SIGU is the design studio & label founded by Dutch industrial designer Sikko Valk.
The quest of SIGU design studio is to help make the world more genuine, meaningful & qualitative through impactful design.
Layered design that encourages people to stop | see | sense | value | realize, and aims to positively inspire, while connecting and bonding a deep & intrinsic level.
With the ultimate goal of timelessness through crystal clear, intuitive shapes & interactions, preferring durable materials, that stand the test of time & increase with character & personal connection through use.
Convinced that unique insights & fusions are found where different worlds meet, at the intersection of intrinsic interests, different fields and disciplines, he works cross-disciplinary and often collaborates with like-minded professionals and companies, resulting in a wide spectrum of design subjects while remaining, regardless of the subject, size or field, always focused on developing design that is:
PURPOSE based
STORY driven
INTRINSICALLY engaging
LAYERED in meaning
CLEAR in essence
PURE in form
ICONIC in presence
TIMELESS.
Next to this, Sikko develops works for the SIGU design label, by means of his design manifesto and more personal goal;
to create ‘timeless heirlooms’:
Products or items that retain their value & quality in beauty, character, power, balance, and meaning, regardless of the subject, size, or age.
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
SIGU offers (Co-)Creation for, or in collaboration with, like-minded companies, organizations & professionals.
Starting from scratch or a particular vision / goal / brand / technology / material / production / opportunity / challenge / brief / etc., to create next gen propositions and impactful designs.
With a design (thinking) process that approaches each project from different points-of-views, from fuzzy-front to pre-production, process & iteration topics among other:
DEFINE
Context driven & User centered
Function & Performance
Character & Interaction
Design thinking
Vision & definition development of Brand / Product
Creation of meaning & value proposition
USP development
Design direction
Structural Brand DNA (base brand ‘ingredients of ‘physical design elements & CMF)
DESIGN
Exploration & Ideation
Drawings / Visuals / CAD modeling
Aesthetics & Interaction
Visuals / Renders / Impressions
DEVELOP
Life Cycle
Design Refinement
CAD Development & Refinement
Engineering for protoyping
Pre-engineering for manufacturing
DIFFERENTIATE!
ABOUT
Sikko Valk MSc.
Award-winning industrial designer
Founder & designer @ design studio SIGU®
Based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Graduated Cum Laude MSc in 2009,
at the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
of Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands,
with master specializations ‘Design for Interaction‘ & 'Automotive Design’.
His work features a deliberate broad spectrum of subjects, industries & markets, with the ongoing purpose of finding intersections in those fields, gaining new insights, to create intriguing fusions and incremental or revolutionary innovations.
Sikko's design-mindedness in a nutshell:
Admiring simplicity
Intrigued by contrasts
Inspired by craftsmanship
Driven by making a difference
Striving for the never before seen
Creating meaningful experiences
Passionate about aesthetics
Focusing on character
Pursuing timelessness
Believing in quality
Building worlds
The quest of SIGU designlabel:
Next to doing projects for, or collaborations wíth companies & other professionals, Sikko develops independent ‘signature-designs’, with the goal to realize ‘Timeless Heirlooms’:
impactful, purposeful, timeless products, items & immersive experiences, that aim to positively inspire.
Working from the mostly ‘ignored’ base-principles and effects of natural environments & materials or sensations, we, as humans, are ”designed’' to be surrounded by, with their beneficial sensory input & elements that have deep impact on our well-being.
Balancing function, natural materials and essential, clean lines & forms that ultimately result in grounding, tactile & visual sensations with layered meaning.
Creating comfortable, soothing ‘habitats’ —> Integral, coherent & synergetic design of furniture & items, and interior spaces,
Ultimately: offering experiences that are thought provoking, re-energize or focus you.
COLLABORATIONS
List of organizations & brands Sikko Valk collaborated with as independent designer or design consultant (2015-present):
DESIGN AGENCY WORK
While employed by (2010-2014) industrial design agency FLEX/design, formerly known as FLEX/theINNOVATIONLAB.
Sikko, together with fellow project members, designed and developed new products, design strategies, and intellectual property for brands, among others the ones listed below. A selection of marketed projects, is summarized in the porfolio section of this website.
