Swedish outdoor company Haglöfs was looking for ideas and input for their new bags Crator and Vulcan within their product group Hardware. The big question was where to find the needed competence that could get up to speed with the work quickly and methodically?

 

The hard thing with bringing in consultants from the outside is that they don’t always have a deep enough understanding of the brand. This can cause major problems during the work process. So it was especially important to find the right partner. With their experience, user oriented manner and a genuine understanding of both Haglöfs brand and their end users’ needs; Ergonomidesign lived up to these high demands.

 

“Our interest in Ergonomidesign started during a workshop they organized and so it was natural for us to turn to them when we needed help. The collaboration emanated from a design brief where some of the functions and the expression had already been specified. Apart from this the assignment was without restrictions; to design two bags with a cast base that continued up the sides with no seams - and they had to be totally waterproof. And we felt we could trust the project team from Ergonomidesign a 100 percent”, says Lennart Svensson Business Area Manager Hardware at Haglöfs.

 

“The bags are aimed at active people. They have to withstand the toughest conditions and work well in all types of environments and weather. You should be able to roll them on wheels during transport, equally well regardless of whether you’re in an airport or rolling the bag across a pontoon to your sailing-boat. The handles are made of aluminium and covered in rubber. The bags have no separate compartments but work like a trunk, so large and awkward shaped equipment can also be stowed in the bags,” Lennart continues.

 

The brand development at Haglöfs is closely linked to the actual business, everything from products to processes. According to Lennart Svensson the brand is the most important thing Haglöfs has. So finding the right partner was crucial, he says:

 

”Ergonmidesign’s dedication and problem solving focus was a considerable contributing factor to the sense of having Haglöfs core values in the bags. We strive to offer the right functionality and good design to best possible price and performance. The industrial designers who worked with us had a unique competence mix that fitted as hand in glove for this assignment. Ergonomidesign offered important perspectives and added considerable value. They helped us create the right expression for our bags Crator and Vulcan. Looking at the brand from the outside – but with a deep understanding of our values and user needs - Ergonimidesign got it absolutely right.”