When the Norwegian Design Council was established by the Norwegian Export Council and the Federation of Norwegian Industries in 1963, it was in the spirit of the age of optimism, the 'golden sixties' when Norwegian industry and the economy were expanding. In the field of design, the design biennales in Milan and a Scandinavian touring exhibition in Canada and the USA had helped to create the concept of Scandinavian Design as an international trend. Under the motto 'More beautiful daily lives', Scandinavian applied art was a success that generated great faith among Norwegian industrialists and politicians in the use of design in industry.

In the 1970s and 1980s the markets for designer products were influenced by the establishment of strong retail chains. This led to a decline in the general focus on design in industry, although some companies were successful on international markets precisely because of their unique, holistic design solutions.

In the 1990s a new generation of Norwegian designers emerged, characterised by the daring, proficiency and international perspective of their work. This new group of designers has emerged in a variety of fields, such as furniture design, product design, textile design, applied art and graphic design. They all possess a clear international focus, yet each have distinct and unique characteristics. Furniture designers such as the group 'Norway says', Bjørn Bye and Marius Sveen, are inspired by international youth culture and hold the classical elegance of the Scandinavian tradition. The Pancras Chair by Tore Borgersen and Espen Voll shows the sort of chill-out mood used by many designers to underline an urban, light-hearted lifestyle. Production of Norwegian glass also took a new turn with Cathrine Maske and Tanja Sæter, who set out to banish functional glassware, producing instead highly exclusive, individual pieces with conceptual artistic qualities.

A new international focus and increased public funding to promote Norwegian designers abroad have enabled designers like 'Norway says', Luminal, Putti Factory, UpNorth and Torh Mobler make their mark at furniture fairs in London, Milan, Cologne and Stockholm. As a result, furniture by Norwegian designers is now being manufactured by foreign companies, such as the Swedish companies Iform, David Design and Swedese, the Danish company Globe Furniture, the Italian companies Magis and Saporiti and the Canadian company Pure Design.

In 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegated the administration of touring grants for professional Norwegian architects and designers presenting their work abroad to the Norsk Form - the Centre for Design, Architecture and the Built Environment (Norsk Form) This Centre is located in the new Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture, a building which also houses the Norwegian Design Council.

See www.norskdesign.no for updated information in English.

Edited from text by Jan R Stavik, Managing Director, Norwegian Design Council and www.norskdesign.no