The Ponder Lab came to be around a point where I, being very frustrated, had to make a big decision. I could continue designing - a passion of mine since the age of 9 - at a marketing agency that delivered work that customers weren’t happy with, or I could start by myself from scratch but doing things differently.

It’s worth saying that everyone has different tastes and methodologies, but if you charge a premium, you cannot rush yet leave clients with stale results that they cannot connect with - this is a consequence of myopic thinking. Sadly, countless business owners - regardless of whatever solutions to whichever problems they provide - function this way. What this means is that they have hit the unavoidable wall entrepreneurs encounter, where they not only fail their customers but fail themselves by being inconsistent with their mission and promise.

With trends making it easier than ever to start a business - which in itself is fantastic and even favoured - further short-sightedness could threaten their success. And to the outside world, this means that even more clutter and distrust is looming on the horizon.

As is evident, I chose the latter option - and founded The Ponder Lab in February 2020 to serve as an antidote to myopic thinking, elevating brands and giving them meaning in an era of increased clutter and declined trust.

We like to hasten, take shortcuts and avoid failure as much as possible, yet, most of the time, the answer to success is simple, had we have not gotten caught up in jargon, acronyms and tools, ignoring the very thing that’ll help us the most. I believe that success and Worthwhile work, for that matter, take time, effort and depth, and cannot be rushed or performed at the very last minute. Design and visuals are crucial for success, but perhaps the often-skipped alignment on purpose - the compass and driving force behind communicating what you’re about - is even more fundamental.

Assuming the role of a steward, The Ponder Lab aims to ponder and bring forth that purpose, bridging gaps between businesses and their clients by educating and guiding (struggling) business owners in the realms of branding, design and development.


Ilsmarie has been designing things for as long as she can remember. When she's not busy delving into some new project and solving design problems, you'll most likely find her following a course, reading, running, fishing, gaming or chilling with her partner Joanne.

After choosing to make a big change in our lives to move back to our home country, Curaçao, Joanne joined The Ponder Lab’s team as an Allround designer - as two is better than one, to achieve TPL’s afore-mentioned mission. Joanne is a Food Scientist at heart, but always had a knack for art, functionality and critical thinking.