The Life of a Digital Nomad Brand Designer

Meet Youri van den Hurk, a brand designer who runs his business remotely while travelling the world. From backpacking Australia to building brand identities for scaleups from wherever he lands, he shares his slowmad journey, the tools that keep him productive, and what the digital nomad life really takes.

We go way back, from working side by side in the travel shop in Cairns, Australia. What made you take that leap?

I had already travelled a lot and wanted to combine work with travel. I was a graphic designer back then, which I have since taken further into brand design. In those first years I was not taking it too seriously, just enjoying the backpacker vibes and chasing the sun. After an Asia trip I started thinking about where I could actually combine work and travel, ideally something design related.

The answer was Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.

I looked for work in the graphic industry but quickly realised the backpacker job market there is not aimed at career roles. So I fell back on my sales experience and became a travel agent, which is where we met in Cairns. I started in Sydney, spent time in Byron Bay and worked my way up the East Coast. It was my first real taste of work and travel as one.

You have run your design company for over 10 years now. What kind of work are you focused on these days?

The first few years were a trial run where I took whatever came my way, designing for friends and friends of friends. Over time I professionalised and narrowed right down to brand design. Purely brand identities and everything around them, logos, websites, and the strategy underneath it all.

These days I work almost entirely with funded scaleups. Companies growing fast that need a brand that can keep up with them. A recent example is the brand identity and strategy work I did for Opereit. That is where the work is most interesting for me. The ambition and budgets are there, and I get the room to do things properly instead of justifying every decision. I share more of this on LinkedIn and my website.

Where else have you lived and worked along the way?

All over. After art school I had a job lined up in Spain, which I combined with my own design work, then spent seven months around Asia. When Covid hit I was in New Delhi and got out on one of the last embassy flights. After some time in Europe I met my partner Anne, a personal trainer and nutrition coach who also works as a digital nomad. We spent about a year in South America, mostly Mexico, then Colombia and Peru, before heading back to Asia. Portugal is home base when we are not moving, but the honest answer to "where are you based" is that I am a bit all over the place. As I write this, I am in Bali.

You have decided to slow down a bit. The term slowmads was born.

Yeah. In the last few years we slowed down a lot, settling into a place for a month or two rather than bouncing every few days. People underestimate how draining it is to constantly move, find a new gym, a new supermarket, work out where to eat, all while still having work to do. So we do the slow version. Not as slow as some, but enough to actually focus and do good work instead of being on the run constantly. It is all about balance.

What do you love most about working remote?

The freedom and flexibility. How good is it to hit the beach after a full work week, or take salsa classes after work like we did in South America. That is the essence of it, the freedom to explore, see new places and try new food and cultures while still getting your work done.

It is hard at times, but the lifestyle and quality of life make it worth it in every way.

What are the main challenges?

The usual: bad desks, bad internet, and time zones. Sometimes a meeting lands right at dinner time wherever you are. My partner often takes calls after dinner because she works with American clients. It is the price you pay, and it is worth it.

How do you stay productive?

Figma and Adobe for the work itself, so I can jump into files and share them live with clients. I switched from Calendly to Cal.com for scheduling. LinkedIn is my main channel for leads, that is where I post and stay top of mind. Google Workspace handles everything else.

Do you identify as a digital nomad?

Definitely. The way I see it, there is the office worker, the hybrid worker who still gets called back in, the remote worker who travels occasionally but mostly stays put, and then the digital nomad, who decides for themselves where they are and when the work gets done. The lines blur and it does not really matter what you call it. What matters is that it works for you and your clients, and that comes down to communication.

Where are you travelling next?

All over the place. Right now I am in Bali. I went through a phase of slowing right down, but the urge to keep moving never left, and Anne feels the same. I do not always know where I will be in a few months and I have made my peace with that. It used to feel scary, now it is just the lifestyle.

Slow when we want to be, moving when we want to be. That freedom is the whole point.

How do you meet like-minded people on the road?

Sport, mostly. Wherever I land I look for a padel crowd, it is one of the easiest ways to meet people and stay active. In Cape Town we played beach volleyball every Thursday with a group of nomads and entrepreneurs. A lot of it starts in Facebook and WhatsApp groups, so just join whatever you can find and ask around. One of those groups even invited me to talk about design on stage at a nomad event.

How do you handle travel insurance as a nomad?

We Dutch are a little obsessed with having everything insured. The good news is there are plenty of options that cover you worldwide no matter where you are from. Genki is a great choice for international nomads, and if you are Dutch the Allianz Globetrotter is solid too.

Any favourite destinations around the world?

Honestly, every country and place has its own charm, it all depends on what you are looking for. For digital nomads specifically though, Bali or any big capital is definitely the best place to be.

Don't forget to connect with this talented man.