Scan Magazine | Special Theme | Made in Sweden
Making technology human and fashionable With a range of popular headphones already on the shelves and a deep commitment to user-centred design, Zound Industries is branching out. Inspired by the user experience of the transistor radio, but adding a touch of modern Scandinavian minimalism, the brand is about to enter your home. By Linnea Dunne | Photos: Zound Industries
How do you design technology products that are more than just cold technology – products that truly add something to the users’ daily lives? This was one of the questions that inspired eight young Swedes to set up Zound Industries back in 2008. The company started out with headphones, creating a product that fit right in amongst gadgets as well as in design and style boutiques, and it quickly became clear that they were onto something. “We were from a wide range of 68 | Issue 102 | July 2017
backgrounds, many of us with a bit of DIY culture in our blood, some from sports scenes but, most importantly, with the right combination of skills and experience to be able to get the project off the ground on our own, as we couldn’t afford to employ staff yet,” says Oscar Axhede, co-founder and chief evangelist. “The idea was to create a headphone house of sorts, similar to the big fashion houses with sunglasses and watches. We wanted to explore lifestyle and create
user-friendly products that were truly different.”
Presenting Urbanears Connected Speakers With popular headphone ranges such as Urbanears, Coloud and Molami in addition to a successful collaboration with the rock ‘n’ roll icon Marshall, Zound Industries has demonstrated that they are a technology design house to be reckoned with. Now, they are branching out. Released back in March, the Urbanears Connected Speakers bring Zound Industries’ design technology into the home, which is very much a conscious development, explains Axhede. “We were looking at our audience of urbanites – whether in Tokyo or Berlin – and noticed that they stopped