IKEA – Bästis
Graphic design / Campaign
About the project
17 May is the day all of Norway brings out its finest clothes. Many people have left their bunad or suit hanging in the wardrobe since last year, and it’s easy to forget to remove dust and lint before the children’s parade begins.
IKEA wanted to help dressed-up travellers on the big day, so together with TRY and Clear Channel they rolled out a 6-metre-long, 2-metre-high outdoor lint roller. Everyone passing through Majorstua metro station got the chance to roll themselves lint-free, and the roller was used enthusiastically on everything from suits and flags to bunads and… hair.
I worked as one of the designers on the project. From a graphic design perspective, the key was to make the installation instantly readable as both a lint roller and an IKEA product. I focused on keeping the expression simple and true to the product’s form, so the joke would land at a glance, while letting IKEA’s visual identity frame it clearly without overpowering the idea itself. Scale did a lot of the work: by enlarging an everyday object to an absurd size, the design became its own headline.
I saw the installation as an interaction rather than an ad. People had to understand what to do without instructions, in a busy station, dressed in their finest and often in a hurry. That meant the affordance had to be obvious: the shape and placement needed to invite people to step up, lean in and roll. Lowering the threshold for participation was essential, because the campaign only worked if people actually used it, and every interaction turned travellers into participants and, in turn, into content for social media.
“We thought this was a charming and surprising way to remind people that our products can solve challenges big and small, for both everyday life and special occasions,” says Annika Mørch Asté, Head of Marketing Communications at IKEA. “Given all the positive reactions we’ve had on social media, it seems most people agree,” she concludes.
The work was recognised at Gullblyanten 2023, where it won in the Outdoor & Environment and Media categories, as well as the Grand Prix.
www.kreativtforum.no/arbeider/ikea-med-verdens-storste-loborste-pa-17-mai