Jan Willem first name Tulp last name
I've spent 15 years building visual systems for organizations where the data is too complex, the stakes too high, or the challenge too unique for standard solutions. What makes my approach different isn't a style or a toolkit — it's a method: Frameshift Design.
Why I work this way
Most data visualization stops at capability: making data visible. I design for transformation — a genuine shift in how someone understands or feels about what the data represents. This requires going further back than the chart type, further back than the dataset itself, all the way to the physical reality the data represents and the intention you want your audience to experience. To achieve this, I don't start from existing templates or conventions. I go back to the data, the system, the real-world phenomenon — and build from there.
Where this comes from
My background spans domains most designers don't move between. I trained as an aircraft mechanic, which gave me a deep understanding of how complex, high-stakes systems work — and fail. I play jazz piano at a high level, which shapes how I think about structure, improvisation, and the relationship between rules and freedom. I love reading and discussing philosophy and cognitive science, which grounds how I think about perception, meaning, and human scale. All of this feeds the Frameshift method.
Recognition
- Permanent collection, Ars Electronica (Institute for New Media Art)
- Exhibited at 1 2 3 Data, The Art of Networks, and others
- Featured in Nature, Scientific American, and leading dataviz publications
- Invited Speaker, European Union (EU), IEEE Visualization Conference, and others
- Keynote speaker, VIZBI (Visualizing Biological Data), and other conferences
- Invited panelist, United Nations IFAD Evaluation
- Workshop leader, World Health Organization (WHO)
- Awarded multiple design awards, including Information is Beautiful Awards and Malofiej Awards
- Jury member for the Information is Beautiful Awards, National Science Foundation and others