Danish Design Match made by iF: Designers collaborate after meeting at iF Design Award Night!

iF: The story behind your collaboration is very special - tell us about it!

Sophus: I was at the iF Design Award Night in Berlin in 2022 to accept and celebrate the iF gold award for Bang & Olufsen, where I was involved in the design of the Beosound Level speaker (see down below) with Valeur Designers, Copenhagen. Jannik and Ioanna from Lazy snail Design, with studios in both Copenhagen and Heraklion, Greece, were also accepting their iF gold award on stage for their packaging design for the Ena Karo toiletries (see down below). We did not know each other and had never talked, so I just walked over to them to congratulate them. It was a brief encounter. About a month later, they reached out to me, asking if I would like to work on a project together with them - the ultra-premium packaging designs for Nua date fruits.

Ioanna: We had a good feeling and vibe about Sophus, a great first impression!

Jannik: It was the fastest networking ever! Love at first sight, one might say (laughs).

iF: It sure was! What happened then? Tell us about the work on the NUA DUNES & STEM packaging for Al Madinah Heritage Company (pictures below)!

Sophus: During our first trip to Saudi Arabia, where our client’s company is based, a kind of inspirational trip, we talked about the possibility of sharing an office together in Copenhagen. Just a couple of days after we came back, we started looking for offices and found one very quickly in central Copenhagen. Now, we enjoy sharing a creative atmosphere under the same roof.

iF: When designers from different disciplines work on a project together, there are certainly some benefits but also some challenges. How was it for you?

Sophus: The project was challenging, but our collaboration was not.

Ioanna: I totally agree, and there were a lot of learnings in our collaboration. From my side, it was fascinating to experience working with different materials than I usually do and seeing how they "behave." For example, I had never worked with stainless steel, wood, or marble in packaging, so it was a great creative process of constantly adding new insights and learnings. So, I will agree with Sophus, the project itself was challenging, but there was always this huge chemistry in our collaboration. Not only among the three of us but also with the entire team of designers both here in Denmark and Greece, our clients, as well as with the producers. All of us were dedicated to creating great results.

Jannik: We were all very committed. And I don't think such good collaborations occur that often. It was never about our egos and companies; we always had our focus on the project.

iF: Since you have won with two packaging designs this year - take a look into the future with us: Where is packaging going? Will it be redundant one day?

Ioanna: Packaging will keep evolving with new materials and technology. Sustainable and eco-friendly options will become more mainstream as everyone prioritizes the environment. It’s hard to see packaging becoming completely redundant because it has its purpose. But it should become more integrated with the product or turn into something useful for the long term, rather than just being thrown away.

Jannik: However, even when it is thrown away, we still don’t have any standardized recycling system. Even in a rather green country like Denmark, recycling sometimes differs from municipality to municipality. So, I really hope for some recycling standards on national, European, and global levels.

Sophus: You leave the sorting to the customers. And it is so difficult to do it correctly without ruining the system. Regulations will also help reduce a lot of the greenwashing, which is misleading consumers who genuinely want to make a difference.

Ioanna: Designers have a responsibility to push the boundaries and come up with creative solutions that meet both functional and environmental needs. With regulations, it will also make it easier to design sustainably. Yes, it will add more challenge to the creative process, but there will still be room for innovation.

iF: And how will the future look for you three? If you would like to share.

Jannik: We will continue to collaborate as two independent design agencies, serving clients in our respective fields. However, a joint venture entity, uniting forces and facilitating the creation of our own brands and products, could become an inevitable side-effect of the brainwaves bouncing between our walls. There’s a very high potential for resonance patterns.

Sophus: From ideation to product and packaging design, while maintaining brand consistency and prioritize on sustainability.

Thank you for this interview, and all the best for the future!