Marenthe Otten

Welcome to the daring world of Marenthe. She invites you in to discover her captivating characters, luscious lettering and bonkers botany. Marenthe is an illustrator of wondrous things, writer, meditation teacher, graphic designer, typographer, concept-maker and adventurer. Her work is radically different and sought after by the sharp and shrewd across the globe.

Marenthe’s sense of adventure began at an early age. The family home in the south Netherlands offered many a make-believe world and plenty of hiding places. The wild garden boasted a forest where Marenthe spent hours playing and discovering.

Marenthe’s parents loved her fiercely and fervently with a feast of experiences and creative nurturing. Her father was a photographer of nature, teacher, writer and believer in beauty. He would often head out in the dead of night armed only with his makeshift shelter and trusty camera to take photos of foxes and deer.

Marenthe got her own camera at the age of 5. “That's where I learned to observe and watch. I took photographs, drew, painted and wrote all the time. I could escape into the forest and my very own world, where the animals were my friends. I spent so much time with my dog, the rabbits, a tame magpie and a jackdaw. My father had 100 owls… I still love drawing flowers, butterflies and birds.”

Her mother was a free spirit and a writer too. She was Marenthe’s guiding light when it came to travel, treasures and crafts. She took Marenthe with her on her travels to far-flung places, exhibitions and cultural activities. Marenthe was inspired and hooked. She dried flowers, sewed textiles, made jams and collected keepsakes. She knitted her own pullovers (and by the age of 15 had filled her wardrobe with 20 self-made items of clothing). The piles of 1950s and '60s magazines in her mother's attic provided another source of raw material.

Marenthe studied at the Academy of Arts, Graphic Design and Illustration in Belgium, graduating cum laude in 1994. Soon after, Marenthe co-founded Studio 't Brandt Weer. She was instrumental in the company's development and success for 10 years, producing cutting edge designs that gained the Studio acclaim across the Netherlands.

In 2009 she decided to start all over and took her own name for her new company: Marenthe.

Marenthe retains the playful, eclectic wonder she discovered as a child. She travels extensively and often revisits her collection of paraphernalia (or her mum's attic) to find more creative inspiration.

Marenthe has a passion for creating and an unquashable desire to share the wonders of nature, love and happiness with the world. She does this from her studio in The Hague, looking out over a beautiful garden visited, this time, by animals of the city.

Marenthe’s list of clients includes POST NL (Dutch Royal Mail), The Children's Book Museum, Succes Agenda and Philips. International clients include Musee Corse (Museum of Corsica, France), Elle Girl Korea and Roger La Borde London.

Marenthe’s work has been recognised in Europe, Asia and the United States. She has won a number of prestigious international awards, including a European Design Award (silver) and Merits from the Art Directors Club, New York. Marenthe was shortlisted for an award from the Type Directors Club Tokyo and has been nominated several times for the Dutch Design Awards.

As well as Marenthe (the brand), Marenthe (the person) founded popje.com and designs a celebratory array of birth and wedding cards and stationery.

Marenthe loves yoga, meditation, delicious food, flowers, reading books, writing and cooking.