The winner, Emma Jonsson (pictured in the middle) designed a product that extends the coffee experience to include an audio accompaniment to your chosen coffee. Different styles of music are used to define the various types and flavours of coffee. Listening ‘pods’ would be available around the boutique for the customers to listen to whilst drinking their coffee.
~ Where were you born and how long have you been in London?
I was born in the north of Sweden, above the Arctic Circle, in a tiny mining town called Kiruna. After travelling around the world for two years and two years of design studies in Sweden, I moved to London in 2010.
~ Why did you choose to come to London?
I felt I was ready to take the leap up to university studies and I wanted a challenge. Sweden has great design schools, but none of them really caught my interest and I thought to myself; why just limit your self to Sweden? Europe is on the doorstep, raise the bar and go abroad! London is the metropolis of art, design and culture so the choice was easy really!
~ What attracted you to Central St Martins, University of the Arts?
The connection between the university and a ‘real’ business made CMS the university for me. I feel that, what we are learning and developing at university has a viable link out to companies and an industry we hopefully are becoming a part of. During the academic years you get to meet clients and build relationships which is extremely important for the time after university.
~ How did you feel/ what were your thoughts when you discovered you were to work on a project for Nespresso?
The brief Nespresso set out for us together with CSM was incredible open and therefore very exciting. We were asked to design for ‘the experience of drinking coffee and the celebration of the new store’, and that word ‘experience’ really triggered something for me because that is how I see design.
~ How did you approach the brief?
I went to coffee events, visited coffee roasters, festivals and taste academies to really understand the current coffee culture and investigate what coffee represents to a Nespresso consumer. Coffee is an essential part in any holistic dining experience so I looked at gastronomic trends and found the emerging ideas about multi-sensorial experiences where you use all of your senses to just ‘experience’ the meal fully.
~ What were the main aspects of Nespresso that you wanted to bring out in your design?
I wanted to add to the work that Nespresso had already started, with showing the world that coffee isn’t just coffee. It is not just one flavour. That you can have it any way you like; bitter, sweet, light, intense, floral or spicy. I wanted to show the poetic and sensorial experience of Nespresso by adding the missing link to the equation of the Nespresso moment; sound. Nespresso put so much consideration and effort in to the Grand Crus that each one is worthy its own soundtrack.
~ How quickly did the idea form?
After the research about sensorial dining experiences I really felt that is was the right direction to go for Nespresso. Three weeks into the project, I presented three initial ideas that all revolved around sight, smell and sound. From that point I got feedback from the client and started developing the idea of how sound relates to coffee further.
~ What does your piece say about coffee and the coffee experience?
It says that if you use all your senses, you’ll get a more empowered and amplified experience. It says that coffee is not just a flavor or a drink on the go, you can really can take your time and savour your choice of coffee.
~ What stood out to you about the brand?
That Nespresso is truly trying to create an experience. Coffee is something you consume, every coffee must give the same experience as the next one. The high demand on quality and the will to push coffee culture to the next level, all came across as strong brand values.
~ What elements of this project been most helpful in your development as a designer?
That the brief was left open for me as a designer to find the design opportunities and let me investigate new areas that the client hadn’t thought of before. Also the strong focus on ‘experience’ was a interesting angle.
~ In hindsight, is there anything you would do differently or change in your design?
This is a first prototype and was made to fit the opening of the store, which it does well. But I would love to develop it as a permanent element in the store, so customers coming into the store could experience the sounds while browsing around in the store and picking out their Grand Crus.
~ Have you enjoyed working on the project?
Yes, very very much! The opportunity to work for a client so open and appreciative as Nespresso has been a privilege!
~ What’s your favourite coffee brand?
Nespresso, of course!
