Richard Van der Laken

Website: http://www.whatdesigncando.com

Instagram: @WhatDesignCanDo

Twitter: @WhatDesignCanDo

Richard Van der Laken is a creative director based in Amsterdam. He met Pepijn Zurburg while studying at the Utrecht School of Art and Sandburg institute, and together they formed De Designpolitie - a renowned visual design agency, graphic design collective Gorilla, and What Design Can Do. Since forming, they’ve worked with many partners from Rabobank to Artis Zoo, won numerous awards, and feature in the permanent collection of galleries such as the Design Museum London and MoMa New York. At WDCD, they’ve created multiple design challenges, publications, and events hosted across Amsterdam, Brazil and Mexico. If Richard’s not in the office, he’s probably halfway across the world, preaching the What Design Can Do story at conferences like TED, The Next Web or Design Indaba.

Which living person do you most admire? My mother and Barack Obama.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Being in control.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Many, amazing and tangible.

Which talent would you most like to have? A talent to convince people.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? Sometimes I am able to convince people.

Where would you most like to live? Amsterdam.

What is your most marked characteristic? Perseverance.

What do you most value in your friends? Loyalty.

Who are your favorite writers? Philip Roth, Jonathan Safran Foer, Yann Martel, Paulo Coelho, Leon de Winter, Bas Heijne, Griet Op de Beeck, Jan Wolkers, Arnon Grunberg, Adriaan van Dis, Tommy Wieringa and many more.

Who is your hero of fiction? Buzz Lightyear.

Which historical figure do you most identify with? Buzz Lightyear.

What is your greatest regret? I sometimes don't listen to my gut feeling.

What is your motto? We are all trying.