EGGS Design - Stories - Designing for the green shift

Having lived in no less than four different countries and traveled the world, English born Kate is a true world citizen. Since 2019 she’s one of our senior designers in the Copenhagen office, and brings her digital design skills, strategic approach and a genuine passion for sustainability to the team. We met her for an interview over a cup of coffee to hear her views on design and what she thinks are the most important challenges to solve.

A global perspective and an eye for the bigger picture

Born in Canterbury in southeast England, Kate always knew she wanted to experience the world outside of the UK. She graduated in Industrial Design from the University of Loughborough and headed off on a series of international experiences: sustainability studies in Delft (Netherlands), design work and studies in Berlin and now, most recently, she settled in Copenhagen where we’re lucky enough to have her on our EGGS’ team.

Kate is a truly multi-talented designer, with her formal training in industrial design, but current practise in digital design. “I think what inspired me to move over to the UX side of things was that I’m more interested in the bigger picture rather than being detail-oriented. Digital design can be said to be a form of -or a result of - service design. Your focus is to help people achieve what they want to achieve, and you create a solution for them to do that.”

“(...) I’m more interested in the bigger picture rather than being detail-oriented. Digital design can be said to be a form of -or a result of - service design. Your focus is to help people achieve what they want to achieve (...).”

Kate Saunders, Senior Designer, EGGS Design Denmark

No good design without a sustainable focus

When asked about what she considers the most important challenges for design to solve, she instantly starts talking about the green shift:

“Sustainability and planet centricity needs to be front and center in design. And not only when it comes to physical design, as in the design of products and consumer goods. We need to also consider sustainability in digital design and services. For example, how you design and code a streaming service or an app has a significant impact on how much energy it will consume.” To define good design, she says: “Good design is human. But that doesn’t mean it’s not also planet-centric. People-centricity and planet-centricity are not mutually exclusive. In good design they can, and should, go hand-in-hand.”

“Good design is human. But that doesn’t mean it’s not also planet-centric. People-centricity and planet-centricity are not mutually exclusive. In good design they can, and should, go hand-in-hand.”

Kate Saunders, Senior Designer, EGGS Design Denmark

A hundred driving forces

When you speak with Kate, it’s impossible not to get impressed by her common knowledge and the extensive experience that she has gathered despite her career still being in its early days. A probable explanation lies in her wide range of interests: “I’m interested in many things. I guess I’m more like an asterisk than a T, if you can put it that way”, she says and smiles. “I want a lot of things, I’m passionate about many things and I’m motivated by the more ‘higher purpose’ stuff. I think that’s perhaps also why I’m better at seeing the bigger picture than the nitty gritty. I truly enjoy facilitating creative processes, where I can help people from different back-grounds and with different skillsets, knowledge and perspectives work to create something together.”

Curious to see the development of Danish design

Like many others, Kate has long had the image of Danish design as one of the foremost in the world. But, what is her experience of it now that she lives here? And how does she see the future of the Danish design landscape?

"I’ve grown up regarding Denmark as a kind of 'Mecca of design'. And I still think that is true to a certain extent. Especially when we’re talking about the craft side of design. There is something ingenious about the simplicity of Danish design. But I’m intrigued to see what the development of the industry will be over the coming years. And especially how the more strategic, holistic and cross-disciplinary design field will develop in Denmark. What will Danish business design, service design and digital design look like? And how will they collaborate and contribute to society? I’m looking forward to being a part of that."

"What will Danish business design, service design and digital design look like? And how will they collaborate and contribute to society? I’m looking forward to being a part of that."

Kate Saunders, Senior Designer, EGGS Design Denmark