Well known glassworks are mostly part of the Danish-owned group Orrefors Kosta Boda. Many well-known designers exercise their skills designing for this group. The artists of Kosta Boda play a decisive role in every creative stage of the glass producing process. Glass design results from interaction between artists, craftsmen, and glass lovers. If designers want to transfer their intentions to glass, they have to work with skilled craftsmen. Orrefors hired Per B Sundberg in 1994. He has succeeded in renewing glass design thanks largely to a disrespectful attitude to the material. His style is sculpturesal and employs organic shapes and irregular surfaces. In discussing Swedish glass design, a distinction needs to be made between Swedish glass art and table ware. Outside the big glassworks for table ware, a number of independent glass designers operate within their own studios. Ulla Forsell and Åsa Brandt have been a motive force in the field for many years. Mårten Medbo enjoys experimenting and Gunilla Kihlgren exhibits a baroque style.
Independent Swedish potters enjoy more success than Swedish glass artisans. However, Swedish industrially manufactured pottery, and china collections have less success. The range of individual potters is enormous. One example is Gertrud Båge, she has the ability to unify form and function in an attractive unit. Thomas Nordström has a less conventional way of working with pottery for public settings.
Graphic design is a field in Swedish design, which is difficult to differentiate internationally. The world has become one world. Borders are easily crossed and influences are easily spread. Swedish graphic design specifically has two defining features, namely a Spartan look and a didactic message.
For many years, Karl-Erik Forsberg was one of Sweden's leading graphic artists. To his credit he has designed postage stamps, logos, and received a special commission to design the royal family's monogram which became a classic. In the 1980s and 1990s, Lars Hall was known for the typically Swedish simplicity of his graphic design. Today Hall's early work still inspires young craftsmen. The best known Swedish promotion campaign is the one for the the Absolut Vodka bottle. It is an other distinctive sample of Swedish graphic design. The past 25 years, Absolut has not only shipped millions of bottles from Sweden, but it also presented numerous artistic projects. For more than 25 years, big names in the art business have made their contribution to the campaign, such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Gianni Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Damien Hirst, Helmut Newton and Spike Lee. Architects, fashion designers, moviedirectors, DJ's,…they all have worked with Absolut. Creativity and the bottle are central in their works.
The internet has stimulated interest in animated graphics. Ricky Tillblad won the 'Excellent Swedish Design award 2001' for an ITC-site providing Eclectic Bob Entertainment.
Nowadays, furniture and interior decoration are flourishing. The main reason lies in the committed vitality of small producers that see new creativity as a daily challenge. These designers work for the larger companies in a Swedish design tradition focused on function. Not only big companies go through changes in their designs. Recently, innovative furniture is being produced by smaller companies, for example accessories and carpets. Again, the functionalist spirit is found in the designs that provide practical solutions to meet everyday needs. One of the discussions today concerns the true nature of the expression 'Swedish minimalism'.
The Swedish textile industry has known difficulties with its image of being old fashioned. Since the late 1990's a number of refreshing patterns have been used. Despite its powerful traditions, independent Swedish textile art found it hard to make a mark in the 1980's and 1990's. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in old weaving techniques and experimenting with materials. Many young artists are attracted to the profession of fashion designer. Nevertheless is it an easily accessible profession. The difficulty for a fashion designer lies in the fact that Sweden is a relatively small country. Graduates in fashion design are often absorbed by the design department of the H&M clothing company, which is the biggest in the Swedish fashion sector.
Others are hired as costume designers for theatre and films. Only few succeed in the release and success of an own clothing brand.
The key profession in metalwork design is the job of silversmith. Centuries ago this was a specific profession. Today a silversmith does not only work with silver, they have learnt to work with different materials and techniques. In the metal-working arts, metals of all kinds of prices are blended: gold, iron and silver. Even materials such as plastic, rubber, artificial stones and real diamonds are incorporated.
Since the 1960's, export manufacturers such as Saab, Electrolux and Volvo have tried to improve their industrial design to the level of near perfection. Again, they have integrated the Swedish traditions of simplicity and functionalism in their design. The reason for these everlasting improvements lies in industrial restructuring and changing financial conditions. The market is an ever changing entity. Companies are forced to make changes according to the competence of their competitors. Some cut down costs in various ways. The worst case scenario is companies that can no longer afford to employ designers. Furthermore, the designer has become more self-conscious, they see themselves as crucial players in industrial design and not a luxury. Some industrial designers are unified in design consultancy firms. Sometimes the designers in these firms work as a collective and sometimes as individuals. The car industry is one of their main clients, but other consumer-oriented producers of telephones, pagers and screwdrivers are also part of their clienteel.
In the 1930's, the functionalist movement showed the world clean and sophisticated designs. The Swedish architecture is mostly known for its contribution to this functionalist movement. Today Swedish architecture can not only be associated with modernism and functionalism, but with Scandinavian culture in a whole.
The Swedish Export Directory is a guide to Swedish companies and their products.
http://www.arkitekturmuseet.se/english/index.xml
Link to the Swedish architecture museum.
http://www.swedishmetal.net/siteinfo/
Site originally only about Swedish metal, but now international.