Voices from the GAD Jury: Design at the Crossroads of Human Creativity, AI, and Responsibility

This year’s Grand Award of Design celebrates the synergy between human creativity and sustainability in the AI era. Four of the jury members, Julia Valentin, Michael Henriksson, Andreas Säfström, and Gustav Landberg, reveal what this means for Swedish industrial design and what they hope to find in the entries, each bringing a unique lens: communications, premium product design, and systems-driven brand thinking.

Design is more critical than ever in an age where human creativity must harmonize with artificial intelligence and sustainability. The Grand Award of Design 2025 champions innovations that address complex global challenges, blending technical brilliance with empathy and long-term impact.

Rising design trends

The jury, rooted in expertise across communication, luxury tech, and systems thinking, offers perspectives on how Swedish industrial design can lead in this transformative moment.

We asked each jury member three key questions:

1. What are the most significant trends, challenges, and opportunities in design today?
2. What does the next generation of Swedish (sustainable industrial) design look like?
3. What are you hoping to see among this year’s entries?

First up, the Director of Communication at Teknikföretagen, Julia Valentin

What are the most significant trends, challenges, and opportunities in design today?

“I think design today is expected to do more than just solve problems—it’s becoming part of much bigger conversations around sustainability, tech, and even ethics. One challenge I see is keeping up with the speed of change, especially with digital tools and AI evolving so fast. But at the same time, that opens up new opportunities for designers to rethink systems, collaborate across disciplines, and shape more meaningful solutions.”

What does the next generation of Swedish (sustainable industrial) design look like?

“It feels like Swedish design continues to be grounded in function and simplicity, but with a stronger sense of responsibility. I imagine we will continue to see more experimentation with materials, more circular thinking, and a focus on long-term impact. And I hope we will see more collaboration across industries, and more products within the field of dual-use, because of the geopolitical situation we are facing.”

What are you hoping to see amongst this year’s entries?

“I’m curious to see entries that make me see a challenge in a new light. I do hope to be surprised—in the best possible way.”

Second up is the Vice President at Beijer Electronics, Michael Henriksson:

What are the most significant trends, challenges, and opportunities in design today?

“Design is ever-evolving, that not only catching up with and following trends but also defining them. We live in a society today where products, hardware, software, and services are seamlessly blended and deliver fantastic design solutions and innovation. Unlimited imagination, usability, innovation, time-to-market, and fast technology leaps are a few aspects that both open up endless opportunities but are also a challenge to keep up with, providing benefits easy to adopt and relevant to all of us.”

What does the next generation of Swedish (sustainable industrial) design look like?

“All above and stay at the forefront of thoughtful, innovative, and user-focused design across many domains and areas. Simply, pioneering and long-lasting design. Sweden possesses the competencies and capabilities needed, and we are used to teamwork across professions and partnerships to bring forward the very best.”

What are you hoping to see among this year’s entries?

“Looking forward to seeing an extensive bandwidth of products and solutions in the market for many years, or recently launched, proving design has been the winning formula and a cornerstone to the company’s business success, as it has been many times.”

And the third one, the director of Brand Design at Husqvarna Group, Gustav Landberg

What are the most significant trends, challenges, and opportunities in design today?

“Design is increasingly focused on enhancing the experience between humans and complex solutions and technologies like AI and robotics. Our job is and will be to humanize technology. At the same time, AI is the opportunity to streamline product development and the design of products and services.”

What does the next generation of Swedish (sustainable industrial) design look like?

“Circular and modular, where products are designed for longevity and updateability. Products that are prepared for the ‘Rs’, reduce, reuse, repair, remanufacture, and recycle. At least that is what I’m hoping for.”

What are you hoping to see amongst this year’s entries?

“Bold ideas that are truly user-centric and that move the industry forward to a better place.”

The fourth and last interview for this article, the Head of Design and User Experience at Ericsson, Andreas Säfström

What do you see as the most significant trends, challenges, and opportunities in design today?

“Using AI in design is both promising and challenging. It can accelerate processes and enhance efficiency, but there’s a risk of mistaking superficial appearances for true, well-designed products.”

What does the next generation of Swedish (sustainable industrial) design look like?

“The most innovative and successful companies today are those that manage to integrate all branches of human-centered design in their products and solutions, creating a seamless flow for their users, all the way through hardware, software, and services. I hope to see more of this kind of integration in Swedish products in the future.”

What are you hoping to see amongst this year’s entries?

“I’m excited to see well-designed products that not only represent their brand but also demonstrate how design can drive innovation and contribute to financial success. Some great entries from B2B companies would also be on my wish list!”

Meet the entire Jury of the Gold Category for 2025:

• Julia Valentin, Director of Communication, Teknikföretagen
• Michael Henriksson, Vice President at Beijer Electronics
• Gustav Landberg, Director of Brand Design, Husqvarna Group
• Jonas Petterson, Cofounder & CEO, Form Us With Love
• Ann Granberg, Head of Design, Geely / Lynk & Co
• Camilla Kullborg, Manager, Expert Learning Lab, ABB
• Andreas Säfström, Head of Design & UX, Ericsson

About the Award:

The Grand Award of Design celebrates excellence in sustainable industrial design, where creative solutions meet commercial viability. Backed by Teknikföretagen and long recognized as a marker of innovation, the award includes two prize categories:

• The Gold Category is the main prize, awarding 250,000 SEK to the winning project.
• The Pioneer award is aimed at smaller companies/startups, and the winner will receive a cash prize of 100,000 SEK.

Apply before September 2025

Applications are open until 8 September 2025. Winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in October 2025.