English page
Heraldic studio De Raaf (The Raven) was originally founded circa 1985 when I was still a heraldic designer. When I joined Archeon in 1992 the studio started a hidden life, but it was revived in 2010 when I had discovered the exiting possibilities of the CorelDraw software since I joined the Central Bureau for Genealogy in The Hague in september of 2008. I saw possibilities in providing cheap drawings of civic and family arms, where before they could only be done by hand in paints or in other art materials like wood, stone and metals. These were only affordable for people with enough money to spend on such luxuries. The reality is that nowadays there are many more not so rich folks who have become involved with heraldry.
There are also the towns and cities of Europe which are still using old and graphically weak versions of their arms. They usually are not bothered to modernize them in a way that is comparable with nowadays design standards, so it's no wonder that so many of these arms have been, and are still being, replaced with icons or logos designed by graphic designers. I want to prove that arms can have the same impact as brands or marks. That is, after all, what they were originally made for: recognition at a distance. My background as a graphic designer came in very useful here. As it did for designing flags.
I'm also a medieval historian. Since I was about 10-12 I have been interested in the Middle Ages. Heraldry became a part of that interest in my adolescence, but I could only make my job of it in 1975. Medieval heraldry has through the years always been my inspiration. It also made me want to find out more about the history behind it. This ultimately led me to study medieval history in Leiden, from which I graduated in 2009. My knowledge about medieval heraldry is therefore wide and deep and I'm very well versed in all styles and details of the period and its heraldic art. So the arms of historic families and cities have no secrets for me. Which comes in handy when doing genealogical research or designing for historic town jubilees.
Have a look at the separate page with the prices of the several types of arms (and flags). And don't forget to go to the RaafHeraldics store to see what else can be done with heraldry.