Atelier100
for IKEA and H&M

London Design Festival Showroom & Campaign

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Launched in April 2022, Atelier100 is a unique initiative established by H&M and Ingka Group (IKEA Retail). A design programme and a store all rolled into one, Atelier100 aims to discover and support emerging, London-based creatives by helping them bring their products to life and inspiring local communities to shop close to home.

YEAR

2023

SERVICES

Research & Strategy

Creative Brief

Creative Direction

Location Scouting

Partnership Strategy

Marketing & Communication Leadership

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Studio Playground led the strategic launch of IKEA & H&M’s Atelier100 Drop02, a collection featuring 22 design and fashion objects created by 22 talented London-based designers. Timed to coincide with the London Design Festival and London Fashion Week (14th – 24th September), the campaign was launched in a 10-day Hackney showroom, planned to maximise attention, align with key cultural moments, and root the brand within the local community. The results exceeded all expectations!

London Made Local – Atelier100 Drop02 Launch Campaign

The Drop02 launch campaign focused on celebrating 22 local designers and demonstrated how a well-orchestrated concept – showcasing well curated products, creative direction, location, and a comprehensive communication strategy – combining organic, earned, and paid channels, out-of-home advertising, and strategic partnerships – can enhance a brand’s visibility while connecting with its community and delivering tangible results.

Studio Playground oversaw the entire strategy, creative brief, location scouting, creative direction, and campaign vision, while also leading the marketing and communication efforts. Templo, a London-based design agency lead the creative production, Mitre & Mondays, design and production of space design.

“The highlight, however, was Atelier100, an initiative that commissioned emerging designers to make new works with financial backing from industry heavyweights”

Nic Monisse, Design Editor, Monocle

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

Launched a 10-day showroom in Hackney, marking brand’s first presence in East London.

Featured as a London Design Festival highlight by the Financial Times and Monocle.

Secured 28 press coverages, with 70% in top-tier publications including other titles such as Dezeen, and Hypebeast.

Achieved a 10% growth in Instagram followers.

Hosted an event with around 500 guests, described as “the place to be in East London” that evening.

Increased brand visibility, leading to interest from local brands seeking to stock in-store and collaborate on future projects.

Established partnerships with Shoreditch Design Triangle, London Design Festival, and British Fashion Council (London Fashion Week).

Client feedback after an opening event “Great night yesterday, you really made this fly.”

SAVO

‘Studies in Seating’ at 3daysofdesign, 2024

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Savo, a Swedish office seating producer, has innovation in its bones and in the back of every chair. They keep challenging the seating experience by pushing the envelopes of ergonomics and intuitive design. Savo won the Red Dot Design Award in 2022 and, together with Form Us With Love, has been honored in Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards 2023 and longlisted for the workplace design category in the Dezeen Awards 2023.

YEAR

2024

SERVICES

Research & Analysis

Strategy

Creative Conception

Production

Communication

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Studio Playground was tasked with creating, curating, producing, and communicating Savo’s “Studies in Seating” exhibition for 3daysofdesign 2024.

The project began with extensive research, concept development, location scouting, identifying the right partners, and maintaining both a strategic and creative mindset in everything we do. We discovered that people spend up to six hours a day sitting in an office chair! This piece of furniture, often overlooked and regarded as mundane by the design industry, is actually one of the most used items in our daily lives.

With up to eight years of our lives spent sitting in an office chair, comfortable seating should be the standard. And yet people still often settle for less.

Spread across two rooms as part of FRAMING at the annual 3daysofdesign festival in Copenhagens, ‘Studies in Seating’ highlighted why the humble office chair still deserves a seat at the table. Designed and curated in collaboration between Savo, Studio Playground and renowned Stockholm-based design studio Form Us With Love, the exhibition offered an immersive and captivating exploration of the modern workplace setup and its impact on our health and well-being.

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

The exhibition attracted around 15,000 visitors over three days.

It was featured in press outlets such as Elle Decoration UK and Dezeen, with estimated earned views of more than half a million.

Reached more than half a million people through Instagram.

Distributed over 1,000 out-of-home posters around Copenhagen.

Curated a library of more than 20 books.

SAVO merchandise, such as pens and stickers, was created.

Hosted daily morning vernissages with breakfast from the local Juno the Bakery.

Created and conducted an interactive research for participants to envision the future of office chairs.

Playground Magazine

Issue 1

Photography by Martyna Paukštė

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Playground is a fresh, bi-annual independent magazine for imaginative minds created by studio playground. Featuring thought-provoking essays, engaging conversations and an assortment of “creative quickies”, it’s an honest, and at times, opinionated exploration of the creative mind and process.

YEAR

2023

SERVICES

Strategy & Conception

Creative Direction & Design

Content Commissioning

Content Creation & Management

Communication

Publishing & Distribution

ABOUT THE ISSUE 1

For its inaugural 112-page issue, more than 30 creatives from around Europe, including writers, illustrators, photographers and makers from Georgia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Sweden, Spain and the UK, contributed to bring the magazine to life.

Read essays and conversations that:

– Delve into the practice of “mood reading”

– Offer a bold take on future trends

– Explore Europe’s booming culinary-meets-arts industry

– Shed light on the democratisation of music in Stockholm

– Present fresh ideas about how the worlds of business and contemporary arts an learn from each other

Or simply indulge in a “creative quickie”, where some of our favourite creatives share advice they wish they’d never received, their cultural recommendations, and more!

Photography by Martyna Paukštė

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Since the summer of 2023, we embarked on our most ambitious project yet: creating a fresh, new indie magazine. The journey from concept, content creation, commissioning to production and publishing was a challenging, yet very exciting and rewarding endeavor for the small team.

The aim of Playground magazine is to go beyond the exclusiveness and competitiveness of today’s creative industry, delving deep into the minds and ideas of creative individuals and sharing these insights with curious readers. Playground embodies honesty, curiosity, and the playfulness of the soul.

“I was just at the Tate Modern and found your lovely magazine on the stand in the shop. It was brilliantly put together and a pleasure to look at and read.”

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

Despite being a small, emerging brand, all contributors were compensated for their work for the magazine.

Featured & collaborated with 30+ creatives from Europe.

500 copies sold in 3 months

10% of Magazine sold in pre-order

Playground distributed in 3 continents, 15 countries, and 21 cities

More than 35 stores stock Playground, including Tate Modern in London, Do You Read Me?! In Berlin, Under the Cover in Lisbon

Shortlisted in D&AD design awards amongst best independent design magazines

Photography by Martyna Paukštė

Playground Magazine

Issue 1 Launch Event

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Playground, an honest magazine for imaginative minds, was created and published by studio playground in December 2023. We’ve decided to host a launch event to support and celebrate the first issue’s release.

YEAR

2023

SERVICES

Event Concept

Event Production

Event Communication & Guestlist

Content Creation

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Launching an event in December presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the festive season, the event was designed to provide a break during the busy holiday period. Guests were invited to mingle around the new magazine, warm up with cookies, re-energise with coffee, socialise over cocktails, and meet other creatives.

It was also one of the first opportunities to touch and purchase “Playground” directly from us.

VENUE

Draugų Vardai, an up-and-coming listening bar and experimental space in Vilnius.

MUSIC

Editorial team’s curated “Playground Issue 1” playlist, enhancing the celebration & environment.

HIGHLIGHTS

Over 150 guests attended

The event provided an opportunity to create content and buzz both for us and the visitors

Increased studio playground’s and Playground Magazine’s visibility within the creative sector in Vilnius

New partnerships created for upcoming projects

The launch event served as a meeting point for our team, collaborators, partners, and the wider creative community

More than 40 copies of “Playground Issue 1” got sold during the event

SAVO

Brand Partnership Strategy

ABOUT THE CLIENT

Savo, a Swedish chair producer, has innovation in its bones and in the back of every chair. They keep challenging the seating experience by pushing the envelopes of ergonomics and intuitive design. Savo won the Red Dot Design Award in 2022 and, together with Form Us With Love, has been honored in Fast Company Innovation by Design Awards 2023 and longlisted for the workplace design category in the Dezeen Awards 2023.

YEAR

2023

SERVICES

Research & Analysis
Strategy
Creative Conception
Workshop

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Strategic work is not the easiest to share since it is confidential and not as visual per-se, but we’re lucky to see the client already bring those ideas to life!

So many strategies remain visions in the drawers, especially when it comes to collaborations, and partnerships, that require patience and a committed team to follow the strategy. The highlight is to see the Savo team take on the strategy we’ve worked on and start actioning it immediately. It’s only possible with a committed client, the work we’ve done together, and the meetings we suggested to initiate, that happened with the right partners.

“
Studio Playground gives you both the strategic direction with a creative edge, as well as a concrete roadmap on how to achieve it, which I believe is the hardest thing to get.

Malin Gloss,
Marketing Manager, SAVO Office Seating

Atelier100
for IKEA and H&M

Concept & Brand Development

ABOUT THE CLIENT

YEAR

2021- 2024

SERVICES

Research & Analysis
Workshop
Strategy
Creative Conception
Creative Direction & Leadership
Marketing & Communication Strategy
Resource Planning & Hiring

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Austė, Founder of studio playground, joined IKEA Retail’s Creative Director Marcus Engman to help lead the project’s strategy, concept and creative direction.

From the research phase, leading the first management workshops, programme planning, and retail curation, to bringing the finally named Atelier100 brand to life through strategy, creativity and communication.

That’s what has been done in the last years – 360 creative, brand, and communication leadership, from starting and leading all communication channels, finding partners, scouting & hiring teams, briefing, and leading a project towards success.

Activating our whole network and our thinking around strategy, creativity and communication, the brand has raised its profile to a prominent design incubator, store, creating products and raising profiles of emerging London-based designers such as Andu Masebo, Mitre & Mondays, Ambra Dentella, Joseph Elwood, Abiola Onabule, Matan Fadida, Emmely Elgersma, and more that can be explored via atelier100.com

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS

Launching Atelier100 from idea to reality in 8 months

Supporting 30 + London based creatives to bring their design product to life and raise their profiles.

Building a network of collaborators and community in London.

Leading strategy, creative direction and launch of two democratic Open Calls and two Atelier100 collections.

Leading and initiating partnerships with Courier Magazine, Hypebeast, London Design Festival, British Fashion Institute, Shoreditch Design Triangle

Exceeding first-year PR Value, including features on Hypebeast, The Guardian, Financial Times, Wallpaper, Dezeen

Presenting the project during Milan Design Week

You can listen to Auste talk about the Atelier100 brand and project on the Monocle on Design podcast here.

Atelier100 for IKEA and H&M

SAVO

Playground Magazine

Playground Magazine

SAVO

Atelier100for IKEA and H&M

Atelier100
for IKEA and H&M

Atelier100
for IKEA and H&M