freelance grafisch ontwerp den haag

Portfolio

PF_Updated

about

Hi,

My name is Nick van Balken – nvanbalken for short – and I am the freelance designer for graphic design and website design from the The Hague, the Netherlands. You have come to the right place for modern, functional, accessible and affordable content, website design, DTP or custom graphic design. Is your business, collective, (social) organization or start-up ready for a fresh start? Or have you been busy for a while already but would you like to take the next step in professionalizing your website, corporate identity, print or promotional material? Then take a look around my portfolio and be inspired. Are you looking for something specifically? Then take a look at my service page around Website design or Graphic Design, DTP & Printing. Have you seen enough already and are you ready to dive into a fruitful collaboration? Then get in touch right away!

Personal story

I have always been a maker and am convinced that you do not only gain skills and knowledge during your work or education but especially in your spare time and during your hobbies. Whether it concerns music, art, design, or technology, in my spare time I am also busy with projects that help me develop myself as broadly as possible. That's why you won't find just one specialization in my portfolio , but next to graphic design, DTP, web design and promotional material also guitar building and design, product design, and furniture building, so that you as a customer get a versatile view of my skills and sources of inspiration. A strong visual design and efficient workflow can be implemented anywhere!

Background

I graduated from the faculty of Industrial Product Design from the TU Delft in 2017 where I was introduced to the profession of a designer in the broadest sense of the word. Through a broadly applicable design process, I learned to think in terms of solutions, which are not only limited to an innovative product but also come in the form of a streamlined user experience, sleek graphic representation, or an efficient production process. 

Immediately after my university degree I started working at Aristides Instruments, where I was able to combine my profession as a designer with my passion for music and instruments. This high-end custom guitar building company in Haarlem follows a design-driven approach to the traditional profession of guitar-making and luthiery, which made it the perfect workplace to develop myself as a designer and instrument builder at the same time. For three years I was involved in the production process as a Junior Graphic & Product Designer and was responsible for custom vector and graphic design, production optimization, CAD, CAM and writing CNC programs.

In 2021, I decided to continue as a freelance designer and offer the broad experience I gained during my work and university degree on a self-employed basis. More than two years later I have executed all kinds of different projects in the field of content, website design, DTP and graphic design and I have been able to build a respected customer base of companies and organizations that regularly use my functional, modern and affordable design solutions. 

Did you get interested in working together? Get in touch for a call or meeting so we can get started!

Software skills

Graphic Design, DTP & Printing

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign

Website Design & Content Management

WordPress
Elementor
Visual Composer
Divi Builder
MailChimp
Google Workspace

Product Design & CAD/ CAM

SolidWorks
AutoCAD

CV

Reviews

View my profile at Freelancer.nl | Trustoo.nl

Aristides Guitars
Vector & Graphic Design
Read More
"At Aristides Guitars we have been working with Nick for years as the permanent designer of our custom fretboard inlays and complex graphic designs for guitars. Nick works quickly, is creative and consistently ensures satisfied guitarists with his designs!"
Federatie Huurders Commerciële Sector
Website & Graphic Design
Read More
"During the construction of our new website, Nick turned out to be full of good ideas and delivered everything on time. His feedback with questions and proposals was appreciated and the final website fully meets our expectations. Even after the first delivery, Nick continued to proactively make improvements, proposals, and minor adjustments. We have therefore decided to retain Nick as our webmaster so that future adjustments run smoothly."
TooDesign
DTP & Interactive PDFs
Read More
“Nick was fast and accurate! He has a lot of knowledge in his field and he came up with solutions. In short, a good collaboration.”
Press Art
DTP & Printing
Read More
“It was a pleasure to work with Nick. Quick delivery and perfectly executed. That leaves us wanting for more.”
Taal in Blokjes
Website & Graphic Design
Read More
“Very reliable and with good suggestions. We are very happy and are looking forward to having a fruitful collaboration.”
en_GB