Swedish Design at the Intersection of Human Creativity, AI, and Sustainability

Voices from the GAD Jury: Design at the Crossroads of Human Creativity, AI, and Responsibility

The Grand Award of Design 2025 highlights how human creativity and sustainability intersect in the age of AI. This year’s jury for the gold category includes experts from Swedish industrial design who bring perspectives in communication, premium product design, and systems-driven brand thinking. Julia Valentin, Michael Henriksson, Andreas Säfström, and Gustav Landberg share their views on current trends, challenges, and what they want to see in design entries.

Design’s New Role

Design’s role has expanded beyond problem-solving. It now engages with sustainability, technology, and ethics. The challenge lies in keeping pace with fast-moving digital tools and AI. Yet this also creates opportunities for designers to rethink systems, work across disciplines, and create solutions with lasting impact.

Rising Design Trends

The jury members come from diverse backgrounds, including communication, luxury tech, and systems thinking. Here’s what they say about today’s design landscape and the future of Swedish sustainable industrial design.

Julia Valentin, Director of Communication at Teknikföretagen

Trends, challenges, and opportunities:
Design today is expected to contribute to bigger conversations around sustainability, technology, and ethics. The rapid evolution of AI and digital tools is a challenge but also an opportunity to rethink systems and collaborate more broadly.

Next generation Swedish design:
Swedish design will remain grounded in function and simplicity but with a stronger sense of responsibility. Expect more experimentation with materials, circular approaches, and products addressing geopolitical realities through dual-use applications.

What Julia hopes to see:
Entries that shift perspectives and offer fresh insights. Surprises that illuminate challenges in new ways.

Michael Henriksson, Vice President at Beijer Electronics

Trends, challenges, and opportunities:
Design is both following and defining trends. Seamless integration of products, hardware, software, and services creates innovative solutions. Fast technology advances present opportunities but also challenges to deliver relevant and adoptable benefits quickly.

Next generation Swedish design:
Swedish design will lead with thoughtful, innovative, user-focused solutions that last. Collaborative teamwork across professions remains key to producing pioneering designs.

What Michael hopes to see:
A broad range of products and solutions that demonstrate design’s role in sustained market success.

Gustav Landberg, Director of Brand Design at Husqvarna Group

Trends, challenges, and opportunities:
Design aims to humanize technology, especially with AI and robotics becoming complex. AI also offers ways to streamline product development and design.

Next generation Swedish design:
Circular and modular designs that prioritize longevity and the ability to update. Products designed for the 'Rs': reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycle.

What Gustav hopes to see:
Bold, user-centric ideas that push the industry forward.

Andreas Säfström, Head of Design and User Experience at Ericsson

Trends, challenges, and opportunities:
AI in design can speed up processes and increase efficiency but risks focusing on superficial looks over genuine quality.

Next generation Swedish design:
The best companies integrate human-centered design across hardware, software, and services to create seamless user experiences. More of this holistic approach is expected in future Swedish designs.

What Andreas hopes to see:
Well-designed products that represent their brands and show how design drives innovation and business success. He also hopes for strong B2B entries.

Meet the Jury of the Gold Category 2025

• Julia Valentin, Director of Communication, Teknikföretagen
• Michael Henriksson, Vice President, Beijer Electronics
• Gustav Landberg, Director of Brand Design, Husqvarna Group
• Jonas Petterson, Cofounder & CEO, Form Us With Love
• Ann Granberg, Head of Design, Geely / Lynk & Co
• Camilla Kullborg, Manager, Expert Learning Lab, ABB
• Andreas Säfström, Head of Design & UX, Ericsson

About the Grand Award of Design

The award celebrates excellence in sustainable industrial design that balances creativity and commercial success. It has two prize categories:

• Gold Category: Main prize with 250,000 SEK awarded to the winning project.
• Pioneer Award: For smaller companies and startups, with a prize of 100,000 SEK.

Applications are open until 8 September 2025. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October 2025.

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