the works of illustrator and visual artist Maaike Canne transport you to another place the moment you lay eyes on them. Working with media ranging from gouache to digital drawing, she works across editorial, murals, and autonomous paintings. Her bold yet harmonious colour-driven work explores the interplay between interior and exterior spaces, balancing abstraction and representation.

Being a good friend and wonderful collaborator (we’ve worked together on a campaign for Ace & Tate), Maaike has an eye of her own. Somehow, she manages to create vibrant compositions without being loud. Her work often feels slightly nostalgic and has a cinematic charm. As if something just happened and we’re only left with this frozen composition to start imagining. Her colourful murals in Rotterdam are characterised by the same careful balance in colour and creates striking contrasts with its urban surroundings.

Once sharing the same co-working space a long time ago, we’ve always followed the work of Team Thursday closely. Loes van Esch and Simone Trum work as a design duo between visual identities, books and spatial objects. We find their approach to designing spaces the most striking, as their obsession with patterns and colour will wash over you the moment you enter the space. But don’t overlook their smaller scaled work, such as the book cover design for Daily Spins, which shows a (very) large part of finished work of artist Thomas Trum, as well as stills of the process printed on sections of blueback paper. The covers of all books are hand sprayed by Thomas, resulting in 1500 different colour combinations.

“Colour is, for us, an important way to make a gesture in our design. We don’t think lightly about it, it is for us comparable to picking a typeface. In general we like a certain ‘unfinishedness’ in our work. In colours, this means we look for combinations that surprise us. Colour combinations that are a bit off, that are not smooth and easy going, that even clash sometimes.”

A bit off. Not smooth and not afraid of a clash? Sounds like Rotterdam to us.

Closer Look

When crossing the beautiful old 1930s Maastunnel, as we do daily, you’ll exit on the north side at Parkkade. For us, this is the perfect Rotterdam symbiosis of old, new, serene and a bustling harbour city. You’ll see ships at anchor, a captivating skyline, and a lovely park. A few spots worth visiting:

• The park, literally called The Park, was created in 1852 as a romantic landscape “public walk” designed by Zocher and his son. It features winding paths, water streams, and colourful trees and flowerbeds arranged for seasonal spectacles. As intended by its founders, it is “a jewel for the city” and a nationally significant work of art.

• While seeing dogs play at The Park, grab a coffee at Parqiet – our weekend spot for breakfast and lunch under the trees.

• For the best Surinam food, visit Dennis’ Frietpaleis, which offers stunning views and delicious dishes. Dennis has a heart of gold and always ensures you’re in good hands. Try his homemade stew ‘warmvlees’ with fries.

• When crossing Westzeedijk, you’ll enter the Museum Park, home to great museums like Kunsthal, Het Nieuwe Instituut, and DEPOT Boijmans Van Beuningen. Be sure not to miss a tour of the 1930s architectural gem, Huis Sonneveld.