This project is a result of a master thesis, as well as a conclusion of a three-year artistic master’s degree in graphic design. It might be that this project is the start of something else, something new. A start on a jour- ney in which I hope to engage and inspire others to dare to challenge and raise awareness of issues related to gender equality in the workplace. Furthermore, I hope that this project can show how the choices you as a designer make affect its recipients. In this project, I investigate how graphic and visual design can contribute to counteracting gender norms that lead to inherent attitudes and expectations for how we should be. I also investigate how graphic and visual design can func- tion as an identity marker for gender equality in working life that raises awareness and incre- ases knowledge of the issue. This project shows how all design accommodates relationships between history, tradition, culture and social conditions. Approaching an understanding of how design affects its recipient later means looking at the social and cultural context in which the recipient lives. This project is focused on the area of Luleå municipality. The process throughout this project has not been straightforward, it consisted of an iterative design journey where I alternated between theory, artistic explora- tion, analysis and reflection. The project is also based on norm-creative methods where the core lies in looking at what fits, and why. This has led to investigations in the form of workshops, questionnaires and literature studies to form an understanding of Luleå municipality as a context in relation to social norms – but also to make visible which gender-coded expressions dominate its narrative. Based on my interpretation of these results, the process in this project has wandered through a visual exploration of aesthetic expressions and de- sign language. Design methods such as sketching, prototyping, moodboard and image analysis have been analysed to arrive at the design proposal presented in this project. The project resulted in a the concept Apropå!. The concept is expressed in the form of a website that provides a handbook and a workshop about equality. The concept is based on norm-creative methods where Apro- på! and its handbook aims to create awareness and increase knowledge about gender equality and gender norms, while the workshop contains the method card game Snacka! which aims to go from thought to action. The goal of the concept is to create rings on the water, provoke thoughts, to invite conversation and a discus- sion - to create commitment and inspiration for a more equal workplace.

With this project, I wish to question the processes of designing for normative, active bodies and create opportunities for more inclusive and democratic sports. It aims to render and re-engineer sports equipment as we know them.   The design thesis has been developed based on research and experiences of exclusion regarding accessible equipment for Parasports. From a norm-critical standpoint, my collaborator Ebba and I have therefore developed a new Paralympic seat and back support for the sport of rowing. As a norm-creative innovation, its design addresses the particularities of the individual body and its specific needs.  The project investigates the combination of co-creation, craft and norm-creative methods as a pragmatic and alternative approach to sports equipment. By 3D scanning Ebba’s body, digital and physical iterations were in combination with manual crafts, principles of the making. The result shows great potential as the equipment are fully functional, it consists of a sandwich construction with a (Nomex) core and layers of high modulus carbon fibre. The back support is adjustable in four axis points.  I state that if we want to engage in sustainable sports equipment, the notions of co-creation, norm-criticality and crafts have good potential in formulating inclusive and accessible outcomes that are both desirable, valuable and satisfying for people with disobedient bodies.

I’mOther explores the concept of childfreeness, and the notion of being childfree by choice as a cis woman, through multidisciplinary practices and theories that combine methods from art and crafts, metadesign and feminist sociology. The project is situated in a Swedish context through an autoethnographic-inspired orientation that brings in situated knowledge, and in addition aims to invite and acknowledge diverse experiences and insights from creative and influential collaborations, in order to weave together a bigger picture. To uncover the elements that uphold the hegemonic fertility norm, and look into what a deviation from this norm means in an everyday context, the project seeks to move between individual and sociocultural levels through a norm critical and norm-creative design approach. Through a process of unpicking, going from norm, to language, to sentence, to word, the project has engaged in different levels of languaging with the ambition to intervene at a paradigm level and open up for conceptual spaces when thinking and talking about what adulthood can include. In a collaborative probing of spaces, which can invite conversations about childfreeness, craft have acted as a means of social interplay. Engaging with the crafshership of embroidery in combination with the comics medium, the project further elaborates through an artistic interpretation to convey narratives of childfree women. In a celebratory way, the project wants to give agency to women who experience life outside of the norm and speak to those who have the privilege to shape their own lives and to those who want to understand the choice of others.

De flesta män är för jämställdhet, de flesta män är emot våld och de flesta män gör absolut ingenting för jämställdhet. “Oj men så kan du inte skriva då kommer du förlora deras intresse” det var vad en vän varnade mig om, att ni män skulle bli rädda, känna er påhoppade eller bli arga. Men det här examensarbetet är inte till för att vara er män till lags, det är till för att skapa reaktion, engagemang och diskussion män emellan.  Projektet ämnar att undersöka hur grafisk design kan vara en bidragande faktor till eget engagemang inom jämställdhet. Konceptet Don’t be an asshole brewery är resultatet av denna undersökning, ett alkoholfritt ölbryggeri som utmanar dagens bild av manlighet. / Most men are for equality, most men are against violence and most men do absolutely nothing for equality. "Oh but you can’t write that then you just might lose their interest" that was what a friend warned me about, that you men would be scared, feel attacked or get angry. But this thesis is not meant to be comfortable, it is meant to create reaction, involvement and discussion between men. The project aims to investigate how graphic design can be a contributing factor to one's own involvement in equality. The concept Don't be an asshole brewery is the result of this study, a non-alcoholic brewery that challenges today's image of masculinity.

I dagens samhälle finns en allmänt negativ inställning till klimakteriet som grundar sig i genusnormer. Majoriteten av de metoder som finns för att behandla klimakteriebesvär är medicinska och de personer som av olika anledningar inte använder dem lämnas utan alternativ.Den här studien undersökte hur produktdesign kan användas för att underlätta klimakteriebesvär och samtidigt synliggöra klimakteriet. Syftet var att synliggöra klimakteriet och genom det bidra till en positiv inställning till det. Det konkreta målet var att ta fram ett förslag på en produkt som i största möjliga mån uppnår syftet. Studien vilar på en teoretisk grund av genusvetenskap, historisk syn på gynekologin och kvinnosyn, normkritik, normkreativitet samt normkreativ- och användarcentrerad design. Den empiriska insamlingen bestod huvudsakligen av intervjuer och diskussioner med representanter för målgruppen (personer med klimakteriebesvär) samt undersökningar av den befintliga marknaden för klimakterieprodukter och varför den ser ut som den gör.Studiens slutsats visar att en produkt som ska kunna underlätta klimakteriebesvär och samtidigt synliggöra klimakteriet måste uppfylla tre kriterier; underlätta besvären rent praktiskt, vara uppseendeväckande samt vara något som målgruppen är bekväm med att använda bland folk. Den produkt som har tagits fram i den här studien ses enbart som ett av många möjliga lösningsförslag då det inte finns ett korrekt svar på hur en klimakterieprodukt kan se ut eller fungera. Genom att se bortom de normer som vanligtvis styr hur klimakteriebesvär behandlas går det att ta fram nya innovativa alternativ. / Due to gender norms, the general attitude towards menopause in today’s society is negative. The majority of available methods to ease menopause symptoms are medical alternatives and the ones who choose not to use those, for different reasons, are left without an option.This study examined how product design can be used to ease menopausal related problems and contribute to put focus on menopause. The purpose was to make menopause more visible and by that contribute to a positive attitude towards it. The overarching goal was to develop a proposal for a product achieving that. The study relies on a theoretical foundation of gender studies, a historical view of gynecology and perception of women, norm criticism, norm creativity, norm creative design and human-centered design. The empirical evidence consisted mainly of interviews and discussions with representatives from the target group (people with menopausal related problems) and market research of existing menopausal products.The conclusion of the study shows that for making it possible for a product to both ease menopausal problems and make menopause more visible it needs to fulfil three criteria; in a way practically ease the symptoms, be eye-catching and be something the target group are comfortable using around other people. The product that has been developed in this study is only to be considered as one of many possible solutions since there is no correct answer to how a menopausal product should look or function. By moving beyond the norms, that usually control how menopausal problems are treated, it is possible to develop new and innovative alternatives.

There is a saying that we should not attempt to fix what is not broken, but we cannot afford to stick tothat mindset if we want to be able to design products and services that matter to the user. We shouldbroaden our views, explore new things and see what we can learn from them and use that knowledge toexpand on our existing methods. In recent years there have been a lot of work regarding how normsinfluence us to act and feel in certain ways, what if the knowledge behind norms could be utilized withindesign? To answer this question a study was conducted where two so called norm creative methodswere tested in a series of focus groups to see what potential the methods held in regard to improvingexisting methods or serve as basis for the creation new methods within user research.

Through critical urban spatial intervention and close attention to multispecies relationality, this project report documents the designerly exploration of a ‘plats-specifik’ (place-specific) ontology of becoming through polyvocal authorship, sticking with the trouble of anthropocentric urban development and temporalities of change. ‘JAG ÄR DU’ is a triad composition of trellises that grow scarlet runner beans, giving an architectural frame for the beans to grow into a hybrid typography and co-authored speculative poetics. Two metres tall and one and a half meters wide, each letter is built with vestigial matters of the past and present. Placed in a newly regenerated meadow in the northern parts of central Växjö, the intervention invites curiosity, reflection and abundant meetings between diverse thought worlds, species and generations of inhabitants. As a ‘plats-specifik’ project, this work demonstrates ways to make collective, public, and critical connections to placeness; the thick, implicated and multisensorial. It is to intervene in capatriarchalonialist (capitalist, patriarchal and colonialist ideological) politics of urban space, and to offer an alternative imaginary to the ways we see ourselves participating in the performing and making of multispecies publics.

Syfte: Syftet med studien var att skapa en ökad kunskap och förståelse för organisationers förhållningssätt till normkreativ reklam   Metod: En deduktiv studie av kvalitativ karaktär genomfördes genom fem intervjuer med Vattenfall, Synoptik, Sparbanken Rekarne, TUI och Vinter.   Slutsats: Studien visade att organisationers förhållningssätt till normkreativ reklam varierar. Studien påvisade även att de organisationer som hade ett positivt förhållningssätt arbetade aktivt med normkreativ reklam och ansåg att det var en självklarhet eftersom detta uppvisade samhällsansvar. CSR, uppmärksamhet och utökad målgrupp var bidragande orsaker till att organisationer valde att använda respektive att inte använda normkreativ reklam. Studien belyste även att normkreativ reklam påverkar två av varumärkesidentitetens beståndsdelar; kultur och personlighet. / Purpose: The purpose of the study was to create a greater knowledge and understanding of organizations' perception of norm creative advertising.   Method: A deductive study with qualitative data conducted through five semi-structured interviews with Vattenfall, Synoptik, Sparbanken Rekarne, TUI and Vinter.    Conclusion: The study showed that organizations' approach to norm creative advertising vary.  The study also showed that organizations' that had a positive approach to norm creative advertising worked with norm creative advertising in their organization and believed that it was a matter of course as this demonstrated corporate social responsibility. CSR, attention and extended target group was contributing reasons why organizations choose to use or not to use norm creative advertising. The study also showed that norm creative advertising affects two of the brand identity elements; culture and personality.

A lot of children’s books in today’s society are meant to create diversity with a more including content but it often leads to a content full of stereotypes. The books become stigmatized rather than representative of the diversity in different people. This is an issue since children learn a lot from books even in the technological world we live in right now. That is why the book Pim & Purpurfolket was made. This is the master thesis by Louise Hannu, at Luleå University of Technology is about analyzing and defying the ongoing trend of stereotypical content in children’s literature, by using a norm creative approach. / I dagens samhälle finns det många böcker som är avsedda att skapa mångfald med ett mer inkluderande innehåll men detta leder ofta till ett innehåll fullt av stereotyper. Böckerna blir stigmatiserade snarare än representativa. Detta är ett stort problem då barn lär sig mycket via böcker, även i den teknologiska värld vi lever i just nu. Det är därför boken Pim & Purpurfolket gjordes. Detta examensarbete, skapat av Louise Hannu vid Luleå Tekniska Universitet, handlar om att analysera och trotsa den pågående, stereotypa trend inom barnens litterära värld genom att använda en normkreativ strategi.

As alpine skiing is becoming more and more popular the need for sustainable products are increasing in order to enable great skiing and snowy winters in the future. The ski industry is unfortunately far behind many other industries when it comes to sustainability and the shift towards sustainable skis is going slow. Norse Skis is a unique ski manufacturer as they have a sustainable profile and are always in the lookout for new possibilities to take that forward. The goal in this master thesis project is to develop a pair of sustainable skis that will widen Norse Skis’ product catalog. The project was conducted in collaboration with Norse Skis as a master thesis project within the degree of Industrial Design Engineering at Luleå University of Technology. During the development of the skis, the user-centered design process Design Thinking Process was used. The process was divided into three phases; Inspiration, Ideation, and Implementation. During the design process, most of the energy was put on creating a ski that meets the user needs and is as sustainable as possible. Through constant dialog with the users, feedback and evaluation were gained to customize the product to the needs and opinions of the users. To develop skis that are as sustainable as possible, the project has had its base in the three aspects of sustainability; ecological, economic, and social, which are defined in the Brundtland report (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).  At the beginning of the project, a deep understanding of alpine skis and alpine skiing was gathered. This was followed by a thorough examination of the users through surveys and user observations. It was identified that the users spent most of their time skiing on the piste, but had a vision of being an off-piste skier. This led to the conclusion of designing a ski that is high performing on-piste but also gives the user the possibility to great off-piste skiing. In a benchmarking, Norse Skis’ current skis were compared to their competitors’ to identify Norse Skis’ strengths and what could be improved. When an understanding of the product and the users was gained, the project proceeded into the ideation phase. In the ideation phase solutions on lengths, shapes, names, colors, graphics, and materials were created. Through user surveys, three concepts were created which eventually resulted in one final design. The project result is a pair of 90 mm wide skis with focus on sustainability that are high performing and playful in the piste while providing a nice off-piste ride as well. From the social aspect, they are created with the skier in mind instead of either men, women, or some specific age group. By using materials that are more environmentally friendly than what is used in Norse Skis’ skis today and that either have the same or lower price, the skis are more sustainable from both an ecologic and economic perspective. The design has been approved by the users which led to the recommendation of broadening Norse Skis’ current product catalog with the ski that was the result of this master thesis project. / Samtidigt som skidåkning blir mer och mer populärt för var dag som går så ökar behovet av hållbara produkter som möjliggör framtida snöiga vintrar och bra skidåkning. Tyvärr ligger dagens skidtillverkare långt bakom många andra branscher när det kommer till hållbarhet och skiftet mot hållbara skidor går trögt. Norse Skis är en unik skidtillverkare då de har en hållbar profil och ständigt letar efter möjligheter att komma ännu längre fram i utvecklingen. Målet i detta examensarbete är att utveckla ett par hållbara skidor som kan bredda Norse Skis produktkatalog. Projektet utfördes i samarbete med Norse Skis som ett examensarbete på Civilingenjör Teknisk Design med inriktning produktdesign vid Luleå Tekniska Universitet. Under utvecklingen av skidorna användes den användarcentrerade designprocessen Design Thinking Process som är uppdelad i tre faser; Inspiration, Ideation, och Implementation. Under designprocessen låg fokus på att skapa en skida som uppfyller användarbehoven och samtidigt är så hållbar som möjligt. Genom att hela tiden återkoppla med användarna för utvärdering och feedback kunde produkten anpassas efter deras behov och tycke. För att utveckla en så hållbara skida som möjligt har projektet utgått från de tre perspektiven av hållbarhet; ekologisk, ekonomisk, och social som identifieras i Brundtlandsrapporten (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987).  I projektets startskede införskaffades en djup förståelse alpina skidor och alpin skidåkning. Detta följdes av djupdykning i användaren genom enkäter och användarobservationer. Det identifierades att användaren spenderar mest tid i pisten, men har en vision om att vara en off-pist åkare. Detta ledde fram till slutsatsen att designa en skida som är högpresterande i pisten med också ger användaren möjlighet till bra off-pist åkning. I en benchmarking jämfördes sedan Norse Skis nuvarande skidor med konkurrenternas för att identifiera Norse Skis styrkor och vad som kunde göras bättre. När en förståelse över produkten och användarna skapats gick projektet in i idégeneringsfasen. Där skapade olika lösningsförslag på längder, former, namn, färg, grafik, och material. Genom användarundersökningar kunde tre slutkoncept tas fram som slutligen resulterade i ett slutgiligt resultat. Projektresultatet är ett par 90 mm breda skidor med fokus på hållbarhet som är högpresterande och lekfulla i pisten som även ger en härlig åkning utanför. Ur den sociala aspekten är de gjorda för skidåkare istället för enbart män, kvinnor eller någon specifik åldersgrupp. Genom användning av material som är miljövänligare än de som Norse Skis tidigare använt och antingen har samma eller lägre pris så är skidor både hållbarare ur både ett ekologisk och ett ekonomiskt perspektiv. Designen har bekräftats av användarna vilket ledde till att rekommendationen att bredda Norses Skis produktkatalog med skidorna som var resultatet av detta examensarbete.