5 thoughts on design
The new generation of designers will need to be more proactive than we were. The field is not waiting. If you sit still and hope someone picks you, that is a bet I would not take. Take risks, learn, and grow.
The new generation of designers will need to be more proactive than we were. The field is not waiting. If you sit still and hope someone picks you, that is a bet I would not take. Take risks, learn, and grow.
You can spend years looking for the right room. At some point you have to ask whether you should be building it yourself and at the same time be grateful for everything you already have accomplished and/or have been given.
You can spend years looking for the right room. At some point you have to ask whether you should be building it yourself and at the same time be grateful for everything you already have accomplished and/or have been given.
Outside of work, I try to live among people with different backgrounds. Change perspectives from time to time.
Outside of work, I try to live among people with different backgrounds. Change perspectives from time to time.
Be authentic and keep true to yourself. It took time to find the balance of staying true to myself and being considerate of my surroundings. Still a work in progress.
Be authentic and keep true to yourself. It took time to find the balance of staying true to myself and being considerate of my surroundings. Still a work in progress.
The tools will keep changing. Vibe-coding, AI, whatever comes next. What matters is whether you kind of understand what is happening under the surface and use it creatively, building what you like.
The tools will keep changing. Vibe-coding, AI, whatever comes next. What matters is whether you kind of understand what is happening under the surface and use it creatively, building what you like.
Want to know more? Read the full article below
Bruce in his element!
A collage of Bruce's work
Bruce in his element!
A collage of Bruce's work
Bruce in his element!
A collage of Bruce's work
Being a Rotterdammer
Growing up in Rotterdam with Indonesian roots meant navigating categories that never quite fit. Bruce describes it plainly: too white for some rooms, not white enough for others. Dutch society has its own gradations within that. Indo communities are seen as well integrated and accepted by Dutch society. While other ethnicities and cultures have much bigger struggles being accepted for who they are. Bruce finds that really unfair. "I actually feel much more like a Rotterdammer, less Dutch” he says.
Growing up in Rotterdam with Indonesian roots meant navigating categories that never quite fit. Bruce describes it plainly: too white for some rooms, not white enough for others. Dutch society has its own gradations within that. Indo communities are seen as well integrated and accepted by Dutch society. While other ethnicities and cultures have much bigger struggles being accepted for who they are. Bruce finds that really unfair. "I actually feel much more like a Rotterdammer, less Dutch” he says.
Finding ground
During his internship as a design student, Bruce struggled. He was too direct and had to find a way to manoeuvre through that. It took a long time before he managed to find what works for him. He tried to make a place of his own, a business with a partner doing international projects. Unfortunately this didn’t last long and the journey continued. Found like-minded people along the way, in different roles and projects. Shifted back and forth between design en technical execution. "Creating your own place can also be mental. That is where it starts." You need someone in your environment who can help, and you need to be willing to take the risk. Fail completely and step up again, repeat and rinse.
During his internship as a design student, Bruce struggled. He was too direct and had to find a way to manoeuvre through that. It took a long time before he managed to find what works for him. He tried to make a place of his own, a business with a partner doing international projects. Unfortunately this didn’t last long and the journey continued. Found like-minded people along the way, in different roles and projects. Shifted back and forth between design en technical execution. "Creating your own place can also be mental. That is where it starts." You need someone in your environment who can help, and you need to be willing to take the risk. Fail completely and step up again, repeat and rinse.
Example of his design work
VJ work for Sevdaliza in Brazil
Example of his design work
VJ work for Sevdaliza in Brazil
Example of his design work
VJ work for Sevdaliza in Brazil
Under the surface
After exploring the field, going from freelance to employment, Bruce came back to where he had started: CMD Rotterdam, this time as a teacher. The students who stand out, he found, are not always the top performers. They are intrinsically motivated, willing to experiment, and willing to throw work away. They pick up new tools fast and let them go just as fast. He is critical of the gap between design and development and of reaching for code without knowing how to read it. After five years of teaching, he returned to the field as a UX/UI designer and full stack developer. This is what he notices: as AI and vibe-coding accelerate the iteration cycle, the essential question does not change. "You have to be able to ask yourself: does this actually hold up?" Modular thinking, security awareness, understanding structure. His analogy is cooking: understand the parts before you work with them.
After exploring the field, going from freelance to employment, Bruce came back to where he had started: CMD Rotterdam, this time as a teacher. The students who stand out, he found, are not always the top performers. They are intrinsically motivated, willing to experiment, and willing to throw work away. They pick up new tools fast and let them go just as fast. He is critical of the gap between design and development and of reaching for code without knowing how to read it. After five years of teaching, he returned to the field as a UX/UI designer and full stack developer. This is what he notices: as AI and vibe-coding accelerate the iteration cycle, the essential question does not change. "You have to be able to ask yourself: does this actually hold up?" Modular thinking, security awareness, understanding structure. His analogy is cooking: understand the parts before you work with them.
The designer bubble
The design field can feel self-enclosed. He describes it as a world of men with every box checked (7 vinkjes), sometimes operating with blinders on. He makes a deliberate choice to stay mindful of that and keeps himself active in different places. He feels outside the bubble and connected to the people around him. "My identity is not design. I have more interests."
That distance shapes how he shows up in certain rooms. He is sometimes the voice of reason in those conversations. Bruce actually carried the same awareness into how he used to teach. During a project in the Afrikaanderwijk, his students had assumed everyone in the neighborhood owned an iPhone. He asked a student from South Rotterdam to share their perspective and the conversation opened up. Not because anyone had bad intentions, but because the context had been invisible to them.
The design field can feel self-enclosed. He describes it as a world of men with every box checked (7 vinkjes), sometimes operating with blinders on. He makes a deliberate choice to stay mindful of that and keeps himself active in different places. He feels outside the bubble and connected to the people around him. "My identity is not design. I have more interests."
That distance shapes how he shows up in certain rooms. He is sometimes the voice of reason in those conversations. Bruce actually carried the same awareness into how he used to teach. During a project in the Afrikaanderwijk, his students had assumed everyone in the neighborhood owned an iPhone. He asked a student from South Rotterdam to share their perspective and the conversation opened up. Not because anyone had bad intentions, but because the context had been invisible to them.
Looking ahead
Outside of work, life is rich: a family, friends, karate, boxing, bjj, surfing, skateboarding a deliberate line between the job and everything else. The work he delivers matters to him. So does being honest about it. Direct and clear. That has always been Bruce.
Oh! And at last, in case you are curious, uncertain, or sceptical about the future of the designer role now that AI makes prototyping much faster, Bruce suggested the following article: The Pixel Quarry Is Closed written by Dimitris Kritsilis. Definitely an interesting read!
Outside of work, life is rich: a family, friends, karate, boxing, bjj, surfing, skateboarding a deliberate line between the job and everything else. The work he delivers matters to him. So does being honest about it. Direct and clear. That has always been Bruce.
Oh! And at last, in case you are curious, uncertain, or sceptical about the future of the designer role now that AI makes prototyping much faster, Bruce suggested the following article: The Pixel Quarry Is Closed written by Dimitris Kritsilis. Definitely an interesting read!
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DESIGNERS IN FULL COLOR all rights reserved 2026
DESIGNERS IN FULL COLOR all rights reserved 2026
DESIGNERS IN FULL COLOR all rights reserved 2026