Danish design duo Anker Studio consists of Jonas Poulsen and Christian Troels Hansen. Both have been interested in creating and designing since childhood, which has resulted in a curious approach and a strong creative power in everything they do.
Opposite to what most people think, Jonas and Christian feel more creatively inspired when having clear instructions and a sense of direction.
“We appreciate a clear brief and, to some extent, fixed boundaries. A general misconception is that designers want as much freedom as possible to be the most creative. For us, it’s the other way around. The more specific and narrow the task is, the greater the creativity. Design is basically about being creative within the scope of the task and designing the best solution for a certain problem."
Jonas and Christian each take on different roles while working closely together. Their collaboration often helps them overcome the challenges that come up during the design process.
“When you’re two people working together, you’re forced to say what you’re thinking about out loud. That way it becomes real, and it forces you to make up your mind about it to a greater extent than when it’s just thoughts in your head. When you articulate your problem out loud, you often find another perspective on the solution.”
For Anker Studio, good design is a design that people remember and fall in love with. Something that is part of a bigger story and that will be cherished for years. When working with lighting, Jonas and Christian find the balance between functionality and aesthetics fascinating.
“The best thing about working with lighting is that is has a large range between functionality and art. Some lamps are only functional, while some are more emotionally and aesthetically driven. The emotionally driven pieces become like an art object in the home. That’s what makes the work fun. There’s room for differences.”
