Fem

Upon reading Danish Design- A Structural Analysis by Anders Kretzschmar I made a conclusion that the Danish have branded themselves very well as a unique sector within the design world, as well they have also managed to become and industrialized nation without losing the quality of craftsmanship. It wasn't until the 20th century that Danish Designers started making a mark for themselves. Several that brought attention to the Danish Design included Arne Jacobson, Poul Henningsen and Jorn Utzon. Throughout the 21st century Danish Design becomes and an internationally competitive company. While the Danish do not consider themselves part of a cluster industry in marketing they do see themselves as part of a more internal networking. Different design sectors try and work closely with others to ensure improvement and quality of work among all Danish sectors.

Most Danish Design firms are of the smaller sector. Because it is such a small country there is not need for many employees in one location, it is preferable to spread employees out over the country and continue to network from distances. Throughout the 90's Graphic and Product Design took over the design field and constituted over 50% of design work. This change in business can be paralleled with the need for strong visual communication globally as the internet took over the marketing world. It seems overtime while product production may increase the general satisfaction of the Dane's has stayed upbeat.

Kretzschmar writes about two different types of Danish designers. The first being the minority, Service & Client designers. These are said to be problem solvers and are more concerned with their personal imprint on society. They tend to specify in one expertize and probably won't work with the same client more then once. In this case the clients preference takes priority. On the contrary the majority of designers in Denmark are considered to be Artistic designers. In this case the designer takes more pride in self expression an self-realization. While considering what the client may want or request, the designer in this case is probably selected because of their expertise or unique style. Generally these designers take pride in their individuality and were probably selected by their clients because of this. While some may argue that a clients wish is the first command, I feel many designers are selected because they are good at what they do. In which case I think designers should be given the liberty to express themselves in their projects. After all isn't this why they were chosen in the first place by the client? This seems to be a tricky subject in which case by case studies are probably easier to wage.

In the future Danish Design will continue to improve and grow international bonds with other marketing companies. They Danish invest great sums of money to learning and networking with the other leaders in Design. The Dane's are always looking to improve their quality in their design and also learn from those around them. This practice seems like it should be considered natural because the Danish Design we are studying is after many centuries a melting pot of many historical cultures and backgrounds. Ceasing to avoid cross-culture influence in the future would only hurt the expansion of the Danish Design industry. Furthermore other cultures have much to learn from the Danes. Though such a small country the Danes have formulated a sleek, modern face for themselves that others take interest in. There are many pleasant things about Danish culture and designs alike. Isn't that how all us DIS students ended up here?

Many people have asked me why  I chose to come to Copenhagen, of all cities I could have traveled abroad. To be honest at first I had to no idea what I was getting myself into. Other then the Danish Designs and designers I had studied in architecture classes I really had never heard that much about Denmark. I was familiar to the region, I knew I was close to Amsterdam, that I was practically in Switzerland and that Denmark was a "Hip" city. Further more I had heard how sustainably people lived here, a practice quite neglected in the States. I knew Copenhagen was the happiest city in the world, and so I figured I couldn't go wrong. Why wouldn't I want to be in the happiest city for five months? I think Copenhagen, and Denmark in general is a bit exclusive. Not many people know much about this culture and city which is enticing to the new comer. Perhaps because Danish Designer have prided themselves on originality and preserving the routes of their Design ancestors the society has remained unique enough to keep people questioning the mysterious lives of the Danes.

I know I didn't travel all the way up here to enjoy the winter temperatures, I could have done that in mountainous regions of New England.