GREAT DESIGN REQUIRES WILLINGNESS TO CROSS BORDERS AND PUT PREJUDICE ASIDE.

I notice unlikely or new combinations—things that cross boundaries. I enjoy learning viewpoints that truly alter the way we look at things. This can happen when I talk with a friend, when I read about a political or economic problem, when I play with my kids, or when I go to a museum. It can happen anywhere and anytime.

Inspiration comes from being curious. It can come from reading a book, looking at a website, or watching a lecture from the TED conference. It always starts with associating ideas to define positioning, strategies, and concepts. Whereas influence is very positive, provided it is entirely unbiased and openminded, it should never become imitation. Other designers’ work can play a role in visualizing ideas, not in concepts. This can help to explore the appropriate visual language for the project.

There is a huge potential to rethink the way we live. We can shape our world and resolve challenges if we combine creative thinking with technology and business. This requires willingness to cross borders and put prejudice aside, whether you are a financial specialist or a graphic designer.

As far as designers are concerned, they need to be challenged to think out of their box, whether that box is called graphic design, retail design, or web design. Too often, they show a specific kind of narrow minded-ness, an unwillingness to explore worlds other than their own. This is why curiosity is one of our key brand values at DAY: to think beyond boundaries that we believe, in most cases, are imaginary.

Bugaboo asked us to come up with a concept for their trade shows and events and then translate that identity to the retail stores. They required a flexible kit of parts to accommodate different locations, event sizes, and purposes. The contemporary design of Bugaboo Strollers is known for its rugged and functional qualities to the point of effortlessness.

All this talking and brainstorming led to a pile of paper with doodles and drafts. Even to an almost perfect answer to the brief. And suddenly, the idea was born. It was a runaway success. The client immediately embraced the idea. The first event coincided with the launch of the Bugaboo Bee.

We explored all options. We included any possible use of the half-pipe—from a picnic at Times Square to a beach event. -

Bugaboo Strollers set a new standard for innovation, quality, and aesthetics in the world of baby strollers. We wanted to make sure our concepts for these projects reflected their values. The concepts all played with the idea of mobility.

In the work we do for Bugaboo, we look for simple and strong ideas: simple because the product is so detailed; and strong because Bugaboo is a high-quality brand with a strong personality. Any platform we create for this hero product therefore needs to support the product yet be completely in line with the brand’s personality.

We start by exploring all options, questioning the status quo, the trusted and well known, to come to new insights. For this project, we wanted to find a concept that stood out from regular trade show presentations. It needed a strong backdrop—making the product the hero—in line with the brand values, with a clear link to mobility; a concept that would exceed the creative brief, with power, but also with humor. And suddenly, there it was.

At first, we focused on a playground type of landscape, with modular elements. We liked our ideas but missed “the big and bold gesture.” So, the moment the half-pipe idea popped up in our minds we trashed everything we had and worked through the weekend changing our proposals.

We then took the brief and made sure all functional requirements had been met. We broke the half-pipe down to a kit of parts that can be used on any location, indoor and outdoor, in different sizes and heights so that it can easily be adapted to carry different messages.

We started by defining our strategy for the project. We wanted to come up with a concept that immediately felt like Bugaboo—an iconic shape with a twist; something that would not go unnoticed.

Our presentation covered the whole thinking process. We included all possible options with the concept, and showed the practical side of it in detail. This project confirmed the value of out-of-the-box thinking and of concentration on the clients’ interests, both on the company level as well as on a personal level.

The half-pipe is now traveling the world. It gets regular updates to communicate campaigns and product launches. The latest iteration we developed was to adapt existing half-pipes in urban environments and organize Bugaboo events around them.