++cataci.com topics/Jonas Bohlin++

PD : What defines a good designer?

JB : A designer can be defined in many different ways and it depends on who is defining. There can be designers who create very primitive objects, which still have a large value since they affect us, and they pose questions and develop things, which also is important in a society. Why do we for example need more design? Why should we have more objects and how does this whole development look?

PD : What defines a good designer?

JB : A designer can be defined in many different ways and it depends on who is defining. There can be designers who create very primitive objects, which still have a large value since they affect us, and they pose questions and develop things, which also is important in a society. Why do we, for example, need more design? Why should we have more objects and how does this whole development look?

Today in our society and culture, we identify ourselves with what we wear and what we have at home. We build our identity based on things instead of an internal identity, spirituality, or maybe love. I believe that for society to develop, this is a dangerous road to follow. It creates segregation between haves and have-nots. This development shivers something that could be a platform for solidarity. Design can be a mean for bringing people together, but it can also be a base for shivering society. Therefore, I believe that I, as an individual designer, need to be quite ethically conscious when designing objects. In some ways I am wondering if I should design anymore objects. If I do so, for whom I should design or for what purpose should I do it? Will it create more love in our society or will it create less love? I have been thinking about these things.

PD : If you are a young designer in the market today, is it necessary to possess qualities other than just being able to create designs?

JB : Yes, so far it has not been so easy for designers who just graduated to get in contact with the industry in Sweden, and few have had opportunities in the international market. Sweden is a quite small country even though in the 50's we had a reputation for being a design country. The difficulties derive from the industry and its ability to meet designers' creativity.

PD : Why has the industry not responded differently to design?

JB :I often believe that the industry, at least the furniture industry, has been working according to old traditions. They have had their customers and been pleased with that, and they haven't been looking further into the future or outside the borders. In this context, I believe that designers have been regarded as a problem rather than an asset.

The industry is also dependent on commercialism in order to survive. Many designers have presented things that are hard to sell. However, now the industry is changing because there is a need to follow an international development regarding materials and shapes. It has happened a lot over the past five to ten years, and some Swedish designers have also been in contact with international companies that have a totally different kind of sales capacity in the world and corporate cultures. But as a designer, you need to be socially competent as well because you can't create a lot on your own. You are dependent on producers, sellers and consumers in order to produce things. It requires a little bit more from you than just sitting at home, regardless of how talented you are.

PD : Does the fact that you have to sell your design in the marketplace affect your creative process?

JB :I would say 95% of my design is produced based on my own belief, so I have not really been affected by this fact in my creative process. I haven't focused on commercial success, but rather had some kind of urge to create. But of course, once I have created the things, I want them to sell. But I feel that I don't have the time, capacity or maybe knowledge to go out and find out what can sell more.

PD : Is it more important in the beginning of your career or later to balance consumer needs and what you want to create?

JB : I think this is always important. I do not believe that you should sink into a kind of attitude, "Everything is going so well, I earn so much money, and I am so pleased". On the contrary, I believe that you should question yourself everyday - what you are doing in order to progress, and in order not to live in a routine. Of course, you need to earn money for food and rent. We live in a society where that is important, but it is also important to develop new ideas and be enriched as a human being, partly in relation to other people, but also in relation to yourself.