--- title: In Conversation with Contaínr Affaìrs date: 2024-06-19T10:29:00+02:00 author: Nina Swaep canonical_url: "https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/interviews/in-conversation-with-contaínr-affaìrs/" section: Articles --- ![In Conversation with Contaínr Affaìrs](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1800x880_crop_center-center_90_none/2024-06-06_HIG_0108.jpg) [ Interviews ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/interviews/)# In Conversation with Contaínr Affaìrs It’s clear that Contaínr Affaìrs has earned its place in Rotterdam’s *creative scene*. The *“office for mission & vision, look & feel”* is gradually approaching its 25th anniversary. We spoke with Head of Operations Ronja de Waard about how the agency has continued to evolve over the years: “We’ve once again reached a point where I believe change will do us good.” At the base of Het Industriegebouw, the *funky* silver-blue mirrored window display of Contaínr Affaìrs sparkles invitingly. Its changing 3 m2 presentation always makes passers-by stop for a moment, immediately raising questions about what they are looking at. Is it a shop? Is it a gallery? Not entirely either, yet not entirely neither. It is the calling card of one of Rotterdam’s most established design agencies, featuring a changing selection of striking objects and publications presented in collaboration with bookshop MENDO. Once inside, Ronja welcomes us and leads us to the meeting room, which proudly displays all kinds of client products for which Contaínr Affaìrs created the branding. **One computer** Ronja looks around, smiles and begins: “What you’re looking at is the colourful result of 23 years of collaborations with amazing clients. Twenty-three years,” she confirms when she sees our surprised expressions. “That’s right! Founders Jim and Jerome started the agency together in 2001 under the name Young Urbans. At the time, the name perfectly reflected both the trend and the stage of life they were in. They were 21, went out a lot and could be found at just about every party in Rotterdam. Because they were so *outgoing* and outspoken, they quickly gained opportunities to form exciting partnerships with premium drinks brands and hospitality concepts. Just imagine,” Ronja says. “Back then, they shared a single computer and took turns using it. It’s almost impossible to imagine now, isn’t it? Look at the world we live in today: the men are now 45, and everything has become digital.” Ronja continues: “As Young Urbans gradually matured, we changed the name to Contaínr. In 2015, we *upgraded* it once again to Contaínr Affaìrs.” She looks proud as she continues: “I’ve now been part of Contaínr Affaìrs for ten years and became a partner in 2018. After completing my degree in Lifestyle and Design, I began freelancing as a graphic designer, and Contaínr was one of my clients. I enjoyed working here so much that I ended up staying full-time. Firstly, I thought it was incredibly rewarding to help people bring their dreams to life. Secondly, I’m delighted that I returned to Rotterdam from the capital. I love this city’s honesty and down-to-earth character; you quickly know where you stand here. I wouldn’t position Contaínr Affaìrs as an exclusively Rotterdam agency, because our ambitions extend far beyond this city—or even this country—but the mentality suits us perfectly.” “From what I’ve experienced,” Ronja says, “the company has always acted as a kind of sponge, absorbing every economic fluctuation and social high and low. We’ve experienced just about everything and have repeatedly reinvented ourselves to reflect the spirit of the times. That’s why we believe it’s important not to become set in our ideas and methods. The funny thing is that we’ve once again reached a point where I believe change will do us good—and we’re now fully immersed in that evolution.” **Positioning** Let’s go *back to basics*: what exactly is Contaínr Affaìrs, and where do Ronja and her team want to take it? Ronja explains: “We are an agency specialising in brand strategy and branding. That means we never design anything without first developing a convincing concept or a strong strategy behind it. This conceptual approach distinguishes us from other design agencies. They may create beautiful brand identities or an outstanding visual identity, but they don’t always focus as deeply on the substance behind them. The complete package is essential to us—from creating a powerful brand identity to positioning a product or brand within the market. “Positioning is about how you want the public to perceive your brand. Strong positioning helps distinguish you from your competitors by claiming a unique place in the minds of your target audience. It forces you to focus on specific market segments and their needs, allowing you to communicate more effectively and use your marketing resources more precisely. Your brand strategy defines how you want to build and position your brand within the market, including its values, personality, promises and communication. It should be an integral part of your business plan, and that’s where we’re increasingly focusing our attention.” When we ask why, Ronja has her answer ready: “The market has changed recently. Costs are significantly higher than before, and businesses have to work increasingly hard to stay afloat. As a result, people are more cautious about spending money. When you invest with us, you’re making a highly targeted investment in solving your communication and positioning challenges—for example, through a *rebrand*. “Recently, we’ve noticed that the greatest demand is for strategic consultancy. Clients want to exchange ideas with us about the best way to bring a product to market and express their identity more effectively. It’s therefore much more about guiding internal processes within a company than simply creating an attractive campaign. It’s about working with clients rather than working for them. We noticed that this demand was naturally becoming an increasingly important part of our work. Fortunately, we’ve also reached a level of maturity as an agency that allows us to embrace this role fully. In other words, the role suits us better now than it did in the past—so why not go for it?” **Great partners** Ronja pours another cup of tea and points towards the examples surrounding us. “In that respect, we’re in a rather fortunate position, with all these fantastic partners. Historically, many of them have operated within the *food and beverage* sector, as you can probably tell,” she says with a laugh. “Take hospitality brands such as [Bobby’s Gin](https://bobbysdrygin.com/), [Chez Jan](https://www.chezjan.nl/) and [Supernova](https://supernovahotel.nl/nl), for which we handled the branding from beginning to end. [Statencafé](https://statencafe.nl/) is another brilliant example. With our help, they incorporated the unique architectural character of their building in Blijdorp into both their concept and visual identity. That was a wonderful piece of storytelling! A recent example is the second location of [‘O Pazzo](https://www.opazzo.nl/).” “Within the property sector, Rotterdam estate agency [Baljon](https://www.baljonmakelaars.nl/) is a great example. Together with the rebranding of construction company [JAJO](https://www.jajo.com/), it was one of our *boldest* identity projects. At the time, we advised Baljon to make its identity so simple yet so recognisable that its estate-agent signs would no longer need to display a telephone number or website. The owner was understandably rather nervous about that, but it worked! Baljon is now instantly recognisable throughout the city as one of Rotterdam’s freshest estate agencies. A single Google search after seeing one of its bright-yellow signs immediately takes you where you need to go. It’s incredibly powerful—and amusingly, more and more estate agencies around Rotterdam are now copying the approach.” “Within HIG, we designed the brand identities for [Leidmotiv](https://leidmotiv.com/) and [Terrapin](https://terrapin.nl/). We also collaborate with other companies based at Het Industriegebouw, including Leidmotiv, [Bitfactory](https://www.bitfactory.nl/) and HIG’s latest addition, master mixologist Arno van Eijmeren. It’s amazing how much value you can offer one another as fellow tenants, isn’t it?” **Looking ahead** Ronja concludes: “Because we’re in such a fortunate position and have now reached this level of maturity, I’ve agreed with the men that our nine-person team will only do exciting work for exciting clients and alongside inspiring people. We now have an excellent combination of producers, project managers, designers, content creators and strategists in-house. In the future, I’d like to collaborate even more with inspiring freelancers and other agencies that can surprise and challenge our team, allowing us to strengthen one another.” “You know,” Ronja says, beaming, “if you do something, you should genuinely enjoy it. As well as contributing something, you should also gain something from it. The question that remains is: how will people find us specifically for our strategic expertise? There is an enormous number of *creative agencies*, so it can be difficult for outsiders to determine which agency they should approach for a particular need. Because we want to take the next step in that area, we still have some work to do. “I love continually exploring new opportunities, checking whether everyone is in the right position and seeing whether we can always achieve the best possible results while remaining ahead of the market. Recently, for example, I’ve done a great deal of research into AI and how we can make it work for us. I’m looking for applications that can support our team with routine tasks, such as answering emails and preparing meeting minutes, leaving more room for creative work. If all goes well, AI will soon help us work far more efficiently—and make our work more enjoyable. That fits perfectly with our habit of continually reinventing ourselves as a company.” ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/2024-06-06_HIG_0065.jpg) ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/file.jpg) ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_1120x630_crop_center-center_90_none/2024-06-06_HIG_0407.jpg) [ ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_910x600_crop_center-center_90_none/2024-06-06_HIG_1059.jpg) #### Interviews ### Let's go to Open Monumentendag! ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/interviews/lets-go-to-open-monumentendag/) [ ![](https://cdn.hetindustriegebouw.nl/images/articles/_910x600_crop_center-center_90_none/2024-03-19_FUNDAMENTAL_409-kopie.jpg) #### Interviews ### In gesprek met Merel Beelenkamp en Bastiaan Kalmeyer ](https://hetindustriegebouw.nl/en/community/interviews/in-gesprek-met-merel-beelenkamp-en-bastiaan-kalmeyer/)