Design is an important part of my daily professional life, as I have been working with designers in Denmark and abroad for the last 20 years. Furthermore, I am teaching design and technology on different international design schools.

As an engineer, I find it interesting to work with different designers, as they are often a source of new inventions that have not been seen before. It is a challenge, since solutions cannot be based only on experience, but must find their origin in classical physics.

Design has been important for Denmark, especially regarding its social and society impact, firstly via COOP’s furniture design for the people and later via the government’s support to good design via e.g. the Danish Railway and other state driven businesses with design as an important part of their identity. Today Danish design has perhaps become more of a trademark that is used and misused.

Today design has many aspects and move in different directions. Objects close to the human body as clothes, furniture and accessories seem to be increasingly fashion-driven, with new objects constantly designed and sold. On the other hand, system design gets more and more advanced to make our lives easier and more effective. Somehow design is a double-edged sword that both generates increasing consumption and has the potential to make our lives smarter and more environmentally sustainable.

Graduate Engineer, PhD, Technical Director at Really, former freelance product developer at Molgard Aps. Claus has developed internationally recognized products in cooperation with a large number of Danish and international designers.