Sem
Meet Sem – the creative mind behind MADEBYSEM, a boutique brand design studio that feels more like a movement than a business. If you've ever dined at a cool new restaurant in Amsterdam and thought, Damn, this place has style, chances are Sem had a hand in it. From logo design to full-blown brand identity, Sem doesn’t just make things look good – he makes them feel like something.
When someone asks you at a party – “what do you do?” – what’s your go-to answer?
SEM: Ugh. The worst question, right? But alright – usually I say, “Hi, I’m Sem. I run a design studio.” And then they ask what a design studio is. So I tell them: MADEBYSEM is a boutique studio that creates brand identities. That’s everything from the “who are we?” and “what do we stand for?” questions all the way to the execution – logos, websites, campaigns, photography, tone of voice. It’s visual, strategic, and emotional all at once.What pulled you into the world of design in the first place?
SEM: I started at the Rietveld Academy, where I studied graphic design. But photography stole my heart along the way. It was an organic thing – friends asking me to shoot projects, fashion shoots, creative gigs – and suddenly, I was a photographer. But when COVID hit, everything changed. Studios shut down, teams couldn’t come together, and I realized I needed something I could do solo, from my desk. That’s when design came back full force.Now I direct full creative brand identity design projects. I bring together a team of experts; copywriters, illustrators, webdesigners, photographers and sometimes I get back behind my camera and fill the role of photographer, just because I love the art form. I get energy from bringing people together and helping them do what they do best. That’s what I love the most.
That sounds like a lot more than “just a logo.” Can you walk me through your process?
SEM: Exactly – it’s never just a logo. People often come to me with that question, “Can you make me a logo?” And my response is: “Sure, but why?” What’s the story? What are you offering? Who’s it for? What’s the vibe, the energy, the culture you want to build? It’s all part of the brand identity.Take Ceppi’s, for example – that fun Italian restaurant here in Amsterdam. The owners approached me at the Noordermarkt on a sunny Saturday. “Can you make us a logo?” Sure. But when we sat down here at BounceSpace for our first session, it quickly turned into a full brand strategy. What’s the best product? Who’s the ideal audience? What does the brand feel like? We guide our clients through that creative journey. It becomes a collaborative process of answering important questions from the product to the ideal clients experience, and that co-creation is what makes the work really powerful. That’s where the magic happens.You run your office at BounceSpace. What’s that like for you working at Bounce?
SEM: BounceSpace has been massive for me. It’s not just a workspace – it’s a community. You bump into lawyers, DJ’s, hot yoga teachers, writers, different entrepreneurs. And the community is really sociable. Starting with a filter coffee in the morning is part of the routine. Talking to different business minded people at BounceSpace is great for development on entrepreneurship, tips on finance, and off course you’ll find me for Friday afternoon drinks. ;)With the Vondelgym nextdoor it’s easy to stay fit and set your mind straight, feel the flow of your body and think of nothing else but stretching, lifting weights or hitting the bag. It’s great to balance the creative process of design with a great workout.That’s the beauty of BounceSpace – these unexpected collisions, these learning moments. For someone who’s constantly balancing creativity with entrepreneurship, this place keeps me grounded and inspired.
Speaking of balance – you’re clearly someone who creates from a deep, personal place. How do you manage the tension between making art and making money?
SEM: That tension is real. And tricky. When you're an artist, you create because you have to. But when you're also a business owner, you need to make it viable. The Rietveld taught me to think like an artist – to break rules, to make from instinct. But they never taught us how to sell that art.So now, with MADEBYSEM, I try to bridge that gap. I want my work to have soul, but also strategy. You have to know your audience. If someone tells me, “I want to sell my product to everyone,” I tell them they’re selling it to no one. You need to be specific. Intentional. Design isn’t just decoration. It's the art of shaping the perception of something. You want people to feel something and to connect with on an emotional level.And what about the little Sem? Was he always the creative kid?
SEM: Always. I drew on everything – walls, clothes, my own skin. My mom just let me go wild. She didn’t stop me. The whole house was my canvas. She encouraged that exploration, and it gave me a kind of freedom early on that I still carry in my work today.My doodles were weird – little creatures, abstract ideas, whatever was on my mind. But even then, I think I was just trying to express something. That hasn’t really changed.“Everyone says they need a logo. But first I ask: who are you really?”
