BITTERSWEET MEMORIES

Whether it is the smell of that lovely dish you always ate at your grandparent’s home, the music that was playing when you met your first love or the view of old photos that were taken in the midst of summer, we experience certain feelings when reliving the past. These ‘times gone by’ flash through our heads and sometimes leaves us with a smile on our face and other times with a feeling of emptiness.

by Thijmen de Ruiter & Isis Verhaag

Illustrating an image of nostalgia

The world we live in is partly driven by this bittersweet feeling of nostalgia. Movie remakes of old favourites such as Indiana Jones or the long-awaited release of Barbie are springing up like mushrooms in cinemas and on streaming services. Not to speak of the music we listen to that is imbued with a sense of ‘nostalgia’ such as the Beatles ‘Yesterday’ or ‘Summer of ‘69’. While nostalgia is firmly interwoven with our way of living, it is our task as designers to understand the concept and try to make the most out of it.

Before we start rattling about nostalgic examples in design, we must assess some common ground about our subject of the day. So, what encapsulates the true meaning of ‘nostalgia’? The old Greeks might have experienced nostalgia already, but they did not have the right word to describe it yet. They actually had two words, that were first coined by a Swiss physician as late as 1688, consisting of ‘nostos’ (return) and ‘algos’ (suffering). Combined, the words depicted a severe homesickness that arose with a strong yearning from the homeland. At that time, nostalgia was not seen as an experienced feeling but rather as a disease that was located in the brain. How interesting this may sound, we as designers are not going to perform any neurodiagnostic in the near future, so let’s take a leap forward to current times.

What does nostalgia encompass in 2023? In our opinion the ‘nostalgia’ that we’re currently dealing with has become somewhat idealized or maybe even romanticized. We adore the image of our favourite actor wandering through the streets of the village he used to live as a child, maybe even shedding a tear of how innocent life was back then. This is the ‘nostalgia’ that highlights the impermanence of life and the fleeting nature of time. A reminder that the past is gone, and all we have left are the memories...

How romantic this may sound, nostalgia in a designer perspective is more likely to be something humdrum. Nostalgia seen as part of our everyday lives, reminding us of earlier interactions with products and systems or linking experiences of our youths to the here and now. To dive directly into our designer lens, let us have a look at some nostalgic driven concepts of today.

Something old, something new

Take the instant camera for example. Over the last decade, cameras such as the Instax mini, have regained popularity. Photography itself has become more popular over the last few years. Cameras on smartphones can take photographs of extremely good quality and with social media apps like Instagram you can share these photos with a few taps on your screen. Even though there are enough retro filters to put over your digital photo, nothing really compares to the hazy, delicate look a real polaroid photo has. There is something special about instantly receiving a physical result when taking a photo. It is more precious, as it is unique and could have a few imperfections. We can keep the photos in a special box, hang them up on the wall or attach them to a gift for someone. With instant photography, there is only one copy of every photo which is why we value this print a lot. When taking photos on your smartphone, you could take tons of photos and store them on every cloud possible. Quality over quantity right?

Or take the ‘Oer’ radio. It was the mission of Oer to make music more accessible to elderly, especially those with dementia. Listening to music can have a very special effect on people with dementia, it has a positive impact on the brain. It could cheer someone up who is feeling a bit blue and bring peace when someone is a bit irritated. The Oer music player looks like a radio from the 1950s, so it could feel familiar and comfortable. It has one button and one flap, so it is easy to handle. When Oer launched the product, they got incredible responses. Someone who found it hard to talk, suddenly sang along to his favorite songs coming from the radio. 1

Another great example of the positive impact of the use of nostalgia, is with the marketing and product development of Paper Boat. Paper Boat is a fruity beverage available in India. The four founders of Paper Boat Drinks wanted to launch a new soft drink. When one of them brought a drink from home, it clicked. They used to enjoy these homemade drinks daily, but they were not available on the market. When thinking about the development and marketing of the actual drink, they got their inspiration from those memories. It was their way of triggering emotions of consumers. The name ‘Paper Boat’ was derived from a game they used to play when they were little; folding a paper boat and putting it puddles during the rainy season. It brings back feelings of joy and playfulness. The flavour itself brings back memories and their advertisements remind you of childhood comics. The company has been growing steadily ever since and is now valued over $100 million.

A designers note

The success of Paper Boat aligns with a quote of sales expert Jason Warnock’s that “consumers crave nostalgia”. By tapping into these nostalgic sentiments, brands can establish a positive relationship with their audience, creating a deeper connection that goes beyond the mere exchange of products or services. A study even showed that consumers are willing to spend more money on products or services that create nostalgic feelings. A connection to other people is created when using memories and, in this atmosphere, values and relationships with other people are experienced as more important than money. A nostalgic design strategy could therefore lead to better commercial profits.

In addition to this, nostalgia can be something very powerful that transcends individual experiences. It has the ability to resonate on both a collective and personal level. By connecting us to our history, roots and identity, nostalgia weaves a thread that binds us to our past. Moreover, nostalgia proves invaluable in addressing the challenges to one’s self-esteem. By seeking refuge in an idealized past, individuals find solace and a renewed sense of belonging. Nostalgia becomes a catalyst for strengthening social bonds, as shared memories and experiences create a deeper connection with others. At last, during periods of significant transitions, nostalgia tends to intensify in individuals. The yearning for the past becomes more pronounced as a coping mechanism to counteract the negative effects of rapid change and instability. It serves as a soothing balm, offering a sense of comfort and familiarity amidst uncertainty.

So to conclude, in a world flavoured with nostalgia, our hearts long for the echoes of the past, (just like movie remakes and beloved melodies that sprout like wildflowers). Designers in this very instance hold the key to unlocking its magic, creating a symphony that resonates through time. Embrace nostalgia and watch as the ordinary becomes extraordinary, intertwining memories with modernity. 3

It is very likely that you played with this when you were little. It is a simple toy, maybe the simplest ever. KAPLA, short for ‘KAbouter PLAnkjes’, is a construction toy that was developed in the 1980s. The company has a turnover of roughly 6,5 million a year. We had a conversation with the founder of KAPLA, Tom van der Bruggen (1945) to ask him about the story of KAPLA and the success of such a simple product.

by Tjerk van der Weij & Isis Verhaag

It all started when Van der Bruggen needed to make a model for a small castle he was going to build in France. He found out that in order to make a proper construction, you need planks, not cubes. According to Van der Bruggen, a cube is theoretically the worst shape to make a construction toy with, despite it being very popular in the 19th century. “The pieces have to be able to interlock, you cannot do that properly with cubes. You need a plank. If you make the plank flatter, it becomes unstable and if you make it longer, it loses its expression.” The measurements of one KAPLA plank, 1:3:15, were derived from intuition, says Van der Bruggen. Not a lot of research or testing was done in order to find this perfect proportion.

Van der Bruggen made the first 400 boxes of KAPLA in his own workshop. Being overly enthusiastic, he thought he could just waltz up to any toy store and they would invest in his amazing product. Nothing could be further from the truth, none of the retailers showed any form of interest. Van der Bruggen did not give up, he started demonstrating KAPLA at primary schools and sold a few boxes. When the interest in KAPLA grew, he sold his castle in order to invest the money back into KAPLA. After that the company took off in France. “In the Netherlands, they did not want to know about it, not for ten years. They were not interested in the toy itself. After a while, people realised that playing with KAPLA was beneficial for children’s intelligence and education and started investing in KAPLA. It shows that we wanted toys that would contribute to the creativity and intelligence of children.”

Selling his castle was a big sacrifice, though it shows that Van der Bruggen is no quitter. He is an optimist as well as a romantic. “When times get rough, you need to be strong. I always say things will work out. Even if this earth goes down, there may be a billion other ‘earths’ where things will be better.” Culture is extremely important to Van der Bruggen. “If the basic conditions (good health and living conditions) are there, culture and beauty is the most important thing there is, it is what makes life interesting.”

Van der Bruggen says that looking back, he could not have gone to a technical university. “As a kid, I was not a good student. I was very artistic. I took a few classes in art history, but eventually left secondary school and was a selfemployed antique dealer by the time I was twenty. Art and architecture have always fascinated me. Architecture for example, involves engineering but also a lot of philosophy. How are things put together? How do people meet? It is all very interesting.”

When Van der Bruggen was a child, he played with something called the Bailey Bridge. “I was born a few days after the Second World War. It was an incredibly beautiful time. I used to play with Bailey Bridge with my grandparents. It was a construction toy to build bridges with.”

Construction toys like Bailey Bridge and KAPLA involve a lot of creativity. “Playing with it, you start to see the consequences of all the different possible combinations. You start to understand it by touching it, feeling it and trying things out, not by thinking about and trying to understand it, which is something adults tend to do.”

The success of KAPLA cannot be denied. What advice could Van der Bruggen give for becoming successful? “I am going to say something very annoying. Something that all the rich people say: work hard. Work hard and do not think that everything is achieved with a simple idea. You have to persevere. I always say that you cannot have a tree without a seed. But the seed is not the tree. You need soil and water. You have to keep watering the seed in order for it to grow, just like you have to do with an idea or invention.”

As of right now, Van der Bruggen has been really busy with his new product that has been released last Spring. “For the past ten years I have been working on these new dollhouses and palaces. The first five years were not as intense compared to the last five. I even work on Saturdays and Sundays. But I have to say, it has become something extraordinary. It consists of a number of components: gates, windows, doors and banisters. The possibilities are endless. It will be available on the internet and then we will make what you ordered. I would say that KAPLA is the mother and Tomtect, another technical toy I made, is the father. They had a genius child, and this being the dollhouses and palaces.” When we asked Van der Bruggen if he is going to retire after the release of this new toy, he laughed a bit and said, “I’m obviously not going to relax, that is not in my nature.” 3

by Isis Verhaag

Yos is telling Bram and Hidde about his project. He just moved into a small apartment and is making wooden closets on wheels under his bed, that way he has more storage room. He puts them away and an old wooden desk is revealed. “Yeah we got this from another man in the building, he was going to throw it away and asked if we wanted to have it instead. It must be ninety years old by now”. How Oma claims to have gotten most of their supplies was happening right in front of me. Just when Yos leaves, Mink enters the 75 m2 room. “Heeeyy” echoes through the room and the three guys give each other a hug. It does not take long for Mink to find the chocolate peanuts and four Hertog Jan beers find their way into our hands.

Mink, Bram and Hidde (second year students) used to have weekly meetings at the Coffeestar, but this was the first time they saw each other in a while. The meetings in Coffeestar took place after they rented the space in the Schiehallen, but did not really have a plan yet. “Alright, what now?”

At the start of the summer of 2022, there was a plan (or maybe it was a joke) to start a new student association. The fact that Bram and Hidde were a bit hungover might have played a role in this fantasy. They noticed they had a lot of creative people around them who wanted to make and create stuff (all sorts of stuff really), but did not have a place to do so. Excitement took over and Mink enters the formula. “Mink was exactly what we needed, he was excited and ready to buckle down”, Hidde says.

Mink immediately went on the hunt for a space. The Schiehallen turned out to be a success, even though the first space they were offered was a bit small. They ended up getting ‘the ugly duckling’. It was full of garbage, but this could easily be recycled and used for projects, according to the boys.

From the beginning, it was the goal to create a community. “It felt wrong that the three of us were going to decide what was going to happen with Oma, so we organised a meet up day. “Around forty people stopped by”, says Bram. “I think it were sixty!” “No man, eighty people”. Alright, for the sake of the story, a hundred people stopped by. Together, they brainstormed on the empty walls about the potential of Oma. ‘What could everyone contribute to Oma?’ and ‘what could Oma contribute to you?’ were written big on the wall. Fast forward half a year. Hidde made the first ‘Oma’ racing bicycle and Bram just surfed his first hand-made board. Well, you might not call it ‘surfing’, but the fact that there were not any waves is not his fault and at least the board floated.

For now, projects are still running in these four walls, from photography to knitting and wood working to painting. Hidde is planning on making an oak wooden desk for his new room, Mink would like a ‘Tiny Desk’-like concert and Bram wants to build his own boat. Eventually. Dream big right? With a community of 15 active members and maybe a hundred people waiting to get creative, who knows where Oma will be in a few years! 3

by Constantijn Hoctin Boes