Interview: Meet Clara von Zweigbergk
INTERVIEW WITH
CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK
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I am sure many of you already know her products and probably you even have some at home without knowing who is behind….
Meet Clara von Zweigbergk, the multi award winner industrial designer behind many design brands like Hay, Areaware, Artecnica and many more.
We met Clara in Lisbon while she was doing a conference and workshop at the Portuguese design fair: Portuguese Makers. We learnt a lot about her techniques and processes. We asked clara a few questions about her work and we would love to share it with you.
HAY MINI MARKET : Logotype and graphic identity
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
Hello Clara,
WE CAN SAY THAT TODAY YOU HAVE DESIGNED FOR SOME OF THE BEST DESIGN BRANDS IN THE WORLD. COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF ?
Hello Design Hunger
I studied graphic design and illustration at Beckmans School of Design (Stockholm) and Art Center College of Design (USA).
Soon after graduation me and two others designers ran a design studio in Stockholm during five years. I have also worked as a graphic designer and art director for a few design studios in Stockholm and Los Angeles and at Piero Lissonis studio in Milano for four years.
After a while I decided to re-establish my own studio in my hometown, Stockholm. Here I work as a graphic designer, art director and for some time now also as a product designer. For me these three areas are linked together, they complement each other and the mix keeps me from getting bored.
COLOR PUZZLE : Launched by Areaware (2016)
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
Most of the time my ideas appears while working actually. In the process one thing leads to another and often through mistakes. I would say inspiration is everything you see, do and hear, awerely or not. It gets processed and comes out as ideas. Sometimes and idea can be more directly linked to something seen, like the color combination on a birds feathers or the shape of a stone, but not so often for me.
WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH PAPER?
Paper is my favourite material to work with, you can build almost anything in paper, which makes it great for sketching products in 3D. And it is easy to access, comes in a thousand colours and cost little. On top of this it requires only tools you can fit in your handbag so basically you are left without excuses...
Seven sitting units on the theme balance and motion. Presented at Nike's exhibition Nature in Motion, Salone del Mobile 2016. In collaboration with Shane Schneck.
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
WHAT IS YOUR BEST DESIGN / WORK MEMORY? OR THE MOST STRESSFUL ONE?
I have many…not a specific one. Some projects have more flow than others. Sometimes it takes forever to get to something that seems obvious, and sometimes it goes very quickly. I like the process of starting in one end, without a particular result in mind, and play my way forward, trials and errors. Often production has its limitations nd this can make the idea shift into new ideas. I also like the fact that every process is different. Especially when designing a product, I learn a lot of new things each time, about function, materials, production techniques and volume.
CIRQUE LAMP - Three sizes and three colour combinations, made of spun aluminium. Launched by Louis Poulsen (2016).
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
IF YOU HAD ONE ADVICE TO GIVE TO NEWLY GRADUATED DESIGNERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
With the risk of sounding old fashion, work hard! Make sure to have fun while doing it and welcome mistakes! Mistakes give both new ideas and experience. Don be afraid to try new things.
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
ANY NEW EXCITING PROJECTS COMING SOON?
Yes! This summer I will take part in a big exhibition at the Design and Architecture Museum in Stockholm, ArkDes, with objects in a much bigger scale than I normally work with. Almos everything about this project is new to me so it is very exciting. Hopefully the result will be too, we will see!
WHAT IS YOUR MORNING ROUTINE?
Apart from a big strong cup of coffee there are no particular routines. We work with many projects at the same time and I usually start the day with the most urgent thing on the list. Then it goes between the most fun/ motivating and the most urgent throughout the day. Sometimes it can also be urgent to try a new idea when it is fresh.
IRIS COLLECTION : Vases, penholders and mugs in ceramics,
handmade by Arita in Japan - Launched by HAY (2017)
Credit : CLARA VON ZWEIGBERGK website
AND FINALLY, COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CITY IN THE WORLD? WHY?
There are many cool cities in this world, and many that I haven’t visit yet. If it is allowed I will mention three: Los Angeles, Milano and Barcelona. I use to live in L.A. and I find it a beautiful city with all its hills, the lush nature and the interesting and random mix of architecture. L.A has become much more culturally rich lately, with a great food and art scene. Not to mention the sea, the mountains and the dessert that surrounds it. And then there is the traffic... Milano may not be the most beautiful Italien city but I like its roughness and kind of stressed pulse. It is a lot about work, design and fashion. It also has a nice mix of architecture, lots of beautiful buildings and courtyards. I loved living there. I don’t know Barcelona super well but the every time I’ve been there I say “I could move here tomorrow”.
Thank you Clara :)
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If you enjoyed this article, you should check out our article about Unika* Design Studio.
If you want to see more of Clara’s work, you can check her website:
http://www.claravonzweigbergk.com/
and also some of her collaborations in the gallery below
