All people have the right to good design at affordable prices. To achieve this, we use the right combination of 5 elements: form, function, quality, sustainability and a low price. When they all are in balance, we consider the design of the product to be democratic.
The IKEA product range - our identity
Our business idea states:We shall offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
This approach guides us to offer products that meet the home furnishing needs of the many people at prices they can afford. Democratic Design helps us make things better (such as a better life at home and a better planet) by making better things!
“Without Democratic Design, we would not live up to our vision to create a better everyday life for the many people.”
Sarah Fager
Senior designer, IKEA of Sweden AB
Sarah Fager
Senior designer, IKEA of Sweden AB
Form
Beautiful products that people love
Form is about how a product looks. It’s both visual and emotional because form can touch the heart and spark emotions. We want the form of IKEA products to express the IKEA identity and add joy and beauty to everyday life.
Function
Meaningful solutions to everyday needs
Function is about what a product does. We develop IKEA products to solve needs created by the activities in everyday life at home. To be functional, an IKEA product needs to be practical, useful, safe and easy to maintain.
Quality
Products that last for long-term enjoyment
We want the quality of IKEA products to bring joy and satisfaction to people throughout the product’s entire lifetime. Quality also includes what people experience when they use and live with our products.
Sustainability
Products created within the boundaries of the planet
When we develop an IKEA product, we carefully consider how we can reduce its environmental impact, encourage sustainable consumption and contribute to a more equitable world. For consumable products, we strive to secure the lowest environmental footprint by replacing with a permanent solution or making it biodegradable or recyclable.
Low price
Truly affordable for the many people
We design our products starting with the price tag in mind. Low prices make IKEA products accessible to the many people, most of whom have limited financial resources. Creativity and cost consciousness let us create low prices that have true value and meaning for our customers.
We do our part, you do yours, and together we save money
By assembling products from flat packages on their own, living sustainable life at home, sharing their thoughts and suggestions, each customer plays an important role in Democratic Design.
The same Democratic Design approach is used for designing food products but each dimension is adopted to make it relevant to the food offer.