Who is the internship aimed at?
The internship addresses young Swiss talents who have a bachelor’s degree in industrial/object design. The admission criteria set out on the “Applications” page apply. Swiss nationality is in principle mandatory. Applicants with foreign nationality must prove that they have studied object or industrial design at a university of applied sciences in Switzerland for (at least) three years.
We are looking for candidates who speak fluent English and are able to handle a project from sketch to finished design. And who want to apply their knowledge in practice and work side by side with IKEA’s product development to reach many people with their design.
Procedure and application process
Interested parties should apply by e-mail in English to the Ikea Foundation Switzerland from 11 January 2024. A PDF must be submitted with the following content:
- One-page letter of motivation (maximum 200 words)
- CV incl. BA diploma (and work references, if available)
- Portfolio (with a maximum of eight projects, ideally including illustrations of a design process)
From all applications submitted, the Board of Trustees of the Ikea Foundation Switzerland will recommend a selection of 5 to 10 candidates to the responsible persons in Älmhult in March. The selected candidate will be informed in May 2024 and the internship will start at the beginning of September 2024.
What you are offered
- Supervision and guidance from experienced IKEA in-house designers and a sound insight into the concept of Democratic Design.
- A five-month temporary position as an “Intern” at the IKEA of Sweden (IoS) head office in Älmhult.
- A monthly salary of 18,750 SEK (approx. CHF 1,700.00 before tax).
- A free and of course furnished flat for the duration of the internship.
Conditions
Applicants must have solid basic knowledge of the following software: SolidWorks, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. Applicants must also be willing to live in Älmhult for the duration of the internship and agree not to pursue any other professional activities or work for any company (own or other) during the internship. Finally, applicants must ensure that their health insurance policy covers their stay in Sweden.
You have been working as an intern at IoS in Älmhult since the beginning of September. How have you settled into your new place of work?
Coming to IKEA right after finishing my Bachelor degree work, I wondered how it would be like. I had a lot of worries, how would I perform? How will the people and the office be like? But thanks to the amazing team at IKEA, who welcomed me so warmly, I now feel at ease starting this new exciting chapter of my life.
The design department at IOS is definitely one of the most impressive, inspiring spaces that a newly graduated industrial designer could even dream of working in. The first impression was quite movielike and a little bit overwhelming, just like Disneyland.
What are you currently working on?
Due to competitive reasons, I can´t share too many details about the projects I work on, but! To summarize it: The work at IKEA is full of variety and possibilities to dip into many different categories of products. That is one of the amazing parts about working as a designer at IKEA; every project includes different stories, solutions and materials – it never gets boring!
Considering the perspective of the many who will use the products, but also thinking of the factors that come with manufacturing, pricing and sustainability is a very eye-opening experience.
At the moment I am taking part in about eight projects. Bedroom furnishing, storage solutions for hallways, creative solutions for cooking & eating, working from home, ceramics, decorative items… myself I am quite surprised by the bandwidth of work I am already allowed to take part in, it is extremely fun!
What does your working day look like? Tell us a bit about the team, structures, processes, working hours…
In the morning, starting around 8.30, I get into the office and grab a coffee and a sandwich from “Mums” (our cafeteria, which is called “yummy” in swedish), and then I head up to the range area (where all designers have their desks). On my way I pass by shelves filled with product samples and tests, all kinds of materials and shapes – and at last a wall that exhibits material samples we can select from. It felt like a movie-scene when I walked through the area on my first day.
My daily work varies; sometimes I sketch, sometimes I go down to the prototype-shop to make some small models, or I work with solidworks to create more precise ideations. In the end, I throw it into the IKEA inhouse rendering-program to show it in the environment it would be used in.
The team in the design department are very skilled, impressive people. The hierarchy is very “flat”, everyone is super down to earth and humble about their work. As an intern they are curious about our ideas and opinions, wanting to hear and see what the new generation of designers has to offer. Hearing others insights on a design or discussing a topic is a normal thing in the workflow at IKEA. I don’t feel any competition between the designers, the atmophere is friendly, people collaborate and support eachother.
You have been working at IoS for four months now: What are the first lessons learnt?
IKEA is a whole ecosystem of design and functionality. The depth of how much thought goes into every piece you can find at an IKEA store is incredible. Being able to design for so many specs is a real challenge, and it takes years to fully understand all of the possibilities and limitations that there are.
But even if there are boundaries, it is definitely good to try to break them – in order to achieve more welldesigned, sustainable and affordable products.
What characterises the work at IoS in product development in particular?
It offers a lot of freedom and variety of topics for exploration. We are often asked to search broadly for ideas and approaches towards a project briefing, which is very fun!
The feedbacks are always very constructive, it is a collaboration, not a competition.
How are new products developed at IoS? How much market research goes into the development of new products?
There are so many people that I have not even met yet who are busy with researching and analyzing what the many people are looking for in their homes. How to make the life of the many easier, whether it is for families, singles, couples, young or old.
Usually, the Product developer come up with a brief for a product, and the designers then try to design along the pinpoints given in the briefing.
How did you settle in Älmhult, a small town in southern Sweden in the middle of many forests?
Since I already spent a year abroad for exchange, I was not scared of entering a new environment with a different language and culture – after all, it is about learning and understanding the new place better.
Sweden is beautiful! The people here truly know how to make a place feel cozy, and I fell in love with the architecture and fika (it’s okay to take a break) culture. Because IKEA takes a lot of inspiration from the traditional swedish handcrafts “Allmoge” and scandinavian design, I am exploring nearby cities trying to find more inspirations and learning about the swedish aesthetic in everyday life.
Is there any advice you can give future interns about working and everyday working life in product development at IoS?
Don’t be scared to be yourself, even if that requires a bit of bravery. Try to be open for other’s ideas and critique, but don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t work out. Use this opportunity to learn and grow, but also dare to share your insights with an open heart. Since there are so many different people with incredible knowledge at IKEA, use the chance to talk to them or show them your ideas, who knows what may happen.