EXTREME DESIGN LAB™ is driven by exploration. Time and experience has shown that revolutionary ideas come from extremes. Extremes are the extraordinary circumstances demanding extraordinary measures. It opens up new roads for responsible and impactful innovation. 

EXTREME DESIGN LAB™ has developed methods for exploring these extremes and values the potential of revolutionary ideas, discoveries and inventions that could evolve from them. An example is the study of isolated indigenous cultures. The insights from their everyday activities, how climate change affects their ecosystem and what is needed for those communities to survive in extreme remote circumstances. Another example is design research for the underprivileged, which should take responsibility for ensuring that solutions are reliable, durable, dignified and mindful of the consequences they will have on local people, cultures, environments and resources.

RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
Each project calls for a unique approach. In early stages of the design process, complex challenges need to be approached from all possible angles in order to reach the best end-result. In an ever changing world, strategic design decisions need an extensive understanding of all foreseeable consequences, as well as clairvoyance for dealing with the unforeseeable ones. With an international and diverse experience in working with people from various professional, cultural and social backgrounds, Extreme Design Lab is driven by the need to create innovative solutions that can improve challenging environments from diverse perspectives.

BRANDING STRATEGY & IDENTITY
Our identity lies in our ideals that make us stand out, or take a stand. Communicating and conveying these ideals is vital to ensure a valuable outcome in any project. With credible experience in organising international events and creating visual identities for print, web and interactive media, Extreme Design Lab can deliver designs which communicate the heart of the matter.

TESTING LAB
The pleasure of exploring unknowns is often found in laboratories and on the field. First hand observation and prototyping on the field is a productive alternative for rapidly ideating and testing out concepts without the overhead of elementary design and engineering steps. Prototyping on the field also provides direct feedback from locally available resources and know-how, which is a crucial factor in the development of resilient solutions.

RESEARCH & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Everything is connected in the real world. Identifying these connection is crucial for understanding their inter-relationships, both through market and design research. With an inquisitive approach, we see each project as a chance for exploration and development. We seek to investigate the relation between the world of design and human ingenuity, as well as environmental conservation and sustainable development through design. 

The pictures above are a very small preview of my portfolio. 
For more information and projects, please get in touch. 
My portfolio includes:

selected explorations

• Search and Rescue (SAR) case studies
• Siberia expeditions, Taymyr peninsula, published by the Arctic Council, EU-INTERACT, IASC and the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
• Greenland expedition - Disko Island
• Iceland - volcanoes
• Analogue Astronaut mission - Iceland
• Forestry in harsh environments
• Sámi people & planet
• Design for physically disabled
• Wildlife & planet
  

selected creations

• A multi-award winning wheelchair
• Award-winning collection design & seasonal range development of outdoor apparel and Personal Protective equipment (PPE) for Haglöfs and 66°NORTH.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, arctic conditions and steel workers.
• Technology Transfer success stories for European Space Agency (ESA) TTN: Thunderwear + Bioclear.
• Exhibition Design & Development for Perlan Science Museum - Wonders of Iceland and Tekniska Museet Stockholm, Sweden.
• Brand design & strategy for Technology Transfer Office Iceland, Grandi Mathöll, ESA TTN & European Digital Innovation Hub Iceland.
• Interior designs for Icehotel, Sinot, private clients, ABN AMRO Innovation center, Lubron, Perlan Science Museum, Icelandair Headquarters.

selected lab projects

• Organisation of events such as the ESA Northern region roundtable and Technology Transfer Design Sprint for Search & Rescue, as well as innovation workshops & seminars.
  
• Government policy work for the implementation of Iceland´s first Arctic Strategy. Participation in working groups and proposals.
• Moderating the Climathon for Reykjavík Municipality and Climate-KIC - The EU's main climate innovation initiative.
• Jury member, mentor and expert for UNLEASH, EU CASSINI hackathon, Women Tech Iceland, Start-Up Iceland, Mimir fellows.
• Selected Analogue Astronaut (crew engineer) for the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) CHILL-ICE mission 2021 in Iceland. 
• Arctic Circle Assembly: foreign delegation assistance since 2016, organisation of break-out sessions and participation as a speaker.
• IPCC expert reviews.
  
• Various publications.

clients

Copyright 2008 - 2024  ©  Extreme Design Lab, Susan Christianen.
Iceland | The Netherlands | Sweden | Arctic
susan@extremedesignlab.com