Responses by blok design

Background: førs is a product design studio, launched by blok design, but with its own sense of purpose. førs studio is committed to designing thoughtful and sustainable products that connect us more profoundly to each other and, in doing so, reveal our shared humanity. We are profoundly moved by the elusive moments of beauty, by the humbleness by which we open ourselves to others, and the generosity by which we share a meal and the profound conversations that linger long after we have parted and continue to enrich us.

Reasoning: førs originated from an existing ceramics line we created over ten years ago, rooted in the insinuation of the cup’s curve. førs’ tableware is a continuation and exploration of the sensuality, curves and simplicity that we didn’t quite achieve the first time around. We tried it once—and we wanted to try it again until it arrived. The identity reflects the essence of this line. Rawness and simplicity are enriched through shadows and a rough experimental photocopy style, a language unique to us and expressive of its soulfulness. Aligned to its philosophy of the economy of means and simple honoring of essence, we printed on discarded papers and used recycled tape and boxes.

Challenges: Building a business parallel to running a design studio—from the strategy, design of product, identity, packaging and platforms to production and distribution—with a small creative team that is constantly busy. We took over every single aspect of the process. Given we are highly detailed and passionate by nature, we needed the førs identity and company to represent all the values we hold true—conceptually and from a design perspective.

Favorite details: We are proud of the relentless spirit, risk taking and entrepreneurial drive that propelled this project into existence against all odds. We had no budget assigned to this project or understanding of the time commitment and expansiveness needed to make it happen. And yet, we kept on believing in it—even during COVID—and it happened!

Time constraints: Time played a fundamental role in this project for many reasons. On one hand, we did not have a deadline. On the other, we did not have the budget to sustain the project for very long without launching. It was our playground and a luxury we gave ourselves as a studio, but every month, there was uncertainty of how much longer we would be able to work on it. We ended up launching it when it was finally ready and not a day sooner, holding to our belief that time is always on our side.

Anything new: We learned in action. We have always believed by doing we become. This project is the perfect example of a constant learning curve. From the process, production, distribution to designing a digital experience actually challenging the limits of the technology to shifts in the market and a pandemic, we could not have asked for a better experimental ground.

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