Cool, Ethical, Dutch
20th August 2014
I’d been wanting to revisit Holland for a while, after being inspired by Dutch designers like Droog on my design degree (see Emily’s blog on Hotel Droog). When one of my friends from university got a graphic design job at a cool, ethical, Dutch company I jumped at the chance to go and visit her. She is working for Fairphone, they make smart phones that put social values first by doing things such as using recycled or more sustainably mined materials and giving factory workers safe conditions and fair wages.
Check out more about the company here:
My favorite part of the trip was simply exploring Amsterdam’s beautiful streets, some with canals meandering through the center, but few with busy roads as so many people get around by bike. Therefore it was brilliant when on the last day of our trip we did a free walking tour around the city and got to find out how it came to look how it does today. It was great to learn more about the rich history of a city that sometimes gets a bad name for its seedy side. This, according to our tour guide, is actually down to its great tolerance of things that don’t do any harm for the greater good of the city. I would certainly recommend a visit this beautiful, inspirational city and make a walking tour one of your first stops of the trip!
