Experimental Jetset & Paradiso
15 July, 2026
Experimental Jetset, the Amsterdam-based graphic design collective, created a visual style that has since become inextricably linked to Paradiso. Their designs are part of a poster culture that has become an integral part of both Paradiso and the Amsterdam streetscape. We paid tribute to that collaboration in the form of merchandise. But first, more about that collaboration, and about Experimental Jetset itself.
Experimental Jetset consists of Marieke Stolk, Erwin Brinkers, and Danny van den Dungen. Between 1995 and 1999, Experimental Jetset designed various posters and flyers for Paradiso, through which they became closely involved with the venue. It began in 1995 with a series of flyers for ‘Paradisco’—at a time when they were still at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, incidentally—which were so well received that Paradiso asked them in mid-1996 to design a permanent program poster: a template for a three-weekly announcement of all concerts.
Holes in design as a reference to the surroundings
Experimental Jetset’s plan was to create a poster that would reference its surroundings. Therefore, when designing the program posters, they were guided by the location where the poster would hang – poster walls at cafes and record stores.
“The walls were completely covered with layers of posters. We liked the idea of doing something with this concept of layering. That is why we designed a poster with holes. On a poster wall, the posters underneath would be visible through these holes, creating unexpected frames.” - Experimental Jetset
From cafe wall to museum hall
For over 20 years now, museum-quality program posters have been hanging in those cafes, record stores, and other public spaces – for instance, the A0 Overview Poster is in the collection of the SFMOMA in San Francisco, alongside other work by the collective included in the Stedelijk Museum and the MoMA in New York. Their T-shirt print 'John & Paul & Ringo & George' (2001) has also grown into a worldwide classic. Although Marieke, Erwin, and Danny's influences are broad and varied, their graphic language is closely linked to modernist movements on the one hand, and subcultural counter-movements (punk, provo, etc.) on the other.
Support for Paradiso
Experimental Jetset does not often design clothing, but the times they did, it was an instant worldwide success. During the corona pandemic, the collective created this design specifically for Paradiso, entirely selflessly, to provide extra support.
Tribute in the form of merchandise
Paradiso has been collaborating with the Amsterdam collective for over 20 years. Their minimalist style can be found on countless posters, flyers, and other materials that have largely defined the face of Paradiso. For the special merchandise collection, Experimental Jetset translated that rich poster culture into (among other things) two T-shirts: 'Blow-Up' and 'Zoom-Out', available for both adults and children.
“Regarding the design of the T-shirts, the main inspiration was the idea of ‘poster culture’ (the flow of information through the streets of the city), and the role of Paradiso within this culture.” - Experimental Jetset
Want to discover Experimental Jetset merchandise?
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