Creating design that is
PURPOSE built
USER centered
MEANING driven
CHARACTER crafting
INTERACTION enticing
SIGU is the design studio founded by Dutch industrial designer Sikko Valk, offering (co-)creation and product development for, or in collaboration with, like-minded companies, organizations & professionals.
The quest of SIGU design studio is to help make the world better, more genuine, meaningful & qualitative through impactful design.
Purposeful, layered design that encourages people to stop | see | sense | value | realize, and aims to positively inspire, while connecting and bonding a deep & intrinsic level.
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Whether its defining design strategies, value propositions, concept creations, or design & development for manufacturing, SIGU offers expertise in Design Thinking and Design Doing, engaging each subject or challenge from a user centered and holistic, integral design approach.
Starting from scratch, a fuzzy-front or a particular vision / goal / brand / technology / material / production / opportunity / challenge / brief / etc, to creating next gen propositions and develop impactful designs.
To provide an overview of SIGU’s main activities:
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Subject immersion, Research & Analysis, Empathize with main users & stakeholders, Creative sessions
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User-Centric knowledge & perspective, Context driven parameters, Interplay & Ecosystem, Cause & Effect, Unique insights & Differentiators
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User Journey, Future vision, MAYA (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable), Problem solving strategy, Design direction, Meaning & Added value proposition, Materialization & Production, Development roadmap, Lifecycle, Sustainability
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Ideation, Concepts, Performance, Usability, Character, Interaction, Aesthetics, Form-language, Experience, structural brand-product DNA, CMF, for durability, Product Identity
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USP’s, Proof of concept, refined CAD models (Solidworks), Pre-engineering for manufacturing, Prototype & Testing, Visualisations and Concept impressions, Quality, Consistency, Coherence, Circularity
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Impactful design, product DNA, Identity guidelines, Solution, Inspiration, Presentation, Pre-)production (CAD) files, Visuals
DIFFERENTIATE!
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, innovations, and unconventionalities.
ABOUT
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
SIGU DESIGN-LABEL
Next to doing projects for, or collaborations wíth companies & other professionals, Sikko develops independent ‘signature-designs’, by means of his design manifesto, with the goal to realize
‘TIMELESS HEIRLOOMS’
Purposeful, durable, timeless furniture, products or items that withstand the test of time, aim to positively inspire, connect with their owners and are cared for to ultimately be passed-on, instead of being thrown away.
HABITAT DESIGN
Working from the mostly ‘ignored’ base-principles and soothing effects of natural environments, materials and sensations, we all, as humans, are hardwired to be surrounded and calibrated by, seeking 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 & synergistic designs 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.
