René Simonsson, Product Designer I

What I like about design is that it’s a approach of sense- and world-making. Fueled by curiosity (and caffeine), I get to enter a brand new unfamiliar house, make sense of it utilizing totally different design processes and instruments, and produce forth a story and a world. As a part of this, I get to advocate for customers throughout talents, intent and wishes, and symbolize them. And to do this effectively, I get to work carefully with different gifted individuals and with our customers. For my part, design, and on a broader observe, sense- and world-making, is communal and inclusive at its root; it’s one thing that’s not possible to do effectively in isolation. You’re by nature required to collaborate inside (different designers), throughout (different Spotifiers) and outdoors (our pretty customers) of your individual self-discipline.

My job is to have a finger on the heartbeat on all issues social, and assist our customers nurture the relationships they’ve of their lives by means of sharing. This entails a lot of chatting to our customers, working with some amazingly gifted individuals throughout totally different disciplines, and testing sharing capabilities that encourage our customers to precise themselves throughout associate platforms, from Spotify.

I do know he’s handed on (R.I.P.) however my dream collaborator would nonetheless be Anthony Bourdain. I like Components Unknown and I additionally actually admire his writing. His revered 1999 essay, “Do not Eat Earlier than Studying This“, for The New Yorker is one I revisit usually — partly to impress my impressionable mates over dinner by parroting a few of his gastronomical hot-takes (like how sinful brunches really are), but additionally as a result of you possibly can actually hear his voice as you learn. And we’d make a three-metre-long Center Jap mezze collectively (assume 10 totally different variants of baba ganoush).

Maria Figueira runs a extremely cool TikTok account known as “Case Research”, which is a curation of what Maria is presently eager about on this planet of design, structure and tradition. Some fascinating gems I’ve found from there embody “smoke glasses” by Joe Colombo (which can be fashioned so to concurrently maintain a cigarette and your drink in a single hand), and Eighties industrialism. 

In an trade that always income off of exclusivity and gatekeeping, it’s a extremely refreshing and accessible strategy to design schooling — all within the type of bitesize TikTok movies!

Don’t stress about maintaining monitor of the inflow of every day design developments getting pumped into the web. You can too sharpen your design sensibility outdoors of Figma tutorials, design pondering frameworks and typography concept. You’d be shocked how a dialog, a poem, a very nice meal or a stroll can encourage your design craft and strategy.

I immediately considered Kacey Musgraves’ “Gradual Burn”. I tend to be fairly hyper-existential about all the pieces, together with my design profession and selections, huge or small, so my thoughts can generally run at 100 mph. This tune jogs my memory to step out of my ego and ideas, floor myself within the now and luxuriate in life as only one lengthy, sluggish burn.

To begin with, an enormous, enormous, enormous shout-out to my pretty Sharing household (pictured above) for his or her lightheartedness, ardour, and crude jokes. We’ve achieved a lot and I can’t wait to see what else we will do collectively!

A really particular shout-out to my design partner-in-crime, Hanna Norlin (pictured far proper, rocking a moustache), and my supervisor, Oylum Serin, for his or her belief in me from day one – I wouldn’t be the designer I’m right this moment with out them.

One other particular shout-out to considered one of my lifelong mates – Maria Moss. Except for being a really gifted filmmaker, she’s additionally an unimaginable buddy. We met on a filmmaking bootcamp in Edinburgh again in 2015, bonded over Shik Shak Shok and our fascination with uncooked vegan YouTubers. She has taught me a lot about resilience and the significance of pursuing your artistic endeavours, it doesn’t matter what. 

Lastly, an enormous shout out to what has develop into my favourite dive bar in Stockholm and the backdrop to my formative mid-20s rising pains: the elusive Stage! I’ve taken foes, mates, and lovers there and it by no means disappoints. On a extremely good night time, I depart Stage with some new knowledge about life. On an OK night time, I depart Stage with a shaggy dog story to inform. And there’s by no means a nasty night time with Stage.