2. My previous working experience together with my education has made me acquainted with a
great variety of tasks, which has contributed to me being highly adaptable to new situations and
scenarios. It has also made me perceptive to the needs of those using the products I design.
Working with projects has taught me to perform creatively under pressure, and to let my accuracy
permeate the entire design process.
The passion to create functional, sustainable, appealing and user friendly design will always be a
driving force in my work; regardless of the task I am given.
I am looking forward to telling you more about myself and my work.
Kind regards
Kasimir Hellström
01
I have studied product design my whole life, in the sense that I have always been observant to the
form, function and essence of products. The harmony between an object’s exterior, its materials
and its function has always fascinated me. The choice to make product design into my profession
ultimately came from a desire to be involved in the whole process, from idea to finished product.
What also appealed to me was the possibility to work in a challenging and creative environment,
where I would continuously learn new things from combining theory, practical work and creativity.
Prior to my studies, I worked on a seasonally basis; as a greenkeeper in the summers and with
tourism in the winters. In addition to providing valuable working experience, these years gave me
plenty of time to consider different alternatives for a future education and career.
For my bachelor thesis I chose to work with a concept for a new wrist protection designed
especially for snowboarders. Apart from the focus on form and ergonomics, this project placed
high demands on preparative research, choice of materials and user targeting; all of these being
factors that I am really passionate about in my designs.
Concurrently with working on my bachelor project, I was involved in the development of a board
game and a computer game prior to “Lundakarnevalen”, a student carnival with long traditions
that takes place in Lund every fourth year. This gave me the opportunity to gain experience in
working with a commercial product, while further developing my skills designing with a given
graphic profile.
c/o Mellgren
Landsdomarevägen 1
SE-22240 Lund
Sweden
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
3. 02
Education/Examina
2010 BSc Material Science and Product Development
Degree Thesis: Modern wrist guards for snowboarders
2007-2010 Product design at Malmö University, School of Technology
2003 Frensh language studies at Université de Grenoble located in Chamonix
1998-2001 Social Science programme, Local Branch: Sports, Sydskånska Gymnasiet in Ystad
Employments
2011- Warehouse worker, WBP Trading AB, Malmö
Handling wood based products, customer service
2010 Greenkeeper, Abbekås Golf Club, Abbekås, seasonally employed
Maintenance of the golf course
2008-2009 Greenkeeper, Abbekås Golf Club, Abbekås, employed during summer break
2006-2007 Greenkeeper, Abbekås Golf Club, Abbekås, seasonally employed
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
2005-2006 Restaurant assistant, Café Arom, Skellefteå
Preparation of food and beverages, barista
2005 Greenkeeper, Abbekås Golf Club, Abbekås, seasonally employed
2004-2005 Janitor, cleaner, dishwasher, Köja Högfjällshotell, Edsåsdalen, seasonally employed
Maintenance of hotel and spa. Planning and purchase of consumables
2005 Snowboard instructor, Köja Högfjällshotell, Edsåsdalen
Private and group lessons for beginners to advance riders
2004 Carpenter training, Henrik Isgrens Bygg, Ystad
Renovation of residental buildings
2003 Greenkeeper at Flommens Golf Club, Falsterbo, project employment during 2 months
2002 Cleaner, Storliens Högfjällshotell, Storlien
Responsible for cleaning of a cottages and an apartment hotel
2001-2003 Greenkeeper at Abbekås Golf Club, seasonally employed
4. 03
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
Commission of trust
2007-2010 Student representative for the Product Design program at Malmö University
2010 Second Section Manager for the game section in Lund’s students carnival
Development of a board game and a computer game
Languages
Swedish - native
English – fluent in spoken and written
Frensh – basic in spoken and written
Danish – conversation level
Norwegian– conversation level
Computer programs
Adobe CS (Illustrator, Indesign, Photoshop)
SolidWorks, Rhinoceros
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point)
Mac OS
Other qualifications
Junior elite golfer until 2001
Photographer for Malmö University School paper
Kitesurfing and surf instructor for www.southcoastsweden.se
Hobbies
Snowboard, skiing, kite surfing, surfing, climbing and bouldering, golf, fishing,
muay thai, photography and architecture.
Good references available upon request
5. 01
In this project my aim was to
increase my skill in working with
product identity and, in this case,
shoe design. Crossover is a shoe
concept for SAAB’s product
range Expression that includes
accessories such as watches,
pens and clothes. The purpose
was to expand the product range
of SAAB’s profile products and at
the same time highlight the release
of the new car model. Crossover
offers the user a modern technical
shoe that fits equally well in the
office as outdoors.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
6. 02
I wanted the product to attract all
SAAB-lovers, irrespectively of their
favorite car model. By offering
a sporty, streamlined, functional
shoe that carried discrete SAAB
logotypes to represent both the
classic and the modern, the very
essence of the brand would shine
through. I experimented with
several concepts, as I wanted
to assemble key features from
both urban and outdoor shoes to
combine the best of both worlds
into one final design; hence the
name Crossover.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
7. 03
“Anything but ordinary” is SAAB’s
motto and it was also the motto
for this concept. The idea with
Crossover was to seize the SAAB
heritage, and the design was
inspired by form elements from the
new 9-4X and classic pilot shoes
to connect Crossover to SAAB’s
aerospace heritage. By combining
leather with modern functional
materials the result is a sporty,
versatile shoe with an artless
design and technical features.
Crossover comes in four different
colors, the same as 9-4X and with
men’s and women’s shoe last.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
8. 01
As my thesis project, I chose
to develop a concept for a new
modern wrist guard; especially for
snowboarders. Wrist injuries are
one of the most recurrent injuries
associated with snowboarding,
and can sometimes be so severe
that they demand surgery.
Despite this, wrist guards are
rarely used for various reasons.
In order to better understand the
attitude towards wrist guards
and to identify user demands,
snowboarders were asked to
fill in an internet-based survey.
Research of fall mechanisms,
possible trends in injuries related
to e.g. age and/or experience, and
the functionality of existing wrist
guards was also performed within
the scope of the project.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
9. 02
The result of the research
showed that wrist guards do
prevent injury and that a majority
of snowboarders were willing to
use a new improved wrist guard.
A combination of a dorsal splint,
preventing over extension of the
wrist, and a shock absorbing
padding in the palm proved to
be the most effective solution. In
order to attract the target user
the product had to stand out from
other wrist guards and better fit in
with other protective alpine gear.
I made an analysis to find mutual
design elements in the product
segment. I later used the result
to combine both function and
visual appearance in one strong
design I used few colors; one
base color and two accent colors
to bring forward the materials and
technical features.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
10. 03
Reologic is a modern and user-
friendly wrist guard that the user
wears under the gloves. The core
idea is to combine smart materials
with ergonomics and comfort.
As opposed to Neoprene, the
most commonly used material
in wrist guards. Reologic is
constructed from mesh textile for
increased ventilation and comfort.
Deflexion™, the shock absorbing
material in the palm and along the
back of the hand is also a mesh
textile and therefore allow the
skin to breathe, hence providing
both comfort, and protection
against scaphoideum fractures.
The splint on the dorsal side of the
guard is made from carbon-fiber-
polypropene-composite allowing it
to be as thin as possible. The BOA
Closure System was chosen to
replace conventional Velcro straps
and make adjustments easy even
on-the-fly.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
11. 01
Swiss Razor is the result of a
school project where the task
was to design a “hair remover”
for women for a company of your
own choice. The focus in this
course was semiotics, product
identity and ergonomics. Swiss
razor is a foldable razor designed
particularly for women frequently
travelling; on business as well as
leisure.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
12. 02
A great part of the difficulty was
to adapt the shape and feel of
the razor so that it would be
attractive to women without
losing the Victorinox identity. To
accomplish this, the razor had to
be technical and multifunctional
but with a delicate design and
feel. The shape of the handle had
to be wide enough to contain the
razor-head but still give a feel of
precision. The grip also had to fit
all hand sizes and grip types. In
the sketch process I evaluated
a variety of folding motions for
the razor. The final solution is the
same as in the Victorinox pocket
knives because of the strong
brand identity associated with it.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
13. The choice of material was
important both for the product
identity, semiotics and the
function. For the handle, re-
cycled anodized aluminum was
chosen due to its light weight
and matallic feel. The sides and
top of the handle are covered
with an impact-resistant Cellidor
shell, the same polymer found
on the Swiss Army Knife. The
tweezers, the retractable shaft
and the two buttons are made
from chrome molybdenum steel.
The exchangeable razor heads
are made of injection-molded
polypropene and the razor blades
of martensitic stainless chromium
steel. The grooves on the two
buttons increase the grip and
display the direction in which the
button moves. The Victorinox
logos, which are slightly extruded,
create a grip surface and
therefore adding a second funcion
to them.
03
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
14. 01
This project focused on packaging
design, graphic design and brand
identity. I chose to work with the
brand Kenzo. The assignment was
to design a perfume bottle and
its packaging. The target group
are young men with an interest in
fashion. My aim was to capture
the design from Kenzo’s clothing
collection and translate it to a
perfume packaging.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
15. 02
To find a concept that expressed
the essence of Kenzo’s clothes I
analyzed existing Kenzo products
to find what had influenced the
design. I found three strong
influences; ethnical, layer on
layer and flowers. I proceeded
with the layer on layer style that
recurred in both the clothes
and in the advertising images.
Besides the visual aspects the
tactile properties were important,
I wanted the product to have a
directional form for ease of use.
The user should also be able to
feel the layer effect. By combining
colors and materials within a
simple shape I could capture the
layer effect without making the
bottle to complex.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
Logotype placement on the outer casing
16. 03
The Layer spray bottle consists
of two white ceramic sides on a
transparant glass body encasing
an opaqe blue inner container. The
ceramic sides are painted orange
brown on the side facing the glass
body. The Kenzo logo is imprinted
on one side of the bottle, in order
to connect the visual properties of
the logo with a tactile sensation.
The contrasting chrome steele
button allows the user to
recognize it from mere touch.
An outer transparent
polycarbonate casing and a white
polypropene lid creates a second
layer. The name of the perfume is
printed on the outer casing and
creates a shadow play on the
ceramic side next to the Kenzo
logo.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobil:+46(0)703211404
17. 01
These are my two contributions to
a design challenge issued by
Tablas, kiteboard manufacturers,
and Xtravel, organizer of adventure
travel. The task was to design
your own board with Tablas and
Xtravel logos visible from both
above and the underside.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
18. 02
I made an analysis of products
from other manufacturers to
see how to create a design
that stood out visually among
others kite boards. Today, most
kiteboards are very colorful
with graphics built from layers.
By contrast Tablas’ boards are
characterized by a structured
and consistent graphics, with
only a few well-chosen colors.
Similar graphics can also be
recognized in the logo and
website of Xtravel. Since my
ambition was to communicate the
collaboration between the two
companies through the graphics, I
chose to emphasise such conform
features in my designs.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
19. 03
In my first contribution I let a world
map form a pattern by making
a large contrast between land
and ocean. The map is sized and
positioned to give a balanced mix
of the two colors. The colors were
chosen based on Tablas’ existing
boards in the CMYK series. In my
second contribution, focus was
instead placed on the feeling of
anticipation before an upcoming
trip. Placing the logotypes on
the board’s nose and tail makes
them visible also after attaching
bindings. The crow gazing
towards the horizon symbolizes
the longing for an adventure.
Apart from being an eye catching
feature, the headphones add a
human element to the design. On
the bottom-side the crow takes
flight towards new destinations.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
20. 01
This is a winning contribution
in a design competition issued
by Pivotion Railgrip System-a
company providing rail-based
attachments for leisure boats. The
challenge was to present a new
accessory to the Railgrip System.
The Hook Knife is a security
knife that is always close at hand
and offers the user security and
functionality.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
w w w . p i v o t i o n . s e
21. 02
The Hook Knife was inspired by
the high demands that boatmen
place on their equipment. Trusting
the equipment onboard in any
given situation is key at sea. The
ambition was to create a tool
that crewmember immediately
would consider a given part of
their equipment. I also wanted
the product to fit into the Pivotion
range. The concept of a simple yet
functional tool was inspired from
the Pivotion Mug.
Hook Knife is made of
polypropene with a TPE inlay on
the handle, and cutting edges
of stainless steel. The shape of
the handle combined with a TPE
provides excellent grip even with
wet and cold hands. The slit in
the sheath enables cutting of, for
example, fishing lines when the
knife hangs from the railing wihtout
unsheathing the knife.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
w w w . p i v o t i o n . s e
22. 01
The focus of this project was
social anthropology and ethnology
for product design. I chose to
study how people gather when
the open fire no longer is the
focus for social gathering. What
I discovered was that the living
room and sofa together with the
TV has replaced the open fire as a
daily place for social gathering.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
23. 02
The result of my research showed
that it wasn’t necessary to create
a fictive fire. Most important was
that the product invited to social
interaction and felt natural in its
intended environment. In a survey
people were asked which would
be the most important features in
a product replacing a camp fire.
The most recurrent responses
were; light, peace and harmony.
Since light was one of the key
features I wanted to implement
that into the design. It was
important not to be mimicking a
campfire but catch the core of it;
light, shadow play, community,
warmth, inviting, motion, wind
and safety. In my sketch process
I focused on the symbolism and
found inspiration in the different
ways you can build a campfire.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404
24. 03
The result is Spring, inspired by
a camp fire emitting light. The
table consists of twelve rings of
birch plywood, six dark stained
and six white lacquered, each
separated by four glass rods.
The rings create a harmonic
shadow play and also functions
as a lamp shade for the LED light
source at the base of the table.
The light source is diffused by a
warm-tinted and frosted glass.
The glass rods separating the
birch rings create an illusion of
the rings floating while at the
same time catching light, giving
the appearance of sparkles. The
circular glass table top offers a
surface without competing with
the overall shape.
kasimir.hellstrom@gmail.com
mobile:+46(0)703211404