Medeontwerper

Medeontwerper is a Dutch term used to describe a person who acts as a co-designer on a project, working alongside a lead designer or within a design team. The prefix mede- signals joint authorship and shared responsibility rather than a fixed hierarchical position. In practice, it appears in job postings, project briefs, and portfolios to indicate that design work is conducted collaboratively.

Typical contributions of a medeontwerper include participating in concept development, user research, ideation, sketching, 3D modeling, prototyping, styling, documentation, and refining the final product or space. The exact scope varies: one medeontwerper may specialize in visual language while another focuses on user experience, manufacturing constraints, or technical drawings. The lead designer or design director retains overall direction, while medeontwerpers share in decisions and accountability.

Context: architecture, industrial design, fashion, graphic design, and digital products all use collaborative design processes in which co-designers are involved. Methods such as participatory design and collaborative workshops are common. Skills favored include communication, teamwork, critical feedback, and iterative problem solving. Because design credits and intellectual property can depend on contract terms, projects often clarify authorship and rights among contributors, including medeontwerpers.