I dream with others to shape our reality.
Tresen Ernemann
Vision
I believe it is a designer’s role to shape the way we experience life. Having interned with a social design firm, I value collaboration and unity, seeing design as a form of intervention to understand and improve our systems.
A professor of mine, Gabreile Ferri, taught me that imagining a future utopia allows us to break our conformity to the dystopian narrative we all seem to be bracing ourselves for. My dream is to slow down. As an artist, I care about intricacy, beauty and emotional impact. I believe that designs made to last through the relationship people have to them and the quality of their build contribute to sustainability by combatting the cheap consumerist culture that pollutes our planet. I care to foster strong relationships to my designs by engaging with the cultures, identities and dreams of the people they will impact.
That having been said, I value human to human interaction in the design process, which is challenged by the emergence of AI as a technology to circumvent the need to work with people or even work at all. It is important to understand and embrace change rather than cower in fear of a dystopian prison we design for ourselves by being afraid. I believe AI can be used as a tool to slow down by using it to think with, not for us. Consequently, I strive to foster a culture of designers that embrace their individuality and provoke innovation for the betterment of our everyday lives.
Painting - “Rain at the Summerhouse” by Tresen Ernemann, 2025
Professional Identity
Inspirations, Values and Beliefs
My choice to study design was motivated by my experience with art, the theatre and animation. I love the feeling of being transported into a different world and entertained by the stories that are told through visual and spatial aesthetics. This drives my desire to create whimsy and stimulate the senses through worldbuilding and storytelling in a way that challenges the expected norm.
Image 1: Outfit for a maximalist Party - Image 2: Still from my M5 Personal Animation Project - Image 3: Performance with my band, wearing hats we made together
Conversely, having grown up in the mountains skiing and spent time caring for animals, I deeply value the simplicity and thoughtfulness that allows us space to connect with nature and humanity. I prefer to devote energy to designing intentional, detailed and purposeful things that have lasting value for the sake of minimalism that creates such a space and lends itself to sustainability through circularity.
Image 1: Saying hi to horses in my hometown - Image 2: Skiing with my Mom
Where these two philosophies merge is my belief that design should have a soul. I learned during my projects and internship that putting a priority on designing something I love and care about leads to the quality I seek as I strive to find balance between eccentricity and practicality. I have found that I am a social person who thrives in a collaborative, co-creative environment. By involving the culture, identities and natures of the people I design for, I am able to evoke delight and honor necessity to create value.
Image: My Altar, where I take time to rest and reconnect with my identity.
Professional Identity
Strengths, Weaknesses and Skills
I typically follow the Reflective Transformative Design Process, taught to me in my projects at the Tu/e. Designers have the obligation to deliver consistent, qualitative work. However, I find that I struggle to make decisions and inspire my work alone, whereas I am strong at leading collaboration, which has directed me to participatory design.
Image 1: Photo with my course group from Trends and Forecasting after a theatrical presentation - Image 2: First workshop session with clients during my internship with de plannenmannen
Through my internship and projects, I have learnt how to use workshopping as a tool for co-creation that I now consider essential to my process. I this enriches the outcome for both designer and client while teaching me to value and utilise outside expertise. Working with others creates uncertainty which allows me, as someone who tends to think and plan excessively, to direct my next steps iteratively and embrace the natural changes in a design process. My values in collaboration, which I credit for my positive experiences, are communication, complement to individuality, empathy and discipline.
Image 1: Receiving the drill I was gifted after completing my internship - Image 2: Completed prototype I built for my CBL 3, Delice de Magie
I value roundedness and expertise in my skillset such that I may keep myself open to evolving technologies and new opportunities while still possessing the knowledge to make detailed quality work. Thus, I possess a range of skills in analysis & research, design methods, prototyping, communication & organization and digital & language. I have come to prefer handcrafting skills because of the aesthetic interaction they offer over work with electronics and digital technologies where I can overwhelm myself with their complexities or lose engagement. However, I do enjoy the organizational aspects of data processing, which I plan to extend to improving my business skillset in my FBP to develop a marketable system.
Skills
Digital & Physical Art
Animation (Procreate & Processing)
Leatherwork
Woodworking
Sewing & Pattern Making
3D Modelling (f360)
Arduino
Electronic Circuits
Data Analytics
R, Python, Processing
Music Theory & DAWs
User Research
Speculative Design
Storytelling & Fabulation
Interaction Design
Participatory Design
Leadership
Event Planning
Toolkit & Process Development
Business Analysis
Workshop Design
Tools
Fusion 360
Shapr3D
Arduino
Processing (Java)
R-Studio
Python
GarageBand
Sewing (Hand, Machine, Leather)
Watercolour
Acrylic
Clay + Pottery
Carpentry tools
Procreate
Microsoft Office
Canva
Bambu Studio
Cura Ultimaker
Touch Designer
Adobe Illustrator
Light Metalwork