From Artemis student to art director at PLNKTN – Robin de Rooij's sustainable journey

At Artemis, I truly got to know myself and discovered what drives me: sustainability. With every project, I challenged myself to integrate this theme." This mindset undoubtedly convinced PLNKTN to hire the newly graduated Robin de Rooij. Within a year, she grew from all-round creative concept developer to art director, shaping the brand and visual identity of this sustainable B-Corp. "At Artemis, I had already spent four years working on sustainability, and my passion for it had fully taken root. The program gave me the space to truly make the topic my own. Discovering and developing that inner drive before entering the job market is what sets you apart from other starters.

Inspiring millennials and Gen Z to make responsible choices

Robin (25) graduated from Artemis a year ago. Her journey toward sustainability had already taken shape during her studies. In 2024, she presented her graduation project at Dutch Design Week: the B Visual App. This app shares information about B Corps.* "Some people may have heard of B Corps, but what do they actually stand for? How do you become one, and what do the scores mean?" The app, which served as her final project and has not (yet) been launched, was Robin’s way of answering those questions. "The year before, during my case study with Renoon - a company that develops digital passports for fashion brands - I started wondering: there's a lot of information about sustainable brands, but what are we actually doing with it? How are we supposed to interpret it? My generation is willing to live more sustainably, but we often don’t know how. Sustainability can feel complicated because of all the text. By visualizing information and presenting complex sustainability concepts in an accessible and engaging way, my goal with the app was to inspire millennials and Gen Z to make responsible choices."

Responsible choices in nutrition

One of those responsible choices involves health - specifically, nutrition. B Corp PLNKTN integrates algae into daily diets. As they state on their website, scientists and researchers have pointed to the power of algae for years - not just as the food of the future, but as one of the smartest ways to balance our health and the planet. What Patagonia did for clothing, Oatly for dairy, and Tony’s Chocolonely for chocolate, PLNKTN wants to do for food. It’s up to Robin to make that mission - and all information about plankton - accessible and engaging, so that consumers are inspired to make responsible choices. “It’s crazy that I already have this kind of position at such a cool brand. Algae fascinate me - there’s so much potential in this tiny organism I honestly had never heard of before. I strive to live sustainably myself, so what I get to contribute here at PLNKTN is incredibly exciting. What I started at Artemis is the future - every brand wants to move in this sustainable direction, and they should. Let me be the creative who brings that message to life and makes it accessible.”

Impact of Artemis

For Robin, it is beyond doubt that Artemis helped her become who she is today. "At Artemis, your intrinsic motivation is constantly challenged with questions like: Why are you doing this? What is it really about? The focus is on creative development and social relevance, which helps you grow further as a person and creator. As a student, you often don’t realize this during the program, but looking back, I see how Artemis contributed to who I am now and where I stand."

Robin de Rooij (25) graduated from Artemis Academy in 2024 and is art director at PLNKTN – www.plnktn.com | @plnktn_official

A B Corp, or Benefit Corporation, is a company committed to more than just making profit. It is a certified status that shows a company focuses on positive social and environmental impact alongside financial performance. B Corps aim to balance People, Planet, and Profit, and their performance in these areas is assessed by B Lab. The Netherlands has over 700 B Corps, and worldwide there are now more than 8,500 B Corps.