How I Work: Thomas Dahm, Founder, Neon Moiré
Thomas Dahm started Neon Moiré as a FOMO project, so that no one misses out on a good event. Design by Barbara Cadorna.
For the past 265 weeks, Neon Moire founder Thomas Dahm has highlighted the best design and creative conferences around the world in his newsletter, Neon Moiré. (He started it as a FOMO project so no one misses a good event.) Today, Neon Moiré is the definitive record keeper of creative events and festivals around the globe. When not running Neon Moiré, the Netherlands resident works on a variety of projects: from Tabletto (a typography game) to designing the new book, Becoming Urban, the transformation story of Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar from primordial to an incubator of alternative urban concepts.
Here, Dahm takes us inside his daily routine, which includes using the nearby Rotterdam airport as his alarm clock; splitting his workday up between the morning and evening to spend the afternoons with his daughter; and why he always starts his day with the project that gives him the most energy.
Thomas Dahm and French Designer Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun. All images courtesy of Dahm.
Rise and Shine
Usually, I wake up a little before seven. I do not get up until I hear the first plane take off from Rotterdam airport. That's every weekday at 07:01 a.m. sharp. I make breakfast for the family and prepare my daughter's lunchbox. I get dressed, and, when we are ready, I take my daughter to school. On the way back, I go through my mental model of all the ongoing projects. There are usually seven to ten projects in various stages. When I get to my desk, I start working on the project that gives me the most energy that morning, even if other projects need to be done as soon as possible. It’s not procrastination; it’s giving an exploration for another project room to grow. This doesn't take long, maybe 30 minutes.
Work Uniform
When I moved to Delft and started working in a co-working space, I felt the pressure to dress up every day. Everyone here dresses so formally. It took me a while to find my “uniform” again. I was really happy when two friends of friends started the fashion brand Ontour with an emphasis on color and materials with a graphic touch. They made it easy to dress sophisticatedly and create a style that felt natural to me. When I started working from home about six years ago, I slowly swapped my blouses for T-shirts paired with a chino, colorful socks, and sneakers.
Dahm working from home.
How I Structure My Day
Currently, my workdays are divided into two parts. The first part has the same schedule as my daughter's school day. Until lunchtime, around 12:30 p.m., I’m in “get things done” mode. This can be anything from designing spreads, a website, or marketing materials to writing my newsletter or code. This is followed by a 15-minute intense workout before lunch. Then it's time to catch up on emails, have meetings, or prospecting before school is out. The second part of my workday starts around nine in the evening. This is filled with “light” work, exploring new layouts or techniques, always future-focused.
Playlist Favorites
I like to work in silence. When listening to music, I prefer electronic music. I don't want to deal with all the emotions from others while working... I use YouTube as my music discovery tool. I listen to the live stream of Lofi Girl or the deep house sessions by Chris Luno. DJs like Job Jobse, Cinnaman, or Honey Dijon also have great sets. Boiler Room sessions are always bangers.
Tabletto, a typography game consisting of ten shapes, with which you can design any letterforms, numbers, and punctuations in all languages.
Tools of the Trade
I work on many different types of projects that my toolbox often changes. The most consistent over the years has been a 15-inch Macbook and InDesign. InDesign is a powerful layout tool, especially when it comes to automating design processes, but it has not really improved since CS6.
Dream Studio
I’ve been working from home for six years. I traveled from room to room. Right now my setup is at the dinner table. For the last couple of weeks, I've been working outside, in our backyard, because the weather has been so nice. Before I moved, I shared a studio with a friend. My dream would be to work with a few friends in the same space again.
One Unique Thing About My Work Process…
Because I work alone, I have trained myself to switch between coding, acquiring, designing, writing, or creating ideas in the blink of an eye when needed. This is possible because I optimize and automate as much as possible, so many tasks run in the background.
Mantra
Follow your gut, and when in doubt, take the risk.
My Brightest Idea that Never Saw the Light of Day
Pass.
To-Do List Item that Keeps Me Up at Night
I have to think hard about this. Work-related things don’t keep me awake at night, maybe family-related issues. I try to solve all problems, tasks, issues, and arguments before going to bed.
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