about – Remco Homberg

Hoi* I am Remco

* Hoi means hey in Dutch

With over 20 years of experience at agencies, organisations and in freelancing, I am passionate about adding value to design-aware organisations and helping creative-minded teams to excel. I am an advocate for useful design.

I work with a strategic, yet pragmatic and no-nonsense mindset and will always strive to find the most simple way to communicate and make it look damn sexy as well.

My career

My career started back in 2001, right after finishing my studies at the Willem de Kooning Academy of Arts in Rotterdam and the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. I began as an illustrator under the name Panc, creating pixel art for magazines, campaigns, icons, and small animations.

After about eight years, I felt it was time to broaden my skills and start working with other creatives. That’s when I joined several design agencies, where I got to explore the worlds of user experience, digital design, branding, and creative direction.

After twelve years in agency life, I moved to a.s.r. verzekeringen, one of the largest insurance companies in the Netherlands, where I became Design Lead. I built and coached a team of more than twenty UX designers, visual designers, and UX researchers, and was responsible for all things digital communication.

In 2023, after a short time as a creative director, I decided to return to my roots as a freelancer. As a creative lead, I now combine everything I’ve learned over the past two decades — from hands-on design to strategy and leadership — into the work I love most.

My expertise

Design discovery and strategy

Good design starts with asking the right questions: What do people really need? What goals is the business trying to achieve? What defines the brand? And what challenges or opportunities are easy to overlook? To answer these, I talk to users, look at data, run workshops, and bring all insights together to understand the bigger picture.

Once we know the landscape, we can start shaping solutions. I create and test early ideas, map out customer journeys, and build simple prototypes. By trying things out with real users, we can see what works and adjust before investing too much time or money. From the very beginning, I involve stakeholders, users, and teams. This collaboration builds shared ownership and ensures that the results create real value for both the organisation and its customers.

Leading creative teams

I’ve managed both large and small design teams, helping designers and researchers grow in skills and confidence. For me, leadership means enabling others to do their best work. I guide teams from quick fixes toward building a clear, long-term vision. I encourage initiative, celebrate progress, and make sure people feel proud of the difference they make. Creative teams do their best when they feel real ownership, my role is to provide the space, direction, and energy for that to happen.

Design (UX / UI / product)

I began as an illustrator and visual designer, and later expanded into UX design, because design is most powerful when it solves real problems. I enjoy turning complex or abstract topics into clear, intuitive experiences, whether for apps, websites, platforms, tools, or even physical products. I work closely with developers, data and content specialists, and other designers to bring ambitious ideas to life and make them practical and usable. My work always starts with context, purpose and the needs of real people.