Design should enrich our everyday lives

By John Stromblad,

President, Tetra Pak Korea

Sweden is a nation renowned for its innovative design. Swedish design is celebrated and valued worldwide for its ability to seamlessly combine simplicity and functionality.

It is not an overstatement to say that Swedish people’s everyday lives are somehow intertwined with, influenced and inspired by design.

As a citizen, I am impressed by their aesthetically pleasing designs across a wide range of visual crafts. Whether it pertains to the fine arts and/or product, graphic or interior design, I repeatedly find myself inspired by their distinctive approach to design.

I believe that their skill in design lies in their ability to tastefully narrate principles of minimalism and functionalism into an end product. It serves as an intricate and personal commentary of Swedish ideals while still maintaining international appeal through form, design and functionality.

In Korea, Swedish products are establishing themselves as increasingly popular and sought out items. They are progressively recognized as inimitable hallmarks of design and functionality.

Advocates of Swedish products speak highly of their sleek product portfolios, use of sustainable materials and cleverly simple designs. Not only are their designs perceived as creative, functional and sustainable, they also happen to meet and exceed many of the present criteria for market needs and expectations.

In the interest of background, Swedish design rose to international prominence in the 1950s. Though there is much cultural debate surrounding its history and trends, there are a few things that can be generalized about their designs.

They are renowned for realizing an aesthetic through simplicity and elegance in form, lack of excessive detail and decoration, functionality, as well as the use of natural and often sustainable materials. For some time, Sweden has been investing time and money into its design industry.

In addition to its esteemed art and design universities, Sweden hosts a plethora of design related expos and exhibitions. The prestigious Stockholm Exhibition is an example of such, showcasing and informing the public of unfamiliar design concepts, ideals and practices.

Not only is Sweden committed to educating the public about various practices in the visual arts, they also invest in administering awards for up-and-coming designers and artists. The Swedish Design Awards and National Design Awards, also known as Design S, are examples of such. Design S in particular, administers awards for creative and innovative solutions to problems for a variety of product areas, services and environmental practices.

This award is not limited to specific crafts as it considers and awards all disciplines of design. This has provided rewarding incentives for a new generation of Swedish designers to receive international recognition while promoting contemporary Swedish design.

Design qualities are often reflective of characteristics and values pertaining to a particular country or region. Swedish design often shows influence from, and respect towards, the characteristics found in its nature such as simplicity and cleanliness. Sources of inspiration often derive from the relationships people have with their surroundings – the lush Scandinavian forests, open grasslands and beautiful lakes, amongst others.

These sources of inspiration contribute to the eco-friendly messages and minimalistic qualities embedded in their designs and products. Swedish designs and products emphasize eco-friendly messages and mirror the minimal, practical and sustainable virtues of their lifestyle.

Lagom, Swedish for “not too much, not too little”, describes what many Swedes strive to achieve across a variety of aspects in their lives. Much of Swedish design can also be described using this term as it is commonly characterized by “not too much in detail, not too little in functionality.”

There is a fine line in realizing both criteria for the word Lagom, a balance that many Swedes seem to have a knack for achieving. Furthermore, lagom is a term that is suitable in the context of sustainability.

How is the global population to improve the long-term quality of life and coexist in a world where there are limited environmental resources, a rapidly increasing population and an ever growing economy? Sustainability demands a balance of the three dimensions (environment, economy, society) that shape our world. A lagom use of the resources in each of the dimensions seems like a reasonable approach towards sustainability.

Tetra Pak, a multinational company of Swedish origin, is committed to making foods and beverages safe and available everywhere. Sustainability is core to our business and the company was founded upon the principle that “a package should save more than it costs.”

It focuses on protecting what is good within the package while minimizing waste and having a positive impact on the community. Initially, designers of the packages had to consider the functionality and convenience of their packages without compromising design qualities and elements of sustainability.

The designers ensured that their packages were aesthetically pleasing and convenient to hold, carry and store. This was accomplished whilst ensuring that they could be produced, delivered and recycled with the lowest environmental impact. It protects what’s good from the sourcing of raw materials needed to make them to the end of their lives where they can be recycled successfully and efficiently.

Based on my observations, Korean design appears to be heavily influenced by appearance and following global trends. While visually appealing, I believe that the value and longevity of a design is short lived when solely focusing on aesthetics. The longevity of any design seems to be dependent on mutually reinforcing aesthetic elements with functionality and cultural characteristics.

Korean designers that aim to design in a manner that fulfils these purposes can contribute to the canon of Korea’s design history, enrich our everyday lives and potentially assist in designing innovative and sustainable future.