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Niek Van EschNV

Niek Van Esch

Digital Art Director & Design/UX Chief

€880/day
Raalte, NL
15+ years

Average response time: 1 hour

Freelancer profile translated to English.
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About Niek

I am a design leader and creative thinker with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of UX, product, art direction, and digital strategy. What characterizes me is that I can translate complex systems and abstract technology into clear, human experiences. I enjoy working on issues where design not only beautifies but also provides direction for behavior, trust, and meaning.

In addition to my professional work, I am strongly interested in digital autonomy, ethics, and the impact of technology on our daily lives. I draw energy from building strong teams, coaching talent, and challenging existing thought patterns. Curiosity, sharpness, and a clear vision form the common thread in everything I do.

My expertise lies in UX and product strategy, art direction, and design leadership, with a strong focus on scalable digital ecosystems. I work at the intersection of vision and execution and help organizations translate complex digital issues into clear choices and consistent experiences.

Within teams and organizations, I focus on strengthening design maturity, developing clear design guidelines, and guiding digital transformations. My ambition is to use design as a strategic instrument that helps organizations remain future-proof, with technology that is designed to be human-centered, responsible, and sustainable.
  • Dutch

    Native or bilingual

  • Portuguese

    Native or bilingual

  • English

    Fluent

Remote only
Primarily works remotely

Experience

  • CENTRAAL BEHEER
    Digital Art Director & Design Lead for Division Centraal Beheer
    January 2024 - Today (2 years and 5 months)
    Apeldoorn, GE, Netherlands
    Running Projects
    - Head of Design & Art Director for the total rebrand of Avéro Achmea, a top-3 intermediary insurance brand with nearly €1B turnover.
    - Art Director for the Centraal Beheer rebrand, in collaboration with TBWA/Neboko.
    - Core Team Member of the Centraal Beheer’s Digital Channels Strategy 2030, where we focus on a long term vision for our new Digital Eco-System

    Day-to-Day Impact
    - Driving product-wide improvements and developing new digital concepts.
    - Applying Design Thinking and facilitating sprints & co-creation sessions.
    - Strengthening brand consistency across digital channels.
    - Building design maturity within the Design Centre of Excellence.
    - Coaching and mentoring design specialists in their professional and personal growth.
    - Providing art direction for Centraal Beheer, Avéro Achmea, and FBTO.
    Art Direction Digital Leadership Design Leadership Brand Design Brand Strategy
  • Centraal Beheer
    UX Lead & Digital Art Director for Financial Services
    September 2023 - January 2024 (4 months)
    Apeldoorn, GE, Netherlands
    - Led product-wide improvements and introduced new service concepts to enhance customer experience in financial services.
    - Embedded Design Thinking practices across teams, facilitating high-impact sprints and co-creation sessions to accelerate innovation.
    - Advanced UX maturity, strengthening design as a strategic driver for business transformation.
    - Directed digital art direction with a focus on brand consistency across web platforms, aligning design execution with business strategy.
    - Guided the Design Community, building collective maturity and expertise in digital design.
    - Developed creative concepts and branding strategies that balanced customer needs with business objectives.
  • Independer
    UX & Growth Lead - Art Director
    January 2021 - August 2021 (7 months)
    Hilversum, NH, Netherlands
    Led product-wide improvements, new features, and concept innovation in line with Independer’s strategic goals.
    Facilitated design sprints and creative workshops to drive cross-functional alignment and accelerate delivery.
    Advanced a growth culture within Online Marketing and Digital Product teams, coaching specialists to experiment with agility and a user-first mindset.
    Oversaw multi-channel brand consistency, ensuring cohesive storytelling and design execution across digital touchpoints.

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Education

  • Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, Growth Hacking Crash Course, Introduction to Web Accessibility.
    Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, Growth Hacking Crash Course, Introduction to Web Accessibility.
  • Bachelor's Degree
    Cibap vakschool voor verbeelding
    2003
    Bachelor's Degree

Skill set

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