Swag

We may have packed light to get here, but our apartment is filling up fast. This is because every time we head into a business, they load us up with swag. One stereotype of the Dutch is that they are frugal people. Regardless of whether or not this is accurate, I don't think Dutch companies are. Being a designer, I have a insider's perspective as to what it takes to create these freebies, and I realize that someone is reaching deep into their pockets to give us the goods.

The expat market is huge, and there are many give-away publications about life in Holland. All you have to do is say "Hello" and people will start loading up your arms with info about getting settled in your new surroundings.


People realize that often you're not prepared to carry around the info they give you, so it frequently comes in a tas (bag). We have acquired many tassen since living here, which we use for groceries (everyone brings their own to the store). The first tas we were given came in very handy while we were in Spain, as we used it as a place to store our wet towel. Needless to say, we no longer have that tas.


Even when I went to that interview last week, I left with twee boeken (two books), een tijdschrift (a magazine), and een nieuwe tas (a new bag).


We filled out a form to get a membership card at a store, and two weeks later, this 100-page hardbound guide to the country arrived in the mail.


Even our rental company gave us a bottle of wine for signing the contract. The bottle below is the second bottle they've given us (as mentioned in a previous post). The first bottle we opened on our first night in the apartment, and drank it out of measuring cups because our household items had yet to arrive. I drank 175 mL, and Ross drank 150.


But, it's not all corporate swag. We're slowing building a collection of Dutch designed posters and publications. Today's Art, the two-day art festival (get it?) from a couple weekends ago gave away posters, pamphlets, booklets, and the series of mags below. There were five mags in total, but we only scored 4 of them.


Last but not least, my latest acquisition of swag is the inspiration for this post. I went to the bank and opened an account. Because I'm under 33 and have a Bachelors, I qualified for a "Young Professional Package", which is just a bundle account that encourages you to do as much of your banking online as possible. Professional "what" is still up for debate, but the package came with a bunch of loot, including a binder to sort all my statements, etc. That thing that looks like a calculator is actually a security device for internet banking. As I'm online, I have to stick my bank card in that thing, and it will give me a random pin number that I have to enter on the website. Cool eh? Us Young Professionals, we're so internet savvy. And of course, I was given a rip-off Freitag Bag to store all my loot in. Because us Young Professionals, we don't carry briefcases, we carry fluorescent green messenger bags.


This is just a sampling of the swag that hasn't been recycled. There has been so much more stuff! We've also been given lots of black-licorice candy, but-ahem-we don't have that anymore.

All this swag has got me thinking about why graphic design is such a strong industry here. Not only do companies really believe the quality of the materials that reach their customers is a reflection of their services, Holland is a niche market. Anything that is printed in Dutch is most likely designed in The Netherlands. Whereas in Canada, the printed matter that we encounter on a day-to-day basis (even something as minute as a form you fill out at the bank) can be designed anywhere in North America, or England, or anywhere that speaks English, the Dutch are the only ones who speak Dutch, and therefore, someone local designs it.