Nikki Gonnissen on Designing for Human Connection
Nikki Gonnissen is co-founder and Creative Director of Thonik, the Amsterdam design studio she started with her partner Thomas Widdershoven in 1993. That’s the same year they met in Vondelpark, when Thomas spotted her eating ice cream with friends and followed her until she stopped to talk. What began as two solo practices under the clunky name "Gonnissen and Widdershoven" eventually became Thonik. A name built from their two first names: Thomas and Nikki. Thirty-three years later, they're still creative and life partners, running a studio that's stayed intentionally close to the same size, around 15 people, because, as Nikki puts it, grow too far past that and the work starts to slip through your fingers. In this conversation, Nikki walks through two recent identity projects that show just how differently "moving people" can look in practice: a bright, kinetic identity for the Phion Symphony Orchestra, where the typeface bends and slants like a conductor's baton, and a complete overhaul of Schiphol Airport's identity, where the job was actually a practical one of stripping away visual noise and inconsistency until travelers could simply find their way. From there, the conversation turns to the argument at the center of Nikki's DesignThinkers talk: that as AI makes the world faster and more efficient, staying close (to yourself, to the people you design for, to what actually resonates) becomes increasingly more important. This episode is for designers thinking about what to protect as their tools get speedier, for anyone building a studio and thinking about their philosophy, and for listeners who believe the most human parts of design are also the most valuable. Follow us on Instagram @rgdcanada or visit us online at rgd.ca. Purchase tickets to the upcoming DesignThinkers conference at designthinkers.com.
