I dream with others to shape our reality.
Tresen Ernemann
Vision Statement
I believe it is a designer’s role to shape the way we experience life. I value collaboration and unity, seeing design as a form of social intervention to understand and improve our systems.
My dream, my rebellion, is to slow down.
As an artist, I care about intricacy, beauty and emotional impact through the curation of systems and experiences. 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.
Human thought is necessary for genuine change, something that threatens to be undercut by the (mis)use of AI. Yet, It is important to understand and embrace change so that we play a role in writing the future narrative. I believe AI can be used as a tool to slow down by using it to think with, not for us.
I strive to foster a culture of designers that embrace their individuality and provoke innovation for the betterment of our everyday lives. My work with women and feminist design theory inspires me to amplify marginalised voices and communities through design that conforms to their realities, as opposed to them conforming to assumptions.
Painting - “Rain at the Summerhouse” by Tresen Ernemann, 2025
Inspirations, Values and Beliefs
My choice to study design was motivated by my experience with art, 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 closely to animals and the mountains, 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. They 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 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 honour necessity to create value.
Image: My Altar, where I take time to rest and reconnect with my identity.
Design Approach
My design approach is highly collaborative and research-heavy because I prioritize a strong understanding of my clients’ background and the system I am impacting. I follow the Reflective Transformative Design Process (Hummels & Frens, 2009), learnt throughout my bachelor, because it is a systematic approach to deliver consistent, qualitative work that embraces an explorative mindset that allows emergent knowledge to drive direction.
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’ve established workshopping as my essential tool for co-creation between clients, external experts and the core design team. This enriches the outcome for both designer and client, allowing outside expertise to strengthen the outcome. My values in leadership and collaboration, which I credit for my positive project 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 value tangibility in prototypes in order to develop aesthetic richness, which I achieve by collaborating with digital technologies to handcraft.
Value Development
Explore the graph below to see how I have developed and incorporated my design values into my projects and courses throughout the semesters (s1-s6).
