The Brand Identity
Interview w/ Brent van den Elshout, 2024Read more
Ain’t the new kid on the block: Ozon Studio is a young practice, backed by years of experience
Although they didn’t know it at the time, growing up, Tim Tijink and Brent van den Elshout were interested in the same things. Music had a great influence on both their lives – when Tijink was creating album covers while in primary school, van den Elshout was making his own compilations of electronic music and crafting custom artworks for them. These interests in music and design grew over time, and when they met in 2020 and began collaborating, they became common strands that brought both their creative worlds together. Having worked as freelancers for many years, they first joined forces to create an identity for Minimal Collective, a music, art, and technology-focused publication and events platform co-founded by van den Elshout. What followed was a slew of collaborations, until they decided to set up shop together. And so, they founded Ozon Studio in Amsterdam, where Tijink is the Designer & Art Director, while van den Elshout oversees creative direction, strategy and communication.
In a sense, the studio was long in the making. Launched in 2024, Ozon is where the duo showcase their recent projects, and also carve out a space for the kind of collaborations they’re looking for. Sifting through their work, it’s not hard to see that music and art – and culture at large – continue to inspire them, and the projects they shape. Together, they’ve created identities for many festivals, organisations and clubs, each dipped in the kind of clarity, grit and honesty that only comes with years of experience. We sat down for a conversation with the two Co-founders to learn why starting Ozon was the “logical next step” for them, how applying a “cultural lens” helps them to grasp deeper meanings behind brands, and what the future holds for the young, yet experienced studio.
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