Aina Nilsson Ström

Name: Aina Nilsson Ström (fd Samuelsson)

Professional title: 
Design Manager

Born year: 1953

Comes from (city/country): Jönköping, Sweden

Educational Programme at HDK: Industrial Design  

Which year did you graduate from HDK?

1976 

What did you do, directly after leaving HDK?

I got a job as a designer at Saab in Trollhättan, Sweden.

What are you doing today?

I’m the Design Manager at Volvo.

How did you end up there? Can you describe your way to professional life?

I have worked with designing cars during all these years, and have gradually become manager. Therefore I don’t develop my own design proposals anymore and I haven’t made sketches for many years.

Your strongest memory from HDK?

All the wonderful people (crazy parties) and the fantastic possibility to experiment.

What is your most important lesson from HDK?

The importance of a good preparatory work, the analyse of function is something I keep in mind every day. You need to make practical experiments with, for example, physical models and allow yourself to play and have fun to be able to be creative.

Did you have some kind of strategy, during your HDK years, to influence your future carrier?

To always be near competent and talented people, with a hope of learning more.

If you should give one advice to a HDK student today – what would that be?

Look for the meaningfulness in why more products should be developed. Realize the responsibility you have as a designer.