A photo of Yoel

Hoi!* My name's Yoel.

*that's 'hello' in Dutch.

full name

Yoel Martherus

location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

experience

12+ years

happy customers

50+

projects completed

250+

The 'Y' in my name stands for 'why', because there should always be a good reason behind everything we do in design.*

*This heading seemed like a winner while writing this, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t cringe at it later, and will not be held accountable for the writings of my past self. Thank you for understanding.

What I do

I thrive in dynamic work environments where I can use as many of my skills as possible and collaborate with talented individuals to create something that just works. I've worked for companies in North America, Europe, and Asia, spanning industries such as tech, finance, sustainability, B2B, music, retail, and more. My goal is to help my clients transform their ideas into realities. To me, design isn't just about making something look nice; it's about successfully conveying the right message.

Working with me

I'm motivated by the enthusiasm of others and enjoy working with talented people from all walks of life to broaden my perspective as much as possible. I approach my peers with the utmost respect, but I'm not afraid to disagree. I don't usually hold my tongue, and I’ll gladly take the L if I'm wrong. I prefer all parties involved to be receptive to constructive feedback, and I highly value open communication.

My perspective

With my finger on the pulse of contemporary culture and a keen understanding of marketing psychology and user experience design, I'm able to create work that is fully market-oriented—whatever that market may be. I always look at my work from multiple perspectives to ensure the right message gets across. Good design should be visually sound, yes; but making executive decisions that resonate with the desired target audiences is just as important.

Behind the curtain

The origin story

My trajectory toward a creative career became apparent very early on. I was messing around in MS Paint before I could even read. By age 10, I was creating fan-made Habbo Hotel furniture and Pokémon sprites, which I sometimes still do to unwind. While other 14-year-olds were getting summer jobs at grocery stores, I was designing flyers on my (pirated) Photoshop. School was never my thing: though I wasn't getting the best grades in art school, I thrived at both of the companies I interned at– both ultimately decided hiring me. From there, it didn't take very long for me to go independent and become my own boss. I’ve learned so much since then, and I’m still learning today.

Present-day Yoel

I put on my (extremely cool) trousers one leg at a time and I sing under the shower. I'm very aware my neighbors can hear me, but I can't say I give a shit. I enjoy bad music, mediocre tv shows, and a good video essay. When I'm not working, I'm probably still doing something creative; I feel the most at peace when I'm making things. My roommate is a cat, I'm a Leo, and I'm an awful cook. Please consider sponsoring my takeout dependence so I won’t have to risk lighting my kitchen on fire. I literally just repainted it.

Why read about me if we could just have a chat?

I could sit around and revise the copy on this page to make myself seem cool forever, but it's probably much more efficient for you to just book a meeting. Let me know what you're up to!