NL Startup Competition

A national competition bringing together startups across the Netherlands.

2024

NL Startup Competition brings together startups from across the Netherlands, highlighting innovation in areas such as energy transition, digital technology, social impact, and circular solutions. The competition creates a stage for early-stage ventures to present their ideas while connecting with investors, partners, and the wider startup ecosystem.

My work on the competition focused on developing the visual identity and the materials surrounding it. The aim was to create a brand that feels approachable for founders while still carrying the level of clarity and professionalism expected by partners and sponsors.

Services

Brand Identity
Website Design
Digital & Print Materials
Hand-drawn diagrams and symbols on a doted paper. It shows the progress of designing the NL Startup Competition logo.
NL Startup Competition logos with different color schemes and backgrounds; bottom row has black background version and top row has the white background version.

A logo designed to reflect the collaborative nature of the competition.

Logo Design

I developed the logo around the idea of interaction within the startup ecosystem. The competition brings together founders, mentors, partners, and investors, so the mark needed to capture that sense of exchange rather than feel static or isolated.

While working on the logo, the initials of the competition quickly became the starting point. The N & L reference the Netherlands and the national scope of the competition, but arranging the letters within the same form also created a natural point of connection between them, reflecting the constant flow of ideas and collaboration that defines the competition.

See here for the other logo proposals I made for the NL Startup Competition.

A typography style guide showing the font 'Quattrocento' in regular and bold styles, with sample text and descriptive paragraph about selecting this font for its modern yet slightly formal tone.
Typography style guide showing different weights of the Poppins font, including Light, Regular, Medium, and Bold, with sample uppercase and lowercase letters.
Color palette with seven vertical color bars, first five from the left labeled with categories, color name, and hex code.

Setting the tone for how the competition speaks and presents itself.

Visual Language

While developing the visual language, I looked closely at the environment the competition would be in. The startup world tends to communicate in a direct and energetic way, with visuals built to move quickly between announcements, updates and key moments.

I wanted the identity of the competition to feel comfortable to its audience. So, I introduced a more vibrant palette to reflect the energy of the startup environment, while the typography brought a bold character that remains easy to read. Together, these choices allow the visual language to follow the pace of the startup environment while still carrying enough structure to hold the different categories and stages of the competition together as one recognizable whole.

Computer desktop screen displaying landing page of NL Startup Competition, with a keyboard and mouse on the desk and a desk lamp illuminating the workspace.

A platform designed to guide startups through the competition.

Website Design

The website is one of the the central points where startups discover the competition, submit their applications, and follow updates throughout the program.

While working on the structure, I focused on keeping the experience straightforward for founders visiting the platform for the first time. Information such as deadlines, application steps, and program details needed to stay easy to find without overwhelming the page.

The visual identity carries through the interface so the platform feels like a natural extension of the brand rather than a separate environment.

Four colorful paper airplanes flying in a blue sky with white clouds.
A woman with long red hair and a big smile, wearing a black sleeveless top, holding a pen, with overlay text 'We proudly announce our partner' at the top and 'LOGO' at the bottom in a liliac frame.
A man with glasses and a white shirt standing outdoors with trees in the background, surrounded by a liliac graphic frame with text about a partner logo and competition.
A social media post of a group of diverse people celebrating on stage with large checks and confetti, at NL Startup Competition Finale with "Meet the Organizers" text underneath and four partner logos.
Collage of images promoting NL Startup Competition, showcasing diverse participants, virtual reality, wind energy, and a social gathering, with labels for 'Circular', 'Energy Transition', 'Digital', and 'Social'.

Keeping the competition visible as it unfolds.

Digital Materials

While developing the digital materials for the NL Startup Competition, I looked closely at imagery often associated with startups. Symbols connected to ambition, growth, and building something new appear frequently in the space, making them a natural starting point for shaping the competition’s visual direction.

Elements such as rockets and paper planes are commonly used to represent movement and momentum. Translating these familiar references into a clear set of visuals helped keep the communication approachable for founders.

The same visual logic carried through digital communication. Announcements, presentation materials, and program updates follow a consistent direction, helping the competition remain recognizable as it unfolds.

Liliac notebook with the words 'Mark your Journey!' and a white pencil placed on top, promoting NL Startup Competition.
Three purple vertical banners for NL Startup Competition, each with a logo at the top. The third banner has text that reads: 'Take your startup to the next level!' with a yellow arrow at the bottom and the website nlstartupcompetition.com at the bottom.
Two badges hanging from black and white lanyards, with one badge labeled 'FINALIST' and the other not.
Two pens, one black and one white, floating against a gray background, both with logos.
A liliac signboard promoting NL Startup Competition in the Netherlands, with logos of partners, mounted on a metallic wall.

Bringing the competition closer to the people.

Print Materials

Designing the print materials ended up being one of the more enjoyable parts of the competition. After spending most of the time working on screens, this was the moment where the identity could step into a real space and become something people would actually encounter during the event.

The materials needed to work across different venues and moments throughout the event while staying clear for everyone attending, from founders presenting their ideas to visitors discovering the competition and partners following the program.

Competition Time

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Competition Time

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Competition Time ❋ Competition Time ✳︎

… and Action!

Much of the work happens behind the scenes but the competition itself is where everything comes together. Below is a glimpse of the first two editions of the competition.

A group of people gathered for the workshop inside a modern, hexagonal glass-walled venue of Drijvend Paviljoen with a waterfront view and industrial buildings in the background.
A woman in a green dress speaks into a microphone during the finale of NL Startup Competition, standing in front of a large monitor displaying slides, with an audience watching. The background includes colorful decorations and green plants.
Liliac informational display board for NL Startup Competition, featuring the logo and the logos of partners.
A banner thanking partners at the NL Startup Competition workshop, displaying logos of partners and sponsors, and a website URL at the bottom.
A man with glasses and dark hair giving a presentation in front of a large projected screen at a workshop of NL Startup Competition, with a shadow cast behind him.
A group of people celebrating at the finale of the NL Startup Competition event, holding large checks and awards amidst confetti and a festive atmosphere.
Three men having a discussion in a room with large windows and green plants, beside a large purple banner with white and yellow text promoting entrepreneurship and various organizations.
People sitting at round tables and bar-height tables in a modern indoor space during a workshop.
People seated and talking at tables at the workshop, with liliac signs indicating sponsors, large windows on the left, green indoor plants, and a mix of modern furniture.
A woman with a microphone is giving a presentation on a stage in front of an audience in a dimly lit room with purple and orange lighting. A wheelchair is next to her. The audience is seated and watching attentively. There are large screens behind the speaker displaying presentation slides and smaller screens with notes.
Colorful paper folded planes with the 'NL Startup Competition' logo arranged in a fan shape on a black surface.
A man giving a presentation on stage at the NL Startup Competition Finale, with an audience seated in front and a woman standing beside him looking at him.
Crowd of people standing under a sign that reads 'STARTUP STAGE' at the Upstream Festival. Underneath a sign that reads "Join the Finalists" with an arrow above indicating forward.
NL Startup Competition finale with attendees seated, listening to a speaker on stage, with multiple screens, colorful lighting, and a wheelchair visible on the stage during the Upstream Festival.
Three people standing on stage with a large screen behind them displaying the Aestuarium Team, founders, partners, and advisors. The woman on the right is holding a microphone and speaking, the man in the middle is looking at the camera, and the woman on the left is holding notes and looking at the speaker. Stage lights illuminate the scene with purple, green, and blue hues.
Audience members seated and attentively listening to the finalists, with some sitting behind purple branded boxes in a dimly lit room with purple lighting.
Group of people celebrating on stage with large prize checks and confetti. Bright, colorful lighting and a big screen in the background display the event logo, with some people kneeling or sitting in front and others standing behind, smiling and holding awards.