A dynamic information design project about visualising the Netherlands
beyond borders, through movement, exchange and connection.
Context
This project started from the idea of breaking away from the way we usually look at a country.
On traditional maps, the Netherlands appears as a fixed shape, defined by hard borders.
In reality, the Netherlands is shaped by constant flows of people, goods, data, language and ideas.
Everything we use, eat, share or pass on is connected to places outside our borders.
The challenge was to create a new, dynamic visualisation of the Netherlands that shows what truly forms it:
movement, exchange and connection.
Design Challenge
How can the Netherlands be visualised without using borders?
And how can a country be shown through the flows, movements and connections that define it?
Final Concept
After several iterations, sketches and experiments, the concept
Onze Jongens van Oranje developed into a visual translation of movement and connectedness.
The project shows that the Dutch national football team is not a fixed team, but a network of players
with different backgrounds who together form one whole.
Players are first shown in clusters and then spread out into a globe. This makes visible how the team
develops over time. The timeline plays an important role: as the user moves through the years,
the number of players grows and the structure of the visualisation changes.
At specific moments in time, one player is highlighted. This player visually pops out of the group
and tells something about that year or why that moment is meaningful.
