Must Know

I founded my web development studio, Système D, in the mid-1990s, at a time when the web was still largely uncharted territory in Belgium. From that early engagement with the digital medium grew a practice dedicated to digital design for the arts and cultural field. Since then, I have designed and developed websites and digital platforms for museums, cultural institutions, festivals, architects and artists, including S.M.A.K., M HKA, Beursschouwburg, Festival van Vlaanderen, De Bijloke, STAM, De Witte Raaf, LUCA School of Arts, Museum M, STUK and deSingel.

At LUCA School of Arts, I serve as programme coordinator for the Visual Design cluster, with a focus on Graphic Design, and for all master’s programmes on the Ghent campus. I supervise master’s students and teach digital design within the Graphic Design studio.

My work centres on the relationship between design and technology, and on how digital tools and automation reshape the position of the designer. I examine the specific parameters of digital design and how they influence students’ visual literacy. Particular attention goes to emerging technologies, including generative AI, and to the ways designers and users can engage with them critically and inventively.

A recurring question in this context concerns authorship. As users increasingly participate in shaping content and layout – often in collaboration with algorithmic systems – the designer no longer fully determines the outcome. This raises the question of whether the role of the graphic designer is shifting from maker to director, and how design can retain clarity, authorship and character within such distributed forms of production.

Alongside my design practice, I am part of the pool of experts for ‘Kunstendecreet’ and serve on the Project Assessment Committee for Architecture and Design of the Flemish Government, Department of Culture, Youth and Media. Across these roles, I connect education, research and professional practice, and work to strengthen the exchange between these domains.

https://www.systeme-d.com

If you could recommend anything relevant to graphic design, what would it be?

Must Know is the master's project of Kato Van Nerom, a Graphic Design student at LUCA School of Arts Ghent. Must Know is a curated website that publishes recommendations related to graphic design every two weeks. This project started from a desire to learn more about other designers and techniques within graphic design. With this project, I aim to share knowledge about graphic design in a simple and accessible way with fellow students and other interested readers.

By asking designers for their three absolute recommendations, Must Know aims to provide inspiration in the field of graphic design, without relying on algorithms or selections made by me. All recommendations are published online exactly as submitted, so the designer themselves is responsible for all information regarding their recommendation.

Intrigued to share your own must-knows as well? You can do so via the button 'Upload Your Must Knows Here' below. Enjoy the website, hopefully you’ll discover some new favourites along the way. :)

Must Know - Online recommendation platform for Graphic Design

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