Making sense of art and design industries

By ByhroH

The Norwegian design- and finished goods industry is bigger than farming, agriculture and forestry. Did you know that? No, well apparently neither the government. The authorities have easy to see blind to the number of employees in the industry, while real value creation is often linked to margins, including exports.

Design and finish goods industry in Norway values around 60.000 employees whom are spread between 7.700 companies and had a production value of 121 billion. NOK I 2016. Half of the production is exported, and people all around the world want a grip on Norwegian design.

It´s about time the Norwegian government realizes how important this industry is for Norwegian value creation says Egil Sundet, Industry Manager in the Design Industry.

As we all are aware of Norway is not the cheapest country to produce goods in. But at the same time Norwegians is world-class producers in terms of sustainability and the environment.

Egil means that the authorities have easy to see blind to the number of employees in the industry, while real value creation is often linked to margins, including exports. What do you think about that?

It is no great secret that Norwegian design is trending abroad. It is now Norway should focus on value creation and make itself available abroad. The finished goods sector in Norway accounts for 6 % of goods exports, the corresponding figures in Sweden and Denmark are around 25 %. Therefore, concepts such as Scandinavian design are increasingly associated with out neighbors. and if there is anyone we are going to compete with, it is Sweden and Denmark. The industry is therefore depending on the authorities facilitating increased exports, as our neighbors have done.

Why do you think the government isn´t opening their eyes for the value of Norwegian design? Maybe because all they see is what Norway made money from before, like oil, fish etc.

I think we should start listening to Egil and look at Sweden and Denmark and see what they are doing, and then do it better. It is all about the export, Norway will be needing new tools for manufacturers that have the world as their market and a great many different buyers of export goods.

John Heskett who wrote the book “Design and the creation of value” says that Europe and Asia have a long-term effort to promote design by governments, which were often closely linked to technology and economic policies directed at emphasizing quality as an instrument of export growth.

Maybe the reason it is so difficult to get the government to understand the value of design and exports is because people associate design with art, which is one of the sources of difficulty in developing a better understanding of what design is and what it can achieve. What is your opinion?

I think we should see the potential in the value of Norwegian design.