Ikea's Top Designer on the Gift of Failure and the Future of Democratic Design

Marcus Engman says Ikea is more than just a brand

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AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—As head designer at Ikea, Marcus Engman is responsible for managing a team of 20 designers who dream up and produce all the products Ikea brings to its shelves every year. At this week’s “What Design Can Do” conference here in Amsterdam (focused mostly on how designers can address climate change), Engman spoke about a concept that is key to Ikea’s design process.

It’s called “democratic design,” and it’s essentially a way of the life for the brand, based around five key design principles that are at the heart of every Ikea product.

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