Annie Hjälmefjord & Lina Trulsson

GRANT HOLDERS 2015

Annie Hjälmefjord:

What has receiving the Grant meant to you and your career?

The design world is a tough industry to get around in and, as a student, you often ask yourself if your choice of profession was the right one. The Grand was, to me, a acknowledgement that I had made the right choice and also gave a boost of self-confidence! The scholarship money provided me with financial security that made me dare to invest in design. The scholarship is a great merit and has been a substantial addition to my CV which has been significant when looking for new opportunities.

What are you up to today?

Today I work as a Graphic designer at Burde Publishing and also doing freelance work with in illustration and animation.

What are your two cents on design - today and tomorrow?

In recent years I’ve noticed how design thinking and design methods play an increasingly important role in different work areas and disciplines. The concept of design will continue to broaden in the future and play an important role in addressing every big issues we are facing. I hope that design, both in traditional and new areas, will facilitate for a more inclusive and sustainable world. Because that’s still the goal, right?

Lina Trulsson:

What has receiving the grant meant to you and your career?

The scholarship had a great impact on me while I was planning and executing my master thesis project. Not being limited financially during this time and traveling to the necessary places for research, co-creation and validation was key to a successful project. The scholarship also allowed me to meet new people that are passionate about design and working with design from many different angles.

What are you up to today?

I am today working as an industrial designer at McKinsey Design, formerly known as Veryday, where I am mainly focusing on med-tech product design. The strive to improve and make lives better for patients and HCP's is something that motivates me every day.

What are your two cents on design today and tomorrow?

Designers have always known that design brings value, but now with the study "The business value of Design" published by McKinsey 2018 we can quantify the business value of design, designers and design thinking. This shows that designers will in the near future be a big player making important decisions on a global scale.

For more information and the motivation from the jury go to SVID