Danny Meijer
UX & visual design leader shaping craft, and the future of AI-powered design.
I'm a Dutch design lead with 18 years of experience. I set the craft bar for digital products — and help teams raise it, from strategy to the last pixel.
Selected work
A personal healthcare assistant in your pocket, built on a multi-label design system — I shaped the UX and strategy.
As lead designer, I redesigned Eneco Zakelijk for better conversion and sharper brand messaging.
Guiding the strategic exploration for the Netherlands’ largest medical information platform.
Redesigning the flagship website of one of the world’s largest retailers.
About me.
In my 18 years as a designer I have learned that design is a powerful growth engine for brands. In an AI-driven world, successful digital products are built at the intersection of brand strategy, technology, and human behavior.
I help organizations turn complexity into clear, scalable experiences that strengthen brand perception, drive adoption, and deliver measurable business results.
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01
Craft direction & mentoring
8 years building and coaching design teams — including a team of 8 designers — with structured critique, career growth and a shared quality bar.
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Product & visual design
From IA to pixel-level UI. Accessible by default and built on design systems in Figma.
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Design & product strategy
Product strategies that connect craft to business impact — and experiences that drive adoption.
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Pitching, concepting & storytelling
I turn briefs into compelling stories, concepts and pitches — and then deliver on them in the execution.
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AI workflows & DesignOps
Part of iO's AI-DesignOps team: bringing AI into the design workflow so teams spend more time on the work that matters.
Trusted by brands and people who aren’t afraid to stand out.
Working with Danny meant having a design leader who stayed calm under pressure, navigated complexity effortlessly, and consistently pushed both the work and the team beyond expectations.
Danny is conceptually strong and turns complex ideas into user-friendly, well-considered solutions — nothing he makes is arbitrary. He tells a compelling story in a pitch, and then delivers on it in the execution.
Danny consistently combines exceptional UX and visual design talent with a calm, collaborative approach — delivering thoughtful, high-quality work that makes him an invaluable asset to any team.
Danny brings clarity, creativity, and genuine leadership to every project — always pushing both the work and the people around him forward.
Good questions.
I hope these answer your questions, if not don't hesitate to drop me a line.
What kind of work do you do best?
Complex digital products and ecosystems where strategy and craft have to meet — end-to-end product design, design systems, redesigns that need to convert, and setting the creative direction for multidisciplinary teams. I'm equally comfortable leading the craft across a team, advising senior stakeholders, or designing hands-on. If a challenge needs both sharp thinking and a high quality bar, that's where I do my best work.
Where do you work?
I'm based in Hoef & Haag, in the middle of the Netherlands, and work hybrid — regularly in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. I do my best work embedded in a team: close to the people, the work and the decisions.
How do you approach a new design challenge?
I start with understanding — the business goals, the users, and the gap between them. Before any sketching or prototyping, I want to be clear on what success actually looks like. From there I move through strategy, concept, and iterative design, keeping stakeholders close throughout. I believe good design is 20% craft and 80% clarity — if everyone understands the problem the same way, the solution usually follows naturally.
How do you lead and mentor designers?
It's one of the things I enjoy most. I've spent the past 8 years building and leading design teams at Avanade and iO Digital — from culture and methodology to DesignOps and creative direction. I coach through structured critique, clear standards and room to experiment, so the quality bar is something the whole team owns, not just me.
Do you speak at events or run workshops?
Yes. I'm a keynote speaker at UX Rotterdam 2027, and I've spoken at the iO Innovation Summit and Emerce E-Day. I'm open to conferences, company events and in-house workshops — particularly on design leadership, craft, and the intersection of AI and human-centred design. See Speaking & writing.
Speaking & writing
All writing →- Keynote · 2027 UX Rotterdam Announced as keynote speaker (opens in a new tab)
- TalkiO Innovation SummitAI & UX
- TalkEmerce E-DayDesigning chatbots that transform business
- ExpertAvanade InspireSubject matter expert
Building a product or a design practice? Let’s talk.
Send me an email: meetme@dannymeijer.nl
Find me on LinkedIn