About Svensk Form

What is Svensk Form?

Svensk Form (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design) is a not-for-profit membership association mandated by the Swedish government to promote Swedish design at home and abroad.

Svensk Form’s goal is to demonstrate the benefits of good design to social development, to stimulate the development of design in Sweden, to increase respect for the value of design work and to expand and deepen attitudes towards issues of form and design.

Svensk Form functions as a knowledge platform, intermediary, and advocate for the design field in Sweden. We work with a broad definition of design that includes the design of products, services and environments, and ranges from crafts to industrial design. Lobbying decision makers is yet another means of strengthening the role of design in society.

Our members have the opportunity to participate in the latest design developments via FORM Design Magazine, regular newsletters and a lively website, as well as with a programme of activities in Stockholm and throughout Sweden. The contents of all these activities are directed equally at both the general public and design professionals.

A better life through good design

Increasing knowledge about the benefits of good design to the development of society has been the key theme throughout the history of Svensk Form. Today, the goal of achieving a long-term sustainable society and improved quality of life is more urgent than ever. Designers are a natural link between manufacturers and consumers and can influence how social, environmental and economic aspects are integrated into a product’s design, manufacture, marketing and market communications. Good design solutions can contribute to sustainable development. Svensk Form participates in a number of projects on the theme of good design via the initiative called Saving the Planet in Style. www.savingtheplanetinstyle.com

Svensk Form’s unique history

The association Svensk Form, originally Svenska Slöjdföreningen (The Swedish Society of Crafts and Design), was founded in 1845 to safeguard the quality of the Swedish crafts industry. At the time one of the main threats posed to the industry was the increase in mass production and the poor quality of the resulting goods, often made by non-guild-trained craftsmen.

This was an important year in the Swedish design landscape as Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design also came into existence. As a
result, a new approach to design began to emerge - forward thinking and
consistent with industrial production methods rather than seeking to poorly
imitate old forms of luxury. The working classes of Sweden became
design-empowered with access to well-designed, beautiful and affordable
goods.

"Beautiful Everyday Goods" was born as a slogan in 1919, forming the basis for Svensk Form's mission during the first half of the 1900's. The association's members numbered mostly professionals involved in design and crafts but also featured academics, businessmen, industrialists and history experts.

From the outset Svensk Form was an active lobbyist; arranging exhibitions, initiating debate and publishing Form, now the world's oldest design magazine.

To find out more Svensk Form's history contact Anita Christiansen, in charge of the library and archives. Svensk Form’s library and picture archive contain a wealth of written information and photographs in the field of design. In recent years a large quantity of material has been digitised and is searchable at www.designarkiv.se This online archive is particularly useful for researchers and students.

We’re found throughout Sweden!

Our regional activities are a major foundation of the society’s work and we currently have 13 regional associations in Sweden. Our regional, volunteer activities in the field of design exist throughout much of Sweden. All our regional associations work with design issues from both a cultural and industrial point of view.

Swedish design abroad

Promoting Swedish design internationally is a key task for Svensk Form. There continues to be great interest in Swedish design abroad. For instance, FORM Design Magazine has several hundred international subscribers. Svensk Form’s international network is expanding and is maintained via participation in international conferences, trade fairs, exhibitions and guest programmes for international visitors to Sweden. Stimulating diversity within Sweden is part of the society’s internationalisation work. In a number of Swedish cities Svensk Form is now the organiser of Pecha Kucha events. This growing global phenomenon features highly condensed speaker presentations and functions as a contemporary and popular hub for the exchange of ideas in the fields of design and architecture. Read more

Exhibitions, scholarships and prizes

Svensk Form initiates and produces design exhibitions for public authorities and private companies in Sweden and abroad. Another way to shape opinion and stimulate the development of design is to award prizes, scholarships and other awards to encourage designers and companies that are active in the design field. The Design S award showcases Sweden’s best designs, which then tour in a travelling exhibition, with the principal organisers being Svensk Form and the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation (SVID). UNG, an exhibition of young Swedish design, is produced by the Form Design Center in Malmö and presents the very latest Swedish designs in a juried selection that then tours Sweden and abroad.

Who is our target audience?

We welcome everyone who is interested in current design developments. Our target audience includes design-interested members of the public, the design sector, opinion-makers, public authorities and industry. Our members include manufacturers, professionals in the fields of crafts, design, the art industry, graphic design, fashion and industrial design, plus individuals in charge of purchasing and marketing at companies with a design link. Students with a design focus are of course an important target group.