VIZO
Commissioner
The Vlaams Instituut voor het Zelfstandig Ondernemen (VIZO, Flemish Institute for Independent Entrepreneurship) is a governmental institution of the Flemish Community for independent entrepreneurs, established by decree by the Flemish Government. VIZO was founded in 1991 with different missions: firstly, to guarantee the quality of the education of the ‘independent entrepreneur’, secondly, to offer them technical advice and thirdly, the impact that design could have on entrepreneurship. For this third purpose, the design department was established , which had a broad vision of the term design. VIZO was a governmental organisation which distributed a quality label to designers through a jury commission happening two times a year. They could then enjoy being part of the network and be promoted by the organisation.
The service, headed by Johan Valcke, also organized exhibitions in the 1990s. They published the magazine “Kwintessens” and, since 1993, awarded the Henry van de Velde prizes and organized the exhibitions linked to them. Afterwards, these activities were taken over the organisation Design Vlaanderen and today could be related to Flanders DC.
VIZO also published the magazine Kwintessens four times a year, with English and Dutch text, highlighting the different works by Flemish designers from their network. Each issue was designed by a different designer or studio, promoting graphic designers in what they do best. From 1992 until 2006, Kwintessens is a wonderful collection of what a magazine design can be, from sober to more exuberant choices.
VIZO also organised various exhibitions at home and abroad to promote and research Belgian design. They had a gallery space in Brussels, where they also exhibited the winners of the Henry van de Velde Awards, initiated in 1993. In 2004, VIZO became Design Vlaanderen under the authority of the Ministry of Finance, with the aim to promote designers and their productions until 2016. Design Vlaanderen then merged into Flanders DC for the promotion of creative entrepreneurship, which is still active today with a broader focus on design and fashion.