Electrolux Design Lab

“I look for inspiration for design away from design”

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:15:21 +0000

INTERVIEW WITH INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER RICKARD HEDERSTIERNA, WINNER OF ELECTROLUX DESIGN LAB 2009

In 2009, Rickard Hederstierna swept the jury away with his visionary concept “Cocoon”, a sustainable response to the world’s growing population and its desire to consume meat and fish. Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and prepackaged meat and fish dishes. This process uses science to create food, lifting a burden on the planet by reducing the need for further intensive farming and fishing. Three years later Rickard has gone from his initial internship to being a part of the design team at Electrolux head quarters in Stockholm. We met with Rickard for a talk to see what advice and useful reflections he has to offer this year’s Design Lab participants.

Tell us about the process before the deadline and how it affected your life?
It was at the end of my five years of industrial design studies. I knew the choices I made would influence my future so this was something that I really wanted to do. I had seen the film with Henrik Otto where he introduced the brief and talked about the theme for the competition. It inspired me and I was attracted by a company culture that would create this kind of initiative. So I took a rather boring day job to support myself and then spent evenings and nights working on my concept for Design Lab. I put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. These were hard times for young designers looking to get hired. It was challenging, but I focused on the positive long-term goal.

What were your thoughts around the actual material that you presented to explain your concept? Did you have a clear idea of what was expected?
Not really, for example I first prepared 100 pages… and then I reduced them to 10. I chose to make a very visual presentation with a lot of images but not too much text. I put a lot of energy into making the presentation material visually appealing and interesting.

Can you describe the thought process behind your concept? How did you come up your the idea?
It is important to me when working with technology and the future, to keep your focus on relevance and needs – rather than just falling in love with the technological possibilities. So that’s how I started. I analyzed the scenario and circumstances of the future consumers, defining given aspects and new needs. From there I could map out a problem and then create a solution for that. I believe this is key to the innovation process, we always need to keep asking ourselves: is this relevant, does it cater to an actual need?

At the finals, you had to present your concept in front of the jury and answer their questions. Were you nervous?
A little bit nervous, yes, of course, because it was an important moment. But I had practiced a lot before, at home in front of the mirror as well as recording and listening to myself presenting. We also got to rehearse with a coach before the final presentation. The experience of having to do the live presentation was very useful and relevant because you have to do this often as a designer. You need to be good at presenting your ideas in a persuasive way. This first experience prepared me for all the lectures, interviews etc. that have followed.

How did it feel to see your idea made into a real prototype?
Actually, I had not realized that this was going to happen initially so this was an amazing surprise. And then I got rather obsessed with the details, what exact color it would be etc. I wanted it to be perfect. It was extremely cool to have real pros build my product.

And what about the time after you won and came to the design centre at Electrolux?
It was great because I was quickly integrated in the teams that worked on very cool big projects. Everyone was very understanding towards me and the role of an intern provided me with some time to grow into my responsibilities.

One last more general question. Where do you look for inspiration?
I follow several design blogs and architecture also really inspires me. Generally, I look for inspiration for design from other sources than product design like architecture, nature, paintings, sculptures etc.

RICKARD HEDERSTIERNA
Age: 29
Title: Industrial designer at Dishcare, Major Appliances, Electrolux Design Group
Design Lab Experience: Global winner of the competition with ‘Cocoon’ in 2009

Rickard’s advice to Design Lab participants
1) Join the competition! It is a great experience that will teach you so much and give you the opportunity to meet very talented and experienced people. If you win it is a great way to start your career.
2) Don’t fall in love with technology for technology’s sake. Look for the relevance and purpose of your idea.
3) Keep a global focus, both when it comes to inspiration and for your own benchmark.
4) Keep your presentation tight and interesting. Show the thought process but don’t overwhelm with details.

Blogs Rickard reads:
http://www.coolhunting.com/
http://www.core77.com/
http://www.yankodesign.com/
http://abduzeedo.com/
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/

MORE ABOUT “COCOON”

Eros Picco, guest chef at The Cube by Electrolux, talks about the importance of senses within his work

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:12:31 +0000

An interview with Eros Picco, one of the guest chefs that have honored us by creating unique experiences at The Cube by Electrolux in Milan this spring. We had a very interesting conversation with Eros about the senses and how they inspire and influence him in his work. As you can read, all the senses are very present in the life of a star chef.

Which is your favorite sense? Do you have one?
No, I don’t have a clear preference for one sense or another. All the five senses are essential already before I even start to cook. I use them to understand if some ingredient smells good or if it has the right consistency when touched. In this way I know if the food can be cooked or not. It’s impossible to name a favorite sense. Apart from hearing, all the other four are absolutely crucial for my profession.

How do you work with the different senses in your cooking?
I definitely work with senses during the cooking process – and also when the plates are exposed to my clients. Starting with the sight – I need to arouse my guests’ curiosity with interesting colors, of course bearing in mind the season particularities. For example during summer I use bright colors as the red of tomatoes or green of basil. Vice versa when the winter arrives, I prefer less brilliant color as the brown of chestnuts or the yellow of mush. Then we have touch. My guests using the cutlery have to play with the food, understanding if it’s soft, crispy or dry. When it comes to smell, instead, I cover a plate, when it’s very aromatic, and uncover it on the table, so that the guests are surprised and invaded by different and strong scents at one time. Then of course sound… One example is the sizzle of the pan when we serve the food. And finally taste… probably the most important one, which enables us to enjoy the ingredients.

How does a setting like the open space of the Cube affect how you work with sensual experiences?
Of course when the kitchen is open, as is the case in The Cube, peoples’ senses are more involved. The guest uses the five senses in an amplified way! We have direct contact with sight, smell and sound. People can have a real preview of the ingredients they will taste. For example when I add some good white wine in the rice preparing a risotto. The wine evaporates all around… Or when I melt the butter.

Electrolux Design Lab in social media

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:49:48 +0000

We would love to reach out to all of you and we want everyone to be a part of the Electrolux Design Lab discussion. That is why we think you should connect with us in our social channels.

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Electrolux Design Lab LOGO Design Competition Results!

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:45:58 +0000

We are happy to announce that we now have a winner in our logo competition. Congratulations to Henrik Sundqvist and his fantastic design. Thank you everyone for entering and a special thanks to our partner in this competition Yanko Design

The winning entry will be used as the official Electrolux Design Lab Logo for the 2012 competition and on all Design Lab communications.

Winning Entry: Henrik Sundqvist from Berghs School of Communication

Runner-up Entry: Katarzyna Burzynska from Art Center College Of Design

The Four Finalists Are:

Yu Tian from University of Art and Design, Lausanne

Tigran Kazaryan from RGSU

Chris Weir from Loughborough Design School

Ksawery Kirklewski from Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk

Join our Pinterest competition!

admin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 08:51:22 +0000

Friends, its time for a fun competition.

When we talk to designers, one thing that keeps popping up as a main source of inspiration for them is music. And music is dependent on the sense of hearing. So we would really love it if you could share a creative and inspiring picture with us illustrating the sense of hearing.

This is what you do:

1. Start following our board Hearing on Pinterest

2. We will then add you as contributor

3. Share a picture that you think best represents “hearing”

The Design Lab team will choose and announce a winner by March 16th. The winner receives a UltraSilencer Green vacuum cleaner and exposure on our Facebook page as Fan of the week.

admin — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:48:01 +0000

What is your username on Pinterest? We would love to follow you!
Connect with Electrolux Design Lab on Pinterest

What do you think Electrolux Design Lab should look like?

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:03:18 +0000

Electrolux Design Lab started out as a global design competition for design students but has developed into a platform for design discourse and sharing inspiration. 2012 marks a new chapter in the story of Electrolux Design Lab as it enters its tenth year. Electrolux have decided to invite design students globally to create a new logo for the concept.

The competition is done in collaboration with Yanko Design, a partner to Electrolux Design Lab since several years. Students from all over the world are invited to participate in this special prelude to the main event. Entry deadline for the logo competition is 9th March 2012.

Enter the competition!

Follow Electrolux Design Lab on Facebook and Twitter

admin — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:42:13 +0000

Share your thoughts with us on Facebook and Twitter. We would love to connect with you!

Electrolux Design Lab 2012 Theme: Design Experience

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:21:16 +0000

Electrolux Design Lab’s 10th Anniversary challenge to international design students is tied to Electrolux professional knowledge and exprience in a theme that stimulates all senses.

Electrolux Design Lab is a global annual design competition inviting students and recent graduates of industrial design to compete for a six-month paid internship and prize money by submitting ideas that develop the sensory experience of home appliances. This year the jury will also take special note of the aesthetic qualities of the concept and the way textures and surface materials have been used.

Brief: Design Experience
As demonstrated in the Cube by Electrolux, the world of professional cooking is all about the experience. It’s not about achieving the perfect inner temperature of a steak for the sake of science or performance. It’s about designing the best possible experience for your guests. The creative force behind the experience is the merger of intuitive and innovative appliances with the creativity of the chef and carefully selected high quality ingredients.

The brief for Electrolux Design Lab 2012 challenges design students to draw inspiration from professional experience creators (chefs, architects, interior designers, hotel designers etc.) to design home appliances that will provide a fuller sensory experience. It might be through state of the art technology or it might be through a clever blend of textures and surfaces

Entrants will also need to consider the heritage of Electrolux. Submissions should reflect Scandinavian Design values by being sensitive to the environment, providing intuitive ease of use and aesthetic appeal.

“I believe the importance of our sensory perception is underestimated in a lot of today’s design. Too much importance is accorded to the visual. What if we could incorporate our other senses into design? Could we smell who’s calling? Or feel what’s on TV?” says Henrik Otto SVP of Global Design at Electrolux.

Autumn finals in Europe
Eight finalists will each be invited to participate in a final event in the autumn of 2012 held within a European city (to be announced) to present their individual concept to a jury of expert designers. The jury will consider entries based on intuitive design, innovation, aesthetic qualities and consumer insight when awarding the first prize of a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre and 5,000 Euros. A second prize of 3,000 Euros and third prize of 2,000 Euros are also on offer.

Deadline for entry is 23:59 CET June 1, 2012

For more detailed information please see the Competition section where you can read the full brief presentation, read up on the rules and register.

Electrolux Design Lab 2011 Final Review

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:51:08 +0000

During this year’s final, Adrian Makovecký was selected as the winner of Electrolux Design Lab 2011. Check out the video below to see the highlights from the final:

To see more of the event and hear the students present their concepts, the jury’s questions and the speakers, click here.