Marcus Engman is the head of Design at Ikea of Sweden. 

With one billion customers on this planet - I’d be surprised if you have never lived with a piece of Ikea furniture. 

This podcast was recorded as a part of a special Ikea event in Sydney, and they’d invited me to interview Marcus on the night and have a conversation about design. 

But don’t worry this is not a conversation about furniture. 

Because for a moment - just think about the importance of design. 

A phrase I’m hung on at the moment around my book is ‘thoughts become things’. Look around you right now - every single object that is non-organic or non-geological in origin was once a thought in someone’s head. It was conceived in totality by someone, existing only in a mesh of neurones in their brains until it was created into being out of raw materials and now is something you can hold, touch, or use. 

This is true for every object around you. 

That chair, that rug, your car, your undies, every single object around you was once a thought. 

And thoughts, as we know - become things. 

This is true for both positive and negative thoughts, with enough deliberate and inspired action, they manifest into reality.

And as Marcus describes that object can be designed not only for you to use, and hopefully make your life better - but perhaps be designed to change the way you behave, as a way of influencing you in a way that words or actions cannot. 

Marcus is a fascinating man, we get into his story in this chat so I won’t repeat it here - however I was absolutely thrilled to speak with him in front of a sold-out crowd of about two hundred people at the MCA in Sydney. 

I’d love your thoughts on this one - so please email me [email protected] 

Enjoy this conversation with Marcus Engman

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