Talk width Volvo Magazine about Norwegian design

Created Wed, Dec 3, 2003. Modified Wed, Dec 3, 2003.

Dear Orgdot, I am currently researching an article on Scandinavian design inspired by the recent 100% Norway exhibition in London. I want to focus my article on Norwegian design, positioning it at the forefront of modern Scandinavian design. I was impressed by your work at 100% Norway and was wondering if you could answer some question to help me with my article? The questions are below.

Many thanks, Alice Lawlor
Editorial Co-ordinator, Volvo Magazine

What inspires your work?

The way children play.

The immature state of contemporary digital design is in itself very inspirational, - the room to give definition to a new but already substantial part of global communication.

In new media the question of success boiles down to a question of user experience achieved through design. The fact that a successful game or toy on the net is already utilised by a number of people that until recently was found only in mass communication is proof that the effort is well worth it.

Stepping into good design should be as effortless as a child dropping one toy to reach for another.

What do you see as the essential aspects of Norwegian design?

Enthusiasm. The increasing contact with the international design community has fueled a significant boost to the confidence and creative power of Norwegian designers. In a tradition where a certain spartan aestethic has been favoured and idealised, we now see that designers are enjoying a new found freedom to reinvent the concept of "scandinavian pure" while still having relevant strings to this tradition.

I think that Norwegian design has in general become more playful while keeping it's precision with regards to the economic and ascetic traditions within the field.

Why do you think Norwegian design has gained in prominence recently?

Technology, language and information. Norwegians adapt easily to new technology. Norway is among the countries that read most read books, read most newspapers and utilize the web most per citizen

Norwegians are bi-lingual, and as such bi-cultural.

This strength - having a safe base in a small country, while at the same time maintaining an agile and open stance towards new currents from abroad, has been one of the keys to the Norwegian advances in the field of design.

In fact, Norwegians like technology. We actually think design and advanced technology is fun.

We have seen the rise of a new generation within several diciplines that shamelessly integrates Norwegian identity and tradition with a style that has an international appeal. We have seen it within the music industry and now we see the same generation doing it within the design industry.

What is the future of Norwegian design?

As bright as birch or the flickering of a well designed digital learning game.

What is the future for Scandinavian design?

Inherently tied to technology and production of knowledge. Our level of education is costly. The tax level is high. In short, it is expensive to produce physical goods in Norway.

On the other hand, we have always valued industrial production.
In addition we think that norwegians in general has a strong sense of duty, of delivering the goods, of getting the job done. The solution is to move into more advanced fields of production: design, technology, information.

In our field we see that the Scandinavian companies produce the most precise and  compelling designs and systems there is. Hopefully the increasing international interest in scandinavian design will bring the community closer together so that designers within the nordic contries to a greater extent will feed of each other  manifesting and confirming scandinavian style . This general interest is also making producers and production companies more confident about utilizing local designers which leads to the creation of stronger home markeds. The rest is a self fulfilling prophecy.

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