Hatch & Bloom

Introducing Live

2012-02-09T13:14:00.004+01:00

We have been around the blog for some years and now it’s time for something new – a new website that is. A website that will give you an insight into Hatch & Bloom today – why we’re here, what we believe in and how we plan on changing the planet (!).

This also means the end of this blog. Instead you can follow our company, clients, work and the world of design according to us Live on our new website. Check it out here. And feel free to comment on our posts.

We apologize if you have felt out of the loop for the last couple of months. But with the new website in place, we promise to keep you up to speed in 2012.

Welcome to our new intern!

2011-08-05T16:08:00.002+02:00

A lot of things are happening around here these days. Not only did we move to a new location – Hatch & Bloom has also been blessed with a new intern for our Copenhagen based office, Malene Rasmussen.

With a BA in Communication and English, a MSocSc in Management of Creative Business Processes from CBS and a great interest in Design research, innovation and communication we feel confident that Malene will bring great skills to the team. Even though the start up has been rather hectic, due to our relocation, with chaotic trips to Silvan, a lot of driving back and forth and not to mention assembling just about 10.000 furniture parts (sorry Malene), no doubt Malene will be in for an exciting and demanding ride during the next six months.

Malene will mainly handle our many internal communication assignments, but as she’s quite a versatile young woman surely she will bring her know how and experience into practice across many areas of the business.

We happily welcome Malene to Hatch & Bloom!

Back at the (new) office

2011-08-04T16:31:00.007+02:00

First off we apologies for the lack of blog activity lately, but not only have we been out and about enjoying a two week holiday, we’ve also been busy getting our new office up and running. The last couple of days have been all about packing boxes, emptying shelves, piling up books, papers and posters. Basically the entire Copenhagen based office, and the previous year of hatching and blooming has been packed, sealed and delivered to our new premises located at Frederiksholms Kanal 4, Copenhagen K.

It’s not a secret that we’ve been looking forward to a new office, with an increasing number of employees it started to get kind of crowded, but with 240 square meter of work place there’s now plenty of room to romp on. However, first things first. Now it’s time to get everything back on track: unpack, plug in, install, assemble and furnish!

We will keep you posted on everything, once we’ve settled in – no worries though, it’s still business as usual!

1 journey, 91 directions and a 1000 possibilities…

2011-06-15T16:48:00.004+02:00

What does Aarhus University and Arriva have in common? Well, more than a little actually. Both work in the field of helping people reach their destination – one literally and one metaphorically. That's why we’ve decided to let the two join forces in a new recruiting campaign for AU!

With a mission to tell potential students about the many directions that Aarhus  University has to offer, and to stress the fact that the road might be demanding, but rewarding, as well, we took over an entire train carriage – pretty much wallpapering it with posters.

Each poster held a different message, but all compared the concepts of an actual and an educational journey.

So, though the train might take you from Silkeborg to Aarhus in 43 minutes,  moving from talent to expert easily adds up to 5 years, 1 month, and 4 days – and while Aarhus railway station holds 6 tracks,  there’s no less than 91 different tracks to chose from at AU (which equals just about a 1000 different paths). Conclusion: a new life is no more than a stop away!

Just to stay on track – several other initiatives, such as a new chat service, have been carried out in this recruitment process, as well. But more on that later!

And on the transatlantic note…

2011-05-30T10:03:00.004+02:00

With the American accent still on the tip of our tongues, the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia decided to interview our Innovation Director, Lotte Lyngsted Jepsen, as part of a major research project.

The study aims at composing a series of best practice cases as to how design thinking can impact business - not just in regards to products, but to every aspect of business development.
And we’re in good company in this study, sharing the pages with companies like Herman Miller, 3M, IBM and Toyota.

On a similar note: Formerly nominated for the Index award, our Good Kitchen project has just been selected for the Index design canon “100 stories of design to improve life”, which collects the top 100 Index projects from 2005-2011.

For more info go to indexaward.dk

Just to get the weekend started…

2011-05-19T15:05:00.005+02:00

We’ve decided to upload a little something from April where the trade fair, Transport 2011, took place (it’s never really too late for an afternoon cruise).

The theme was “new roads” and, in close cooperation with our dear client OK a.m.b.a., we took the theme quite literally. The result: An interactive stand for truckers of all ages.
Visitors to the stand found themselves coming in the midst of remote controlled trucks, blue highways, houses, trees and gas stations – an OK universe if you will. Everyone who dared was able to take one of the trucks for a spin and experience first hand the products and services that OK provides.

And with 17.520 visitors coming to the trade fair, the mileage recorder showed quite a bit of activity on our stand.

If you do not believe us, you can see for yourself! Our very own copywriter, Daniel, and concept designer, Vibeke, snuck in and placed a camera in the driver’s cab of a truck to tag along for the journey…

Hatch & Bloom goes transatlantic

2011-05-16T13:21:00.002+02:00

Everybody knows that innovation is truly sparked by a change of scenery. For this reason the majority of the Hatch & Bloom board of directors recently took a trip to the apple of apples – amazing New York. Acknowledging that the best inspiration comes from unplanned events and setting the mental capacity at pause only a few activities were planned in advance. Among these was a visit to the NY branch of design and innovation agency Method, who holds era defining clients like Google, Samsung, Time Warner, and BBC. Much informal the purpose was to share reflexions on relevant topics like integrating digital medias across platforms, obtaining user insight (quite tuff since no New Yorker quite resembles the average American) and working strategically with inspiration. Leaving inspired – and a bit buzzed from the Friday beers – a new transatlantic connection has now been made.

We proudly present ...

2011-05-05T11:18:00.003+02:00

As you might have noticed in the last couple of months, new faces have been appearing on our blog on a regular basis. Well, here’s another one for you:

We hereby proudly present the latest addition to the ever-growing Hatch & Bloom family, Kasper Lynge.

Kasper will take the position as ‘Head of Agency’, which makes him the man in charge of daily operations. Besides running the day-to-day business, Kasper will hold the title of Creative Director. After 8 years with LEGO as creative director in LEGO Inhouse Agency, and before that as art director at the multinational advertising agency Publicis, we have no doubt that he is going to make a serious impact to be felt by customers and colleagues alike.

And it’s no wonder we expect a lot from Kasper. Working closely together with LEGO, Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, and British Airways, he’s no stranger to the demands of the worlds top companies. So of course, our already high-flying ambitions have just taken yet another step up the ladder.

We welcome Kasper with all our hearts and look forward to seeing him in action.

Challenge Society!

2011-04-27T17:13:00.005+02:00

With a focus on how design can solve complex issues the Danish Design Centre recently launched a new exhibition in Copenhagen called Challenge Society – a statement that somehow seems hard to disagree with. In times where we’re facing an increasing number of challenges i.e. the level of service have reached below point zero, public institutions are suffering from triple figured savings and honestly it seems hard to talk welfare theses days – it’s important to show how design can not only boost innovation, but also create better solutions for the users while adding value to the companies. No doubt we have the know how and the ability to do so, now it’s just about getting the message across. And well, as we don’t mind spreading the word of powerful design solutions, we’ve contributed with three service design projects to the exhibition.

Of course we could let you in on the full picture right here, but we think you should go check out “Challenge Society” and see for your self. It’s on until the 19th of February 2012. Enjoy!

Read more about the exhibition here.

And the nominees are…

2011-04-04T16:26:00.004+02:00

Hurray for electricity with “a can do attitude”!  We’ve recently received the news that Hatch & Bloom and OK a.m.b.a. have been nominated for a Direct Marketing Prize 2011.

59 campaigns are in the race competing for a bronze, silver or gold medal within 8 different categories, and like many other competitions the winners will be judged on the level of talent, strategy and creativity. Sure we’re a bit excited about this whole thing, but we’re also quite wound up about another aspect: As a nominee, you’ll have straight access to the semi-final in one of the world’s most prestigious direct marketing competitions The ECHO Awards in Boston. With a focus on the biggest and best ideas, the most creative use of media and channels and not to mention the finest executions, no doubt the expectations are running high. And so, we’ve been busy writing, mounting, translating, printing and labelling to get everything packed, sealed and ready for departure.

Now, we’ll just have to wait and see where this one might be taking us!

See the nominated case at: hatchandbloom.com

Meet our new Resource Manager!

2011-03-17T16:45:00.002+01:00

A fair bunch of people will be joining us in the nearest future, and so we’re going to pull off quite a few posts introducing new colleagues to the agency. However, this one is a bit different as we’re not talking a newcomer but in fact someone who’s quite familiar with the Hatch & Bloom ensemble. Malene Korsholm has worked at the Aarhus office as an intern for the last six months, but with a BA in international economics, an impressing ability to keep the agency up and running and a no bullshit attitude, she’s an obvious choice for the position as our new Resource Manager. Not only will Malene be managing all our internal projects – she’ll also be working hands on with economical matters and external assignments. Yep she’s quite a soldier and no doubt she’ll do hell of a job (she’s even preparing for a half marathon?? while turning down afternoon cake specialities on a regular basis????).

Welcoming new colleagues to Hatch & Bloom!

2011-03-07T18:04:00.003+01:00

We hereby present the latest two newcomers to join our Copenhagen based office.

Former strategic director and Ph.D. in strategic design, Irene Lønne, is our new Senior Strategist, and with several years of experience within the industry, sure the expectations are running high. Not only do we feel quite confident that she’ll bring a lot of skill to the team, she’s also an Italian expert, cookbook writer and wine fanatic. Lucky us, we love Italy and wine (especially last mentioned), and obviously we can’t wait for Irene to unfold her many talents – benvenuti!

But, it doesn’t stop here… Also Vicky Juel Andersen has stepped on board as our new Junior Concept Designer. And just to stay on an international scale, we’ve hatched Vicky straight from London, where she recently graduated from the acknowledged LCC (London College of Communication). Being quite a talented young woman, Vicky will especially be working hands on with our many visual and creative assignments. Oh, and in regards to her “fun fact” (in case you haven’t noticed, we’re a bit obsessed with the term), rumour has it that she’s quite a star on the dance floor… Now, we’re more than excited to see some moves in action!

You and Me are We!

2011-02-24T16:29:00.008+01:00

Posters, ballpoint pens, banners, Go-Cards, stickers, t-shirts, badges, stationary, You and Me are We statements, logos and adverts!
As shown on the picture Khanh, our graphic intern, is busy preparing a whole lot of merchandise designed for Københavns åbne Gymnasium as part of a corporate identity project we’ve been working on the last couple of months.

Truth is that Copenhagen holds quite a few high schools and it certainly can be challenging to differentiate your self from a well-established crowd, but with a set of values that reflects engagement and openness KG surely have what it takes. The only question is how to get the message across.. The answer? Five valuable words: “You and Me are We”, and of course a complete new corporate identity to walk the talk. Honestly, being a student you’ll have a hard time avoiding this one. Not only has the new identity been well implemented within the four walls of Københavns åbne Gymnasium - i.e. huge banners, signage, wall paintings, graffiti statements, eager students, and a 1000 other things - the “You and Me are We” spirit has also generated a great deal of resonance out and about. And so, no less than 400 potential students decided to stop by for the annual orientation meeting while the KG Facebook page has been buzzing with activity.

Read more about the case at: hatchandbloom.com

A night to remember

2011-02-10T13:13:00.005+01:00

As some of you might be aware of we recently hosted the 23rd DDA Bar inviting all of our colleagues to stop by for a mix of provocative inspiration and industry network.

Jacob Fruensgaard Øe, our strategic director, kick started the evening with a few insights signifying how to perceive the act of hatching and blooming - point being that all of our work, or in other words our entire business model, is based on the interplay between ideas (hatch) and design (bloom). Honestly, this is our very own personal HeartBeat. Also the mere cold facts were outlined as a lot of new things are happening these days. Not only are we soon to welcome four new colleagues on board, we’re also planning an expansion of the Copenhagen based office - but more on that later!

No doubt we could have rambled on forever about the life of Hatch & Bloom (trust us on that one), but in order to spice up the evening, we invited Jill Byrnit, Cand. Psych., to give a speak on human nature. Jill filled us all in on social and psychological behaviour stating, among other things, how we’re coded as pessimists or optimists - a quite crucial factor that certainly has a great impact on how we perceive our surroundings.

Thank god the majority were optimists - pessimistic design some how seems less appealing!

Electricity with a “can-do-attitude”

2011-01-26T15:01:00.002+01:00

What’s the most generic product in the world? Give up? Well, the answer might just be electricity.

There is no good electricity or bad electricity. There’s only electricity. And there are about fifty suppliers in our little country alone.
Anyways, the energy company OK asked us to make a direct mail campaign to target potential business customers and tell the story of OK and electricity. But how do you differentiate in such a volatile environment? How do you make an impact?
One way to go is to admit the horrible truth: That your product is no better than any one else’s. That yours is exactly the same as your competitor’s. And then sneak in the fact that your consultancy is the differentiator in a market where the prices go up and down like stocks.
To illustrate our point we packed this message in the most generic form of packaging we could think of: The good ol’ fashioned tin can. Mackerel in tomato or tuna-style (take a look at the video).
And it seems that the lucky recipients got the point. Over 25 % asked for in-person sales meetings as a result of the campaign.

Long live honesty and tin cans.

DDA BAR//23

2011-01-19T18:01:00.003+01:00

Agency life is filled with psychology: client relations, target groups and colleagues. But what do we in fact know about ourselves as psychological animals, and why the sudden need to reclaim trust, vulnerability and imperfection? It’s no secret that we’re facing, or more correctly in the midst of, a new era focusing more on human values than ever. The demand for a genuine and rewarding experience, simple services and trustworthy solutions are some of the desired deliveries that are much needed these days.

In order to stir up the topic we’ve invited Cand.psych., Jill Byrnit, to give a provocative speech on human nature at our DDA BAR next week – and sure our very own Jacob Fruensgaard Øe will join in with some Hatch & Bloom insights as well!

The event will take place the 27th of January at our Copenhagen based office from 17.00 – 19.00, and of course we encourage all of our colleagues from the industry to stop by for a glass of wine! Pass the word and throw us a mail at: sof@hatchandbloom.com to let us know that you’re coming!

Oh, we almost forgot: read more about the event at the Danish Design Association website, danishdesignassociation.com

A talk on public service design – in Seoul!

2011-01-07T16:54:00.003+01:00

In December we were invited to Seoul by the Korea Public Design Expo in order to showcase our award-winning project, The Good Kitchen. The Koreans were keen to find out how we managed to improve the meal service and life quality for 125.000 elderly people living in the municipality of Holstebro, and so we provided a great deal of insights from the project, showing how a piece of service design can lead to life changing results.

But why not take the topic a bit further?

Truth is that Denmark might be the local context for this story but design to improve life is everywhere. All around the world public institutions are eager to understand how service design can improve welfare services in a cost-saving way. Speaking of Denmark opinion polls clearly show how the Danish population experience deterioration in public services, and as the public sector needs to locate savings worth 24.000.000.000 kr. it will surely have an enormous impact on the Danish welfare. It’s obvious that we need to bring our design competences into play and create new innovative solutions in order to meet future challenges and improve public services. We have the knowhow and the ability to do it different and do it better – hell, we even have great examples!

Read more about service design on our website: hatchandbloom.com

Christmas Cards, Jelly Beans and New Year Greetings

2010-12-22T15:49:00.003+01:00

What can one learn form a Jelly Bean? What hidden meaning is embedded in these sugar-coated classics? Well, we believe there is great wisdom to the sweets. They contain a near- philosophic message of the power of difference: That the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And it just so happens, we agree with the beans. Truly great ideas are born in the intersection of different minds, different ways of thinking and different ways of working. For three years this has been our philosophy, and we sincerely hope you have been able to feel the difference. 

2010 was a good year for us, thanks to you. Your support made us spawn a brand new office in our fair capital. And it allowed us to bring in new minds to our mix of competencies. For this we are grateful, and we will repay you with more juicy ideas, tasty cores of meaning and sweet designs in 2011.  

Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. 

Hatch & Bloom

Call us old fashioned…

2010-12-22T13:28:00.002+01:00

- But sometimes the most powerful communication strategies requires the ability to hack backwards, make use of more basic methods and embrace the power of simplicity. In other words, not everything around here is 2.0, interface and wireframes. Our 259 x 370 black and white advert published in the latest issue of Markedsføring kind of proves the point. No colours, no pictures, no digital platforms. Only one A3 print, a single tagline and 23.000 highly targeted readers. That’s all.

Of course we’re still all about the digital what not, so feel free to Share it, Bookmark it, Twitter it, Facebook it, Tag it, Google it, Print it, Mail it, Digg it, Blog it, Talk it…

On an international note

2010-12-17T15:58:00.005+01:00

Helsinki, Stockholm, Madrid, Frankfurt, Copenhagen. Who knew dairy products were the key to the world?

As a part of an ongoing Arla-project we have developed ideas and prototypes for ten all new product concepts. To make sure they were all on point and delicious, the concepts have been exposed to the hard-hitting opinions of the good people of Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Denmark. And we have been right there every step of the way. Through five focus groups we have received tons of useful feedback to skim the excess fat of the concepts before further development.

Hooray for Arla for believing in user-driven innovation…

PS: Though the product in question is classified, we can reveal that it’s going to be a real treat.

Have you met your future colleagues?

2010-12-17T15:39:00.002+01:00

In case you haven’t heard (it’s no secret that good news travels fast within this industry) we’re on the look out for new clever heads and creative geniuses – more specific two Senior Strategists, one Digital Concept Designer and a Senior Art Director, talking about design heaven. The offerings? Four key positions, one significant opportunity and the chance to create groundbreaking design solutions a long with the rest of us. Oh, and of course the possibility to join our multi-skill team (we’ve already introduced you to a bunch of us) made up by a thousand different experiences, competences and interests including underwater rugby, Jack Sparrow performing, allotment gardening, neurotic cleaning and most importantly the ability to perform a 50 cm. Ollie and a 30 cm. jump.

All right, enough with the over sharing. Want to join? Read more about the positions at: hatchandbloom.com

By the way, did you know that eighty percent of all white cats are deaf?

DDA profile of the week: Jacob Fruensgaard Øe

2010-12-15T12:52:00.001+01:00

Actually we think our strategic director, Jacob Fruensgaard Øe, kind of reached this month's blog limit, but when the Danish Design Association chooses you as the profile of the week it surely deserves some attention. Mostly because Jacob chips in on some quite interesting design issues in an interview on the DDA website; opinions, thoughts and insights we’d love to share with you. Honestly there are a lot of interesting views covering everything from the importance of services and experiences to how we’re stepping into a new no bullshit era. Oh, and not to forget his tribute to the best inspirational platforms (we thank you TED), design projects and favourite gadgets – the iPad of course. In other words: If you need a 360 tour on design matters seen from a Hatch & Bloom perspective we recommend that you check out the interview here:  danishdesignassociation.com.

Nothing was lost in translation…

2010-12-14T20:35:00.001+01:00

Here at Hatch & Bloom we’re doing a lot of travelling lately. Just last week our very own Lotte and Michael were invited to do a presentation on service design in Antwerp, Belgium, at the Design Vlaandern conference.

After an hour and a half of “create-success-through-service-design”-nuggets, Lotte and Michael were able to enjoy a full conference of exciting presentations… All in Flemish, of course.

Though plain old English would have been easier to decipher, the main point still came across quite clearly. Service design is on the rise in Belgium and expectations are high. The goal of the conference was nothing less than saving the Belgian welfare system through service design. We applaud the ambition and hope our input on implementing design ideas in the real world will help them reach their goal.

2x7948 km, 4 days and 1,95 million

2010-12-13T09:26:00.003+01:00

This is really not new: Hatch & Bloom have been invited to a conference. What is new and exciting are the people who invited us.

Don Ryun Chang is currently advisor for the Korean Olympic Committee, Seoul Metropolitan government and is the author of five books including 'How to succeed in business with design', 'Brand Media Innovation' and 'Birth of Place', which is in its second printing. He is also executive organizing chair of the Korea Public Design Expo, which is organized by the Korea Ministry of Culture. He asked us if we wanted to showcase our award winning The Good Kitchen-project and attend a symposium on public service design. This is not just an important step for us – it is also an indication of an important development in the world. An event like this shows that major forces on the other side of the planet are getting ready. Ready to lead a new movement in public service design. They know that they can not get the same welfare system that we have unless they design it right. From the beginning. We salute this development and celebrate.

We will be visiting a country almost 8000 km away. A city where we can not even pronounce the names on the signs. Where the taxi ride from the airport is 80.000 KRW. And we are excited as hell.

What is marketing without design?

2010-12-10T15:00:00.003+01:00

Being a design agency we certainly don’t mind to contribute when it comes to design matters, and a lot of other things as well actually, and so we threw in a few comments on how to perceive design and marketing in the latest issue of Markedsføring. Helle, our design researcher, is already catching up. Short version is that it simply makes no sense to outline marketing as a single activity as we see an increasing demand for coherence between products, services and campaigns – the essence of good marketing today. An initiative that not only demands a design strategy but also the ability to integrate the good idea on all possible levels. Obviously we could ramble on forever, but we think you should go read the full article at: hatchandbloom.com, it’s actually quite good (if we may say so)…

Five things…

2010-12-07T18:00:00.004+01:00

You didn’t know about our strategic director Jacob Fruensgaard Øe.
 Afraid of birds?? Come on! No seriously, this is not Jacob giving away a speech on his personal life, even though we’re sure it would be rather interesting..! This is in fact Jacob doing a presentation at an event hosted by the Danish Design Centre focusing on how to integrate human values on business platforms to achieve innovation, growth and creativity. Jacob was not the only one capturing the stage though. Actor Jonatan Spang and CEO Kim Rahbek from Sticks’n’Sushi also contributed with some inspiring presentations, while Jacob gave an interesting speak on how not to underestimate the power of imperfection and vulnerability in business strategies – talking about HeartBeat!

Time to talk type!

2010-11-25T18:00:00.003+01:00

For our very own Art Director, Jakob, and graphic intern, Khanh, last Friday was indeed a day spent in type heaven as they both attended the conference “Type led by ideas” at the black diamond, Copenhagen. A perfect chance to mingle and jingle with fellow designer talents (as the picture shows Jakob and Mads Quistgaard, one of the organisers of the event, seem to have a pretty good time), but sure the day also raised quite important questions. Design is all about the big ideas, but how do we perceive the subject conceptual type – type led by ideas? We’ll let Khanh and Jakob answer that one. Type away boys!

Well, there seems to be a conflict between the theoretical construction that lies within the term conceptuality and the more firm qualities that characterize typography. If the rules are compromised and the typography fails to maintain it’s readability, typography dissolves into abstract forms or illustration. When typography, on the other hand, is used to enhance, clarify or correspond certain ideas it reflects the function of being a translator or messenger of a given content.

Thank you for sharing. We can see you had a nerdy day.

Design Is Local

2010-11-12T14:41:00.003+01:00

For a new Hatch'n'Bloom'er the many communication and advertising acronyms can be wildly confusing. USP, SMB, CVP, ESP etc. – and what exactly defines a 'big idea'? Especially our own beloved Jacob Fruensgaard Øe has a tendency to throw in a lot of these acronyms in his daily talk. As a design agency we must ask ourselves: is there a design solution to these miscommunications? First we found a (great) book about advertising and communication (The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry, Thames & Thames). By bringing it into our local context, however, we also added our own dust cover, in order to clearly communicate the local purpose of the book.
Our intern Jesper is already reading and learning...

HeartBeat

2010-11-10T10:20:00.001+01:00

Something’s been pumping, breathing and beating around the Hatch & Bloom offices lately and now it’s about time you get a feel of it too. The picture above shows not only one of the interns Mac screens - it’s also an overview of what we’ve been working on the past couple of months. Let’s call it an ongoing curiosity that has developed into a mindset, which seems to influence all of our work these days. Short version is that we’d like to consider it a pulse, an experience, an indispensable beat, a feeling, an intuition and simply the recognition of human needs. Why? Because truth is that every design, every strategy, every piece of communication, every product, medium, tool and expression deal with one thing and one thing only: What it’s like to be human among other humans and how to improve excactly that experience.

For now we just call it HeartBeat, but more on that later!

Say hi to Jakob!

2010-11-05T16:33:00.002+01:00

It’s no secret that we’ve been on the lookout for more hands and clever heads to ease some of the many assignments around here and so we welcome our new and talented Senior Art Director, Jakob Holmsberg, to our Copenhagen office. With a background representing many different assignments within the field of graphic design Jakob will bring a broad variety of skills to the team. And well, his first day at work already revealed how this man holds a lot of great talents: as it turns out there’s more to Jakob’s fingers than creating great design, apparently his also a firm craftsman building his own allotment garden in Dragør – now we certainly can’t wait to see where the gifted hands of Jakob will lead us in the future!

Welcome to the woods!

2010-11-05T15:21:00.003+01:00

You certainly can’t blame us for not getting things done around here! What started as a peaceful Friday morning at the Copenhagen office suddenly turned into quite an active afternoon… It can be hard to follow up when our very own Mette and Jacob get their minds around something, and running fast was indeed what Friday was all about.
2 PM: running up stairs, moving furniture’s, carrying boxes, plugging in, plugging out, organizing, decorating, establishing and voila, 3 PM: we got ourselves a brand new office within the Soho House! Maybe we didn’t get to enjoy an after hours glass of wine at Paté Paté, but on the other hand we got a three in one bonus: Bigger office space, a wood look a like décor and an amazing view showing the meatpacking district skyline – what more to wish for?

Good scenography, good ideas!

2010-10-07T16:37:00.006+02:00

Working with idea development every day we certainly acknowledge the importance of how inspiring settings can generate good ideas. And so, we have been hired to design a scenography concept for a workshop facilitated by Midtlab, a division of Region Midtjylland, where forty key stakeholders are invited to discuss, brainstorm and develop ideas in regards to the new hospital project in Skejby. The workshop is taking place at DR’s premises in Aarhus, and with three stages designed as: a classical lecture with chairs facing the speaker, a discussion forum where subjects are debated in groups and finally a relaxing backstage area, all inviting the participants to perform and interact, the scene is definitely set for creating and sharing those good, indispensable and valuable ideas!

What started in Copenhagen (…)

2010-09-22T16:11:00.003+02:00

Continues in Aarhus! As some of you might remember the Hatch & Bloom team hooked up for a company day late august in Copenhagen. Today, however, the Copenhagen office have packed their bags and headed towards the capital of Jutland to do some internal hatching and blooming. For some of us, or well one of us (the only Copenhagener currently a part of the Hatch & Bloom bunch), this is a first timer. Impressed by terms as “Gågaden”, “Banegården”, and nothing the less an amazing lunch prepared by chef and renaissance man, Mads Nybro, the day is already looking promising!

You’re a social animal…

2010-09-10T10:41:00.005+02:00

And so are we! Some might wonder what our design researcher Helle is doing with a skull and a porcelain dull? Well, here’s the answer: At Hatch & Bloom it’s human time. We have invited Jill Byrnit, Cand.psych. PhD. and expert in primatology, anthropology and evolution psychology to talk about human beings as social and psychological animals when we’re hosting a Danish Design Association Bar later this month. Of course we could just tell you all about how we have succeeded in hatching and blooming innovative design solutions, but why not focus on what it’s all about anyways: being human among other humans!   If you want to read more about the event go to: www.danishdesignassociation.com

 We hope to see everyone from the industry the 30th of September – and for the rest of you – well sorry, but this one is for insiders only!

We might be waiting for you!

2010-09-01T12:42:00.008+02:00

We’re doing great and therefore we need more hands! As most of you probably already know we’ve recently expanded our company, which means more space, more assignments and more clever heads needed to our Copenhagen based office. We’re among other things upgrading our digital field and so we need an experienced digital Art Director. Most importantly you’re cutting edge on idea development, extremely innovative and a ferm craftsman – and nothing the less, you’re a talented Art Director with at least three years of professional experience.

If you think that you have what it takes to become a part of the industry’s most talented and creative team (if we may say so ourselves) go to: www.bureaubiz.dk and read more about the position. We can’t wait to meet you!

Aarhus and Copenhagen get - together!

2010-08-30T14:16:00.003+02:00

Friday was a very exciting day for the Hatch & Bloom team. Not only did we all get together for a company day at the Copenhagen office, we also got the chance to enjoy a glass of champaign on the sunny roof terrace. Of course we carried on the party at the Meatpacking district in a true Hatch & Bloom style, and oh what a night!

New faces in Aarhus!

2010-08-23T15:01:00.006+02:00

As posted earlier some of us have left Aarhus to staff up our Copenhagen office leaving some empty seats to be filled. Four new interns snatched these seats and had their first day at Hatch & Bloom in Aarhus today. Malene will be contributing with her communication and branding skills while Jesper will be focusing on service design, idea and concept development. Trine, is here to strengthen that Hatch & Bloom experience(!) by adding an aspect to our communication and intern activities. Last but not least, our designanthropologist, Andreas, is employed to help us add new depth to our understanding of the complexity of human interaction.

First day at Hatch & Bloom was not at all as hard as real life is cracked up to be. Though involving challenges as being received with goodiebags, new Macs and having breakfast at 10.30 and still have appetite at 12.30 when our private chef had the lunch ready - mission Impossible? Think not! All in all, this has been a good first day and ”real life” doesn’t seem that terrifying anymore… Though looking quite useless now, remember that looks can be decieving and we will soon be contributing with more than noise at the office.

(Enlightening) summer reading!

2010-08-12T15:00:00.006+02:00

Our very own Daniel can now add the title author to his profession – alongside other talented people within the design industry he has contributed with a chapter in the new book ”Innovationsantologi – 12 forskellige bud på innovation”. In the book Daniel writes about user centred design, and describes how users become a part of the final solution in regards to design development. It’s no wonder that Daniel was chosen for the assignment, he’s not only very clever, and sweet, and funny and well a lot of other things – he also has a great experience working with service design, as this is one of the core competences here at Hatch & Bloom.

We can’t wait to get our hands in a copy and start reading – oh, and we think you should do the same!

To read more about the book go to: http://www.systime.dk

Design can bring Denmark out of the crisis (and that’s a fact)!

2010-08-11T16:48:00.006+02:00

At Hatch & Bloom we’re all about improving human life – that also means bringing Denmark out of the crisis through idea and design solutions. The public sector needs to save 24 mia., and the best way to develop public service within an employee and user perspective is to use design as a strategic and innovative tool – our service design project for Randers Regions Hospital kind of proves the point. Really, the design industry can help the public sector save money by providing low cost efficient methods that generate effective and quality-based results. We know so, DDA knows so and Børsen writes about it!

Read the full article from Børsen at: www.hatchandbloom.com

CPH here we come!

2010-08-06T15:50:00.008+02:00

Ok, we´re aware that the following post is rich on content, but it´s been a long summer and there´s so much we want to share with you!

We’re very excited here at Hatch & Bloom as the summer of 2010 has been the kick-start for a whole new era. First of all, we’re proud to introduce our new Copenhagen based office situated in the renowned Meatpacking district at Vesterbro. We simply love the newly renovated Soho House where we live in the midst of other creative and innovative companies (but most of all we love the 240 m2 rooftop terrace). No, just kidding – but it is quite awesome so we thought we would mention it anyways. But the expansion of the company is not the only thing that needs an introduction though. A new office means more assignments and more brain activity needed so therefore we welcome: Sine, Khanh and Sofie to the team. They will hang around for a while, so you can might as well get to know them now: Sine began her studies at the School for visual communication in Haderslev, but has decided to continue her second year in graphic design at Mediehøjskolen in Copenhagen (for that, we thank you Sine). Khanh studies at the School for visual communication but will move to Copenhagen for a couple of months to enlighten Hatch & Bloom with his graphic skills. Last man standing is Sofie who lives and studies in Copenhagen. With a background in communication and Danish language & media from RUC we know that she is the right woman for the job.

Not quite a senior yet…

2010-06-03T11:10:00.005+02:00

With an average age of around 30 the employees of Hatch & Bloom are not exactly entering the +50 age group quite yet. But we’ve recently gotten to know these consumers quite well. Alongside the Confederation of Danish Industry we’ve been working on a project called “Food in Later Life” - analysing how the +50’s live and view themselves and their lives. What we found is that they typically are in a better state than their children and grandchildren. They are richer, in better physical shape, eat healthier and are at the highpoint of their careers. We’re excited, both about the project, but also about the prospect of growing old – if it involves getting rich, healthy and fit, we’re definitely game!

Want to read more about the project click here: http://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/50-den-nye-guldalder

Ready… set…eat!

2010-05-25T13:35:00.006+02:00

There’s a food frenzy going on at Hatch & Bloom these days. We’re currently doing packaging, communication and branding for three different food companies working with chocolate, liquorice and sandwiches. In dedication to the cause, some (read: all) of the samples had to be tasted (read: devoured completely)! Everything’s of course very tasty and yummy but let’s be honest we’re not talking apples and bananas here, so it’s a good thing we’ve also just started a health and exercise project with the Dane Age Association. Hopefully that will lesson the guilt and balance things out.

British cuisine at its best

2010-05-12T16:12:00.005+02:00

Why are people fighting over food marked with a Union Jack? Has Hatch & Bloom taken up the challenge of improving the image of the infamous British cuisine? ... Well, not quite, but kind of! We recently got a new assignment from Arla Foods forming a concept for a brand new product targeted for either UK, Denmark or Sweden - or all three if truly successful. As part of the project we conducted a consumer workshop with 'foodies' (food and drink aficionados) from the three markets. Testing, but not knowing exactly what the product was, the consumers did radical cooking, while Arla staff watched in awe. And the British pasta was actually quite scrumptious, which promises well for both our project with Arla and British cooking in general. The color of hope is milky white…

The final result

2010-05-06T10:06:00.002+02:00

As you know Hatch & Bloom’s three movie stars recently appeared in a film for the Danish Design Center. The final result was presented at the +10 Forecast exhibition last week. Check it out: http://www.ddc.dk/article/designprocessen-fra-start-til-slut

Environment and communication go hand in hand

2010-05-03T10:21:00.003+02:00

One of the advantages of working with a diverse customer portfolio is all the new input we get. Everyday we learn something. Did you know, for instance, that by adding an aqueous urea solution 32.5% to the engine of a truck, you can reduce the emissions of oxides of nitrogen into our environment? Well, you do now.

As a part of an ongoing collaboration between the energy company, OK A.M.B.A, and Hatch & Bloom, we were asked to generate a concept for a campaign telling truck drivers and their bosses to remember fuelling AdBlue (as the 32.5% solution is called). And OK liked our idea. So if you spend your days in an 18-wheeler roaming the highways, you will soon learn how you reap the benefits of refuelling your truck at one of OK’s many service stations around the nation.

And… action!

2010-04-27T15:56:00.006+02:00

Hatch & Bloom recently joined forces with Designit and Made by Makers in representing the Danish design industry. The purpose: to “star” in a film about how designers generate ideas and come up with creative and innovative concepts. The film is for the Danish Design Center’s +10 Design Forecast exhibition. Our very own Jacob, Mette and Helle were followed intensely by camera crews for two days, while coming up with an answer as to how you make teenagers recycle more. Not an easy job, but what they came up with was genius. More on that later! By the way if anyone’s wondering what the heck Jacob is up to, the answer is… performing a drum solo! He can’t help it, it’s what happens when you’re high on adrenaline… and sugar!

The newest member of the family

2010-04-23T08:58:00.001+02:00

With communication assignments streaming in, more hands (and brains) were desperately needed. That’s why we’ve welcomed mr. copywriter himself, Daniel to the team. At the tender age of 27 Daniel is already a master communicator and with a background in media science and communication we feel more than confident that he’s just the man for the job. We thank Daniel’s mum and dad for putting him on this earth, and you all can thank us later for bringing him to Hatch & Bloom.

Couch potatoes re-fuelling

2010-03-31T20:48:00.002+02:00

Easter’s coming up and since we’ve been busy as bees much of the Hatch & Bloom staff are on well-deserved vacations. However, for the remaining few it has been days of immersion and inspiration. Couch potatoes you might think, but some aspects of broadening your horizon can actually be achieved from a comfy position. Reading up on good ideas, getting inspiration from projects abroad, and discussing and evaluating current solutions are all some of the stuff that’s suitable to do when the office isn’t quite as hectic. Post Easter? Well, then it’s back to business as usual – or unusual, since nothing’s ever quite as usual at Hatch & Bloom. Happy Easter to you all!

Entering the world of experience economy

2010-03-23T15:29:00.002+01:00

Recently we helped a bunch of small and medium sized businesses enter the world of experience economy. In collaboration with the Municipality of Silkeborg we’ve worked on the project “Experience-based Business Development”, which is to help Silkeborg-based businesses create growth and improve their competitiveness by using experience economy as a tool. At the workshop all the participants were eager to start working with experience economy and excited about the prospect of generating great new ideas for their businesses. And we were happy to give them a helping hand…

New Hatch & Bloom office: Soho!

2010-03-19T14:51:00.005+01:00

Soho House in Copenhagen! As mentioned on the blog a while back, we’re opening an office in Copenhagen (don’t worry, the Aarhus based office remains and is actually expanding with new staff, more to come soon). We can now confirm the location: Kødbyen (Meatpacking District), Vesterbro. Speaking of Soho. On Monday we will be presenting Hatch & Bloom projects for esteemed gentlemen near the real Soho in London.

An interesting read!

2010-03-10T09:11:00.002+01:00

We’re sorry (kind of☺) for once again posting a blog about the success of our Good Kitchen project. But we can’t help it. The newest chapter in the ongoing tale of success stories is a book! We’re featured in author Søren Bechmann’s newly published book called Servicedesign, in which the Good Kitchen is used to illustrate the benefits of service design. The book is a great read, and we feel honoured to be featured in it.

Formland has x-factor

2010-03-08T11:53:00.001+01:00

As opening speaker, Remeé brought a bit of x-factor to the Formland Spring 2010 trade exhibition in February. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Formland the past couple of years conceptualizing and designing the themes of the last four exhibitions: Raw, Candy, Pure and Club. Apparently we’ve done a good job, because they’ve asked us to create en updated brand strategy and visual identity for them. And we’re more than pleased to do so! While we’re at it, we want to give a shout out to our friends at VE2, who received the Formland Design Award for their textile series. Congrats!

Great photographer – great exhibition

2010-03-04T15:21:00.003+01:00

Mathias Vestergaard’s beautiful photos caused quite an invasion at the Hatch & Bloom gallery last Friday. His exhibition Signs Of Time had a great turnout and we’d like to say thanks to everyone who showed up. Couldn’t get enough of his pictures!? Remember that Mathias’ photos will be displayed at the gallery until March 26th, so feel free to stop by and have a(nother) look…

Working horizontally

2010-02-25T15:21:00.001+01:00

Not all we do here at Hatch & Bloom is grand strategic thinking. Occasionally we touch ground and do actual physical work – in this case Mette is setting up Hummel shoes for product shots at photographer Anders Kavin’s studio. Lately we’ve been working on two campaigns in close collaboration with Hummel. We’ve created Fashion Footwear – including an online platform and social media campaign AND for indoor/handball we’ve developed concept, story, packaging and marketing activation for the new top shoe – launched during the European Handball Championship for men in January. Off course we can’t reveal all the dirty details about our projects, so we’ve had to blur parts of the picture. Sorry!

Double recognition for best welfare design

2010-02-25T13:37:00.001+01:00

At the Welfare Innovation Day 2010 in Copenhagen in January, Hatch & Bloom had the honour of being nominated for best welfare design with two projects: The service design project The Good Kitchen from 2008 done in collaboration with The Municipality of Holstebro and the service design project Cross Patient Services, which we’ve just completed together with the Regional Hospital of Randers. We love both project and luckily the Welfare Innovation Day people did as well! In both projects we received great recognition for our ability to improve the public healthcare sector in Denmark with simple but powerful tools. In the photo you can see Managing Chief Physician Jens Oluf Pedersen and Development Nurse Solvej Gram passing out information about the project.

Design is like music

2010-02-24T13:58:00.000+01:00

In connection with the large design exhibition It’s a Small World which is on show at The Danish Design Centre and after that will showing China and Brazil our very own Michael was interviewed about design changes. Among other things Michael commented that research and business without design is like dancing without music. We believe he is so absolutely right! Click on the link to read the article.

World, say hallo to Anne Kathrine

2010-02-23T12:21:00.003+01:00

In the exciting line of new people pouring in at Hatch & Bloom … we give you Anne Kathrine. This bright young communication talent has signed a 6 months deal with Hatch & Bloom as corporate communication intern. Chosen among more than 150 applicants, naturally expectations are high. No pressure, though. So who is she? Anne Kathrine is doing her master’s degree in corporate communication at the Aarhus School of Business. She’s a passionate and somewhat violent football player and a painter. Above all, Anne Kathrine has experienced swimming with giant sharks in Australia.

Copenhagen here we come!

2010-02-22T09:52:00.006+01:00

We’re excited! Not only have we welcomed new employees to Hatch & Bloom recently, we are also happy to announce that we’re opening a new office. In Copenhagen! Jacob and Mette are moving to The Big City and as of August 1st they will be running the Copenhagen office along with the 2-3 new employees we’re expecting to take on during 2010. The rest of the staff will remain in Århus. Besides the pleasure of being able to expand our business, we’re also super excited about the prospect of seeing much more of our Zealandic clients.
We can’t wait until August☺

Opening Reception at Hatch & Bloom Gallery

2010-02-21T15:21:00.003+01:00

It’s our pleasure to invite you to the opening of the exhibition, Signs Of Time by photographer and artist Mathias Vestergaard at Hatch & Bloom Gallery Friday February 26. from 4pm to 6pm. Signs Of Time is a collection of 8 photographs - snapshots from around the world, conveying the central themes of beauty and decay. This will be Mathias Vestergaard’s first solo exhibition and we hope to see many of you there.

Opening reception at the Regional Hospital of Randers

2010-02-19T13:07:00.000+01:00

To mark the implementation of the service design project at the Regional Hospital of Randers we recently attended an opening reception for the new ward for cross patients. The ward is placed in an existing medical ward to ensure the placement of responsibility and create patient affiliation in a single ward. At the same time the new position as coordinating doctor and the team of expert nurses were introduced to the staff. Here at Hatch & Bloom we’re extremely proud that our service design project was the only one out of four demonstration projects that actually got implemented. Hip hip horray…

Better communication = better service

2010-02-17T13:02:00.000+01:00

The loyal followers of our blog will probably have noticed that our communication expert Jacob has complained that our service design triumphs take up too much space on our blog leaving little room for our communication solutions. But in fact service design and communication design are not completely unrelated fields. On the contrary, a good service design solution almost always involves communication elements and a good communication often improves the service experience. The service design solution we’ve just completed for RBE is an excellent example of just that. One of our final products is a façade book (pictured) that is targeted home owners with the aim of providing a key service experience.

Guerrilla advertising

2010-02-11T12:59:00.002+01:00

In connection with the implementation of our service design assignment for the Regional Hospital of Randers we were on a mission – a guerrilla mission! Under the cover of darkness we went on a crusade at the hospital and strategically placed campaign elements all around. Among other things we placed a reupholstered bed in the middle of the cantina and covered the toilets, dressing rooms and common rooms with post-its, on which were different slogans like ”only for surgeons”. When the staff met for work the next morning they were in for a surprise! Besides being made aware of the project, this also challenged their way of thinking and working in surgical and medical departments respectively.

Say hi to Uffe ... our new graphic designer

2010-02-09T15:17:00.005+01:00

Uffe is yet another new Hatch & Bloomer gracing us with his lovely presence. Born and raised in Frederikshavn, Uffe now resides in Skanderborg with his wife and two girls. When not working and doing an excellent job for Hatch & Bloom, Uffe builds his own racer bikes, collects vinyl records, is a loving caretaker of his cactuses…and children(!) and last but not least is a brilliant graphic designer. We’re very excited to welcome Uffe to our team and we look forward to working with him.

We’ve hatched new staff … and lots of it!

2010-02-07T14:19:00.002+01:00

Things have really changed for Hatch & Bloom during the last couple of weeks with new employees piling in. Three new Hatch & Bloomers have emerged and we are thrilled to be able to welcome them aboard. First newcomer is concept designer Maria, whom we’re pleased has opted for working at Hatch & Bloom rather than roaming the seas…Maria has lived, worked, travelled and studied in both Vietnam and Ireland since graduating from Kolding Designskole in 2006, so we’re pretty sure that she’s got what it takes to take on the waves here at Hatch & Bloom.

Service designing the private sector

2009-12-02T23:11:00.002+01:00

Let's be honest. Being our strategic director Jacob has actually forbidden us to post this. He’s afraid that yet another story about our triumphs and tasks within the discipline of service design will make us appear as a service design company only. But we simply can’t help ourselves. We have to tell you, that while recently we completed a major service design task for the construction company RBE, today we kick-started a new task for a large housing association. And we’re thrilled. Why? Because it seems as if we have a break through in designing services for the private sector. So Jacob, knowing that soon we’ll reveal some pretty wild communication news as well, we’re sure you’ll forgive us. Right?

Meet our new graphic design trainee

2009-11-06T15:07:00.002+01:00

This week things have changed at the HQ of Hatch & Bloom. Last Friday our graphic design trainee Mads officially completed his apprenticeship. So he is now seeking new pastures on which to unfold his excellent skills as a fullblood graphic designer. We wish him all the best and will miss his neverending smiles and good sense of fashion. The empty seat didn't have time to cool off though. Monday morning our new graphic design trainee Jeanne had her first day at work. Even though she is almost born and raised i Haderslev, she doesn't understand the local dialect down there, so she is very pleased with being in Århus. And we are pleased to have her! But wait, there's more: As you can see in the background we are redecorating and rearranging to create more space for our future colleagues. Yes, that's right, we're hatching staff, more news will follow soon ...

And the award goes to ...

2009-11-02T15:22:00.003+01:00

Pardon us for recycling the titel of the blogposte from November last year, but it's a joyous occation for recycling. On the photo Michael is making sure that Anne Marie Nielsen, Manager of the Good Kitchen in Holstebro, and Anders Kjærulff, Director of the Social and Health Department in Holstebro, are taking good care of the latest of prizes that Hatch & Bloom and The Municipality of Holstebro have won. It's KLs Innovation Prize 2009 awarded to our project "Glad for Mad/Det Gode Køkken" ("Happy Foods/The Good Kitchen"), supported by the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority. Needless to say, we are very proud. And we have great expectations for our ongoing project "Mealservice of the Future" inspired by user insights from the awardwinning project.

Dancing with (Grey) Wolves

2009-10-29T15:38:00.000+01:00

Our very own Michael is giving and taking dancing lessons during a workshop - what a sight!

An expert view on packaging

2009-10-15T11:05:00.004+02:00

What's the link between these types of packaging? They were elected 'favourite packaging' by experts from many different professions at a workshop held at Hatch & Bloom. The product designer loves the surprise and aesthetics of the japanese trainmeal. The expert on sustainable materials praises the simplicity and functionality of the worlds most natural packaging: the banana peel. The chef de cuisine likes the tranparency and vacuum of the persian cherries, which gives a simple and honest presentation of a good product. And the representative for the Arthritis Association (Gigtforeningen) stresses the importance of user friendliness in the can. Packaging has many faces, and that's why we have invited experts from many different professions to cooperate with us in the development of new packaging to be used in meal service for senior citizens. The cross-disciplinary cooperation brings us new insights and challenges our frame of mind. It's all about hatching and blooming, really...

Strong and sporty seniors

2009-10-13T12:54:00.012+02:00

Vibeke is duelling on strenght with Rita - guess who won? The duel took place during an active break at a workshop for the Senior Citizens Association (Ældre Sagen) on how to make senior citizens more active and healthy. The participants were all strong, sporty seniors and furthermore innovative in their thinking. Amongst the ideas were belly dancing for male seniors, outback survivaltrips for female seniors, and scuba diving for all ages. Hopefully the future will bring many more strong and sporty seniors like Rita - our project is an important stepping stone towards this. So don't be surprised, if you meet belly dancing grandpaps in the park... Or belly dancing Hatch & Bloomers, because Vibeke actually lost the duel on strength, as did the rest of us youngsters. So maybe it's time for us to start working out some more, instead of just working! Today we'll start by doubling our finger-exercise on the computer mouse.

Saturday Night Fever Stadil Style

2009-09-07T19:03:00.004+02:00

As part of the Index Award, Hatch & Bloom was invited to a private dinner last Saturday Evening. We knew the location, but not the people attending. Our friendly and extremely generous host for the night was Christian Stadil. Then turned up an inspiring and surprising small group of people; including Index Chairman (amongst many other things) Lars Nørby Johansen, Lene Sadolin (head of Denmark’s Radio’s Concert Hall), Porter Andersen (present Index Creative Consultant, former CNN senior producer and UN multi media manager), CNN music and fashion host Shannon Cook and CBS News correspondent Daniel Sieberg (Shannon and Daniel hosted the Index Award Show with Adrian Hughes). Yes, this is namedropping. But on a fun, crazy, wild and memorable night like this – we thought that was ok.

Hatch & Bloom ready for world tour

2009-09-01T23:47:00.008+02:00

As one of the finalists for Index Award, Hatch & Bloom and the servicedesign project ”The Good Kitchen” are currently on display at Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. In the coming year the award exhibition will travel to many different cities around the world to advocate and inspire design solutions that improve life. So farewell, dear exhibition bulb, go with peace, travel with ease and let’s have you back in one piece, please. More on the exhibition, click here.

It’s a small world ....

2009-09-01T11:51:00.000+02:00

But big enough for us to feel honoured that our Good Kitchen project was offered a space at the current exhibition ‘It’s a small world’ at Danish Design Centre. Challenging how Danish design relates to issues like sustainability, new technology and consumption the exhibition investigates the future praxis of design on a global scale. Streaming extracts from our user studies Hatch & Bloom’s video instalment was placed right next to Henrik Vibskov’s 3 metres tall, giant, paper soul washers. Let’s just say that an afternoon of soul washing left Hatch & Bloom nice and crispy clean for the evening bash …

From user-centred to user-presented

2009-09-01T11:46:00.000+02:00

To kick-start the Copenhagen Design Week Thursday 27th the Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority held the seminar ’Service Design a Tool for Better Services’. Scheduled to speak along with as prominent speakers as Bill Moggridge from IDEO and Marianne Guldbrandsen from British Design Council Hatch & Bloom were to give an insight in the main findings from our project at the Regional Hospital of Randers. Getting a bit fed up with the designers doing all the talking Michael Keissner decided to pass over all his time to the initiator of the project Jens Oluf Pedersen, Dr. med. at Randers, who gave a passionate (and tango music playing) speech on the successful merits of the project.

Copenhagen and Hatch & Bloom's Design Week

2009-08-26T23:28:00.002+02:00

The next four days Hatch & Blooms partners will go to Copenhagen to participate in all the main events in the Copenhagen Design Week. We will not just be visitors mingling around hoping to get a taste of the apple. No, we will actually be in the middle of everything since one of our service design projects will be exhibited in two prestigious design exhibitions, and another one is presented as a best-case-study at a service design seminar. Last but not least Hatch & Bloom is also one of the finalists for the Index Awards. That’s why we dare not only to call it the Copenhagen Design Week but also Hatch & Bloom’s Design Week. Further reports are coming up.

A culinary manifest

2009-08-25T15:34:00.000+02:00

As a part of working with new solutions within food service for senior citizens we invited the Beta chef, Casper Poulsen to join us at a kitchen workshop in Holstebro. The purpose of the workshop was to create a culinary manifest for The good kitchen. And since learning by doing is a great method, we went to Holstebro to work with the whole staff of the kitchen. Casper had bought what seemed to be odd ingredients for a special Holstebro meal, a vegetarian meal and a gourmet meal, and asked the kitchen staff to make something excellent with only the presented ingredients at hand, like Lars von Trier in a Dogme film. The result was a brilliant and inspiring afternoon, some excellent meals and ideas, and passionate discussions about ingredients, cooking and food styling. Who would have thought that mackerel in a cherrysauce could be so delicious?

New ways towards growth

2009-08-24T19:09:00.000+02:00

Today Vibeke and Michael held a workshop with 17 companies working with service in as different areas as banking, law, architecture, waste handling and nature & people coaching.
The workshop was held in the cozy surroundings at the old Paper Factory in Silkeborg and the challenge of the day was to generate new ideas on how to use experiences strategically in each company. The workshop was the third in a string of workshops conducted in cooperation with Capacent and the Municipalities of Skanderborg, Silkeborg and Favrskov. As it was the case with the previous two workshops, the participants were well prepared and had many new ideas. It's encouraging to see how ideas are popping up like mushroom, ideas that can point out new ways towards growth, even in a time of crisis.

What can design tell management?

2009-08-17T16:40:00.000+02:00

The answer to the question is: a lot! Today Lone went to a guest lecture and master class at Kolding School of Design to learn more about design management. The guest lecturer was Richard Buchanan, professor of design, management and information systems at Case Western University in the US and a leading international researcher in design theory. Amongst other points made, Buchanan talked about how managers can learn a lot from the proces of design as he praised designers' skills in facilitating, visualizing, prototyping and doing user research. Of course Lone already knew this from working with the talented designers at Hatch & Bloom, although she loves taking part in the user research her self.

Receiver-friendly communication …

2009-08-06T15:57:00.000+02:00

We know … it looks like we’re playing an updated version of Twister. Instead we’re doing something as structural as getting an overview on the comprehensive handbook we’re doing for RBE. Being a complete guide to all the need-to-knows on reconstructing building facades this piece gives a historic view on buildings and craftsmanship, architectural views on building aesthetics, user-friendly state-scale models on the reconstruction process and lots of other in-depth information. The result: a handbook that communicates high-complexity information in an easy-accessible way setting a brand new standard in the building industry.

Graduating with honour

2009-08-03T15:25:00.003+02:00

Last month our graphic design trainee, this month our student employee Thorlak Fink. At Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Thorlak showered himself in upper-class glory as he received an MA in Design Studies at a very much formal ceremony at Westminster Central Halls, London. The rope was rented for the purpose, Thorlak preferring to save his money for the following Thunø Festival, but nonetheless the whole bash made quite an impression on our young chap: ”It was much like being knighted – I just kept waiting for the Queen to enter.” Ps. Thorlak is the break-posing guy on the left – being impressed did not last.

Hurray, hurray … it was holi-holiday

2009-07-27T15:16:00.001+02:00

… and it has been some relaxing two weeks for the Hatch & Bloom team. The time was spent wisely on as different things as an improvised girlie-girlie trip to Paris, un-dreamt quantities of golf, a live Danish version of Ibiza for the 40+ at Thunø Festival, island-hopping in Croatia, celebrating a one-year old birthday three days in a row, a trip to Flisegalleriet, a spiteful attack (presumably?) of H1N1, and spotting wannabes during the Hellerup-week in Skagen. Yes, the sources of inspiration are plenty if you keep your eyes and mind wide open! And now we are back, refreshed and revived, and ready to pick up the new and exciting assignments waiting.

Innovative talk at Danisco’s seminar ICE 2009

2009-06-24T16:38:00.006+02:00

How is a microwave related to ice cream? According to Michael and our partner and neighbour, chef and food stylist, Mads Nybro, they are related in many ways. That was emphasised last week when Michael and Mads gave a talk on food and ice cream trends at Danisco’s Ice Cream for Experts seminar – ICE 2009. Top experts in ice cream science and technology and international ice cream manufacturers were gathered for a seminar about ice cream and ingredients. Mads and Michael underlined that ice cream is more than just ice cream by introducing Triple Chocolate. A novel ice cream concept that can be consumed as 1) a frozen dessert, 2) a mousse or 3) as a luscious cake after 30 seconds in a microwave. In the lovely sunny weather we’re having these days it’s no wonder that Triple Chocolate and the seminar were both huge successes.

Top marks and a silver medal for Mads

2009-06-23T09:56:00.001+02:00

Congratulations to Mads who is now a skilled graphic designer. This Friday, he not only achieved top marks in his final examination, he was also rewarded with a silver medal. The silver medal is a mark of honour given in rare cases to students who perform sublimely and beyond the expected. And as Mads told us: “I strived for the best”. Congratulations, Mads! We knew you could do it and we’re glad to have you back in the agency again to pursue the best graphic ideas and designs.

Why dogs watch cartoons

2009-06-11T21:44:00.002+02:00

Andreas, one of Mads’ twin sons, and Bubu, Mette’s dog, watching a Disney cartoon. This amazing situation continued for more than 20 minutes. In the middle of the office, with three different client meetings going on and five hectic people trying to make a deadline. Two creatures, boy and dog, immersed in a common experience. Or at least so we thought. Until we realized that Bubu was playing a game of make-believe (if I pretend to be able to watch this cartoon, maybe Andreas will give me some of that delicious food in the brown bag). Sometimes, you can get both disappointed and amazed at the same time.

A meal service of the future

2009-06-10T22:12:00.003+02:00

Today, some of the country’s most competent experts on meal services, seniors and catering centres were gathered to discuss and develop ideas for a meal service of the future. The workshop is a part of a comprehensive service design project that Hatch & Bloom has been assigned to develop by The Danish Enterprise and Construction Authority. The overall aim is to improve meal services for senior citizens by creating more freedom of choice. Through a thorough research process our design anthropologists have identified central user-needs and new ideas and insights have been developed in collaboration with experts and users on a string of workshops. Sounds complex? It is. Meal services are not only about cooking tasty food. It’s about linking empathy, care and an attentive meal service in order to innovate and create the world’s best meal service for senior citizens.

Hatch & Bloom goes to Berlin

2009-05-29T13:33:00.001+02:00

By the end of May the entire Hatch & Bloom team stuffed two cars and drove down the German ‘Autobahn’ to go to Berlin. Some of us attended the communication conference, TYPO Berlin and learned fresh new tips and tricks as the rest of us soaked the city in. We were invited to see a private art collection, visited several galleries, went shopping and off course also clubbing. We all got to be inspired in this fantastic vibrant city. But maybe Vibeke and Jeppe were a little to inspired by Berlin by night, which had brutal consequences the day after … But as they say: A hero in the night is a hero in the day.

Finalist Index Awards 2009

2009-05-26T23:02:00.002+02:00

We’re proud to announce that Hatch & Bloom is among the finalists for the Index Award 2009, the world’s largest design award. We’re nominated for The Good Kitchen. A project that has already earned much recognition and the Danish Design Award 2008/09. The Good Kitchen is a meal service for senior citizens in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. Hatch & Bloom developed this service design project with the thesis that improved food service equals better life quality for elderly people. And The Good Kitchen is in good company with finalists such as Brad Pitt’s “Pink Project” – a rebuilding project after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. All finalist projects will be displayed at the award exhibition touring both Danish and international venues from August 2009.

More than a Beta version

2009-05-12T11:33:00.006+02:00

Friday, May 15, our partner, colleague, neighbour and good friend, chef Mads Nybro is ready to launch his unique food concept, Beta. Beta is a private dining club and a food consultancy that sets new and intriguing standards for food experiences. When you dine at Beta, you can only be sure of one thing – everything is turned upside down. The first dining club will be held this Friday with the theme “Burger and Wine”. Beside from sharing the same premises, Hatch & Bloom and Beta have worked together on several food innovation projects. And the collaboration goes further. Hatch & Bloom has decorated Beta and created the visual identity and website. So it’s safe to say that Beta is much more than just a Beta version. Visit Beta’s website here.

Working with Intel

2009-05-07T12:55:00.002+02:00

Intel inside? Yes! We are setting up an extremely exciting coorporation with Intel – more specifically Intel’s People and Practice Research Unit in Oregon, USA. It all began when Lone met a research director from Intel at a conference. Right now we are looking at possible projects within the areas of food and water. What’s that got to do with Intel, some might wonder. The answer? That’s what we will look into – how to create new ways to live, work and play supported by future computation systems with Intel inside.

A new service design project

2009-05-06T11:37:00.002+02:00

An active life is important for everyone – especially senior citizens. The Senior Citizens Association (Ældresagen) wants to emphasise this. So we have engaged in a new service design project and we have a clear-cut mission: Improve, develop and rethink exercise activities to local senior committees throughout the country. Our process is user-driven, involving both seniors and volunteers at local committees in order to innovate the entire concept of what an active senior life means. About to become regular experts on service design for elderly? Yes sir!

Opening at Hatch & Bloom Gallery

2009-05-05T10:45:00.005+02:00

It’s our pleasure to invite you to the opening of the exhibition, Memo by painter and visual artist Birgit Bjerre at Hatch & Bloom Gallery Friday May 15. from 3pm to 6pm. The exhibition will be Hatch & Bloom Gallery’s first official exhibition. According to Birgit Bjerre, Memo is a personal project that seeks to investigate the memory as phenomenon. What better way to start a fresh new gallery than with an exhibition about the memory? We hope to see a lot of you on Friday for the exhibition and a refreshing glass of white wine.

PS. In case you're confused: Hatch & Bloom is not transforming from an idea and design agency into a gallery. We’ve simply dedicated a space in the middle of our compound for art. This is where we go to be inspired and hope to inspire others. Visit the gallery blog here.

High attendance at the health centre in Rebild

2009-05-02T17:04:00.007+02:00

Not long ago the Danish Minister of Health, Jakob Axel Nielsen, opened the new health centre in Rebild. Though on a Saturday, the attendance was high including users, staff and politicians among the guests. And there was truly something to see. New decoration, communication, name and logo designed by Hatch & Bloom was revealed thereby marking the end of a comprehensive service design project. Speaking of endings - while mingling Jacob did his part finishing of the hugh amount of petit fours you see in the lower left corner. He claimed all that talk of health made him hungry ...?

Kill your darlings to improve healthcare

2009-05-01T11:07:00.004+02:00

Wednesday a range of experts was gathered at Hatch & Bloom to qualify ideas from our field studies at Randers District Hospital. Healthcare personnel, relatives, patient associations and even a health-technology expert were present to discuss how to improve conditions for patients with multiple and complex diagnosis. Sounds like a handful? It is. But a combination of the finest healthcare experts in an unusual setting created a truly unique backdrop for bright ideas and complex thinking. So now darlings have to be killed and choices have to be made. All in order to design and develop the best possible solutions for patients, relatives and medical staff at Randers District Hospital.

A successful construction experience

2009-04-24T14:37:00.006+02:00

Not long ago, Hatch & Bloom was credited in a publication from ‘Dansk Industri’. Yet again we’ve been subject of comment in another publication. This time the buzz is about a user-centred innovation project we developed for ‘Byggeriets Innovation’. The project has had a huge impact on how contractors deal and communicate with their end-users. With two comprehensive user surveys we highlighted among other things that availability, information and feeling secure is essential qualities for the end-user in a construction process. Also a string of communication solutions was developed to endorse the message and create a successful experience for companies, contractors and users.

Hummel from top to toe

2009-04-17T14:25:00.001+02:00

As some of you know, we are working for the Danish sports and fashion brand, Hummel. We have a close collaboration and are helping them structure and power their innovation process. We’re happy to announce that this cooperation will continue in the future. Right now that’s all we can reveal. Especially little Albert is excited, as he’s already a huge fan of Hummel’s sweat suits and prefers to dress in them from top to toe.

Happy Birthday, Rikke and Lone!

2009-04-17T14:14:00.003+02:00

This week we have been celebrating both Lone and Rikke’s twenty-something birthdays. As the etiquette prescribes: Never ask a woman her age. So we’ll settle at twenty-something. What better way to celebrate a birthday than with cold beer and Danish 'smørrebrød'.
Congratulations to both of you!

Our very own health expert

2009-04-03T16:19:00.002+02:00

This week, Michael gave a presentation on how to approach the health care industry from a user-centred design perspective. The scene was set at Danish Industry for ‘The health care industry’s day’. Several health care experts were gathered to discuss how to improve the healthcare system. We are very proud to have a genuine health expert at Hatch & Bloom and we'll continue to approach the health care sector in our future service design projects.

Designing interior

2009-03-25T10:10:00.004+01:00

What is Vibeke doing in a metal workshop? Besides from the obvious – drilling holes, she’s making a prototype of a furniture piece. This is the first time Hatch & Bloom has made an entire interior concept including our own designs so we’re thrilled to see the outcome of Vibeke’s hard work. It’s not Arne Jacobsen and it’s not Philippe Starck. What it is, will be revealed soon …

Esben is leaving Hatch & Bloom

2009-03-23T13:03:00.007+01:00

This blog is normally about happy news. Today, however, we announce that as of today Esben Rose Andersen is no longer part of Hatch & Bloom. The decision is made in mutual agreement and in all friendliness. Hatch & Bloom has seen rapid growth in short time, and we deeply appreciate Esben’s effort in this success.

As they say – the show must go on. And indeed it does: We are creating digital concepts and websites full speed and have exciting new stuff to show soon. Jeppe - another one of our brilliant graphic designers with web skills - is brushing up on the last design details right now (just when you think a website is ready, Jeppe's personal need for visual perfection sets in). After that, three new intersting digital projects to reveal. More to come ...

Sadly, the next chapter in the history of Hatch & Bloom will be without Esben. It has been a great journey - fun, hard, crazy and 1000 other things. Thanks, Esben! We will miss you both socially and professionally and wish you the best of luck.

Beyond Beyond Kyoto

2009-03-19T18:03:00.004+01:00

Well beyond the conference “Beyond Kyoto – addressing the challenges of climate change” it is time to look back: The conference was a great success for Aarhus University with more than 1000 participants from all over the world – counting some climate superstars. We’ve also had great response to the conceptual setup and communication. On the final day of the conference, one our own superstars maybe overdid it a bit, wanting to be a part of the communication herself. The picture says it all.