Krzysztof Bogomaz, designer, Sencity.AI
Designing sustainable solutions in Poland
The collaboration between designers and business has been an ongoing lesson for three decades. As Krzysztof Bogomaz says, instead of overwhelming entrepreneurs with grand visions, it is more effective to take small steps. Organizational culture proves to be the key – it determines whether innovation and sustainable design will find a real place in the company.
We live on the run. Both of us. Each of us is on the go, involved in both our work and family life. We like what we do, and we rarely see each other in person. So when Krakow comes to Szczecin, it's only when there's a good reason for it.
This time, I invited Krzysiek to a workshop on sustainable design for businesses operating in the electrical and electronics sector. He dropped in for a day. He conducted the workshop and told the participants about six strategies for implementing a sustainable approach to product design that can be introduced today. And in the evening, he was already home with his family.
Before he returned, we had thirty minutes to meet for coffee. We had ambitions for a podcast (laughter), but an analog conversation proved to be sufficiently energizing for us.
We hope that our meeting will enrich the design community in Poland, our students whom we educate at art colleges, and the entrepreneurs who have placed their trust in us and with whom we have the pleasure of working on a daily basis.
Magdalena Małachowska: In November 2024, I attended the final of the Good Design competition (at the Institute of Industrial Design, IWP – ed.), where a debate was held on the cooperation between entrepreneurs and designers. From that conversation, I concluded that business still needs to learn why it should hire designers. This joint learning process has been going on for thirty years. And then I had this thought – we already know a lot. Isn't it time to admit that things are good and can only get better? It's like realizing that Poland is already a developed country, not a developing one. This gave rise to my first question to you: what else do we need to realize and learn in designer-entrepreneur cooperation in the third decade of the 21st century?
Krzysztof Bogomaz: A quick reflection: isn't it the case that we designers want to teach business too much? We have knowledge, experience, certain ideas. When we talk about the circular economy, for example, we want entrepreneurs to understand and implement everything at once. But this can be too overwhelming for them.
It reminds me a little of raising children. We, as parents, really want to explain something, clarify it, and preferably give an example. It's similar with entrepreneurs – instead of overwhelming them with grand visions, maybe it's better to start with small steps? If they see that something small works, they will dare to make bigger changes.
Designers are taught to think in big concepts and act with panache. They have a desire to “save the world,” but often this is simply too much for business. Entrepreneurs want to make money, they can't afford losses because they risk losing their market position. They face a lot of challenges: legislative, technological, competitive, etc. And we add to that with innovations that require them to make business changes, often 180 degrees.
It seems to me that when you talk about “teaching business,” that's the problem-we want to teach them too much at once.
Today you are in Szczecin and you led a workshop on sustainable product design for the market. You said something interesting there: the effectiveness of implementing sustainable solutions in business depends on the organizational culture of the company.
Exactly. It's about how open and ready for change the organizational culture is – does it allow the designer to bring a “breath of fresh air,” new energy, ideas, and a new perspective on reality to the company?
From my experience at Ergodesign, I can see that every company has its own unique organizational culture. It may look different in different areas, but the key is the approach to innovation and readiness for change. What is also important is what can be called human-centered design – that is, placing the user at the center as the criterion for evaluating the success of a project.
What do I mean? Today, we all know examples of companies that have achieved success thanks to this approach – Apple, Tesla, Dyson. These are companies that put the user at the center, and technology, although crucial, always serves their needs. It's about convenience, simplicity, and creating positive experiences. Entrepreneurs are recognizing these patterns, and many of them are starting to think in a similar way – that innovation is more than just competing on price or winning tenders.
But this is not the standard in every company operating today. Many companies still operate according to the old model – that is, they are suppliers to larger players such as IKEA or other multinational corporations. This means that they do not build their own culture of innovation, because their main goal is to meet the requirements of a larger customer. And yet, building an organizational culture is a conscious effort that a company must undertake.
Today, the workshops were attended by companies that sent their employees to gain new knowledge. If they return to their organizations and start introducing changes – even if there are only three people – there is already a chance to make a real difference.
Do industry and company size matter when it comes to organizational culture? Large corporations have this element of business management built into their structure-they employ people responsible for this area, plan development and the quality of life within the organization. Small and medium-sized enterprises, on the other hand, do not always have such resources, and their organizational culture can be chaotic. Does it matter who you design for?
Enormous. I have had both positive and negative experiences in SMEs and corporations alike.
There were corporations where it was practically impossible to introduce any change or innovation. But there were also those where I met people with enormous energy for action. I remember the workshops I conducted for Microsoft (prepared by IWP – ed.). Among the participants were five people who were extremely open to innovation and the implementation of service design and design thinking. They were genuinely ready to take action, and I knew that with the tools I offered them, they would do something valuable because there was room for it in their organization.
On the other hand, I also worked with corporations where this willingness was completely lacking. People were trained, but they returned to work and couldn't change anything because they were just “cogs in a big machine.”
The situation is similar with small companies. I came across some that were established immediately after the political transformation and were undergoing a generational change. Sometimes the founders themselves were open to innovation and passed this attitude on to the next generation. But there were also companies where the prevailing principle was: let's do things the old way, only a little nicer, a little better. Some used EU funding for design, seeing it as a real opportunity for development, while others treated it only as an opportunity to obtain funds – without a long-term strategy.
At Ergodesign, we learned a lot while working on design audits. We saw companies that had the same funding and opportunities – some were able to make great use of them, developed, built competencies and sensitivity to well-designed products, while others simply accepted the funding and that was it.
Do you see any regional differences? Do companies have different approaches depending on the region of Poland? Are there places where entrepreneurs are more courageous in using design as a driving force for their business?
I don't have a clear picture, but most of the design strategies we implemented were in Eastern Poland – that's where the funding was available. On the other hand, most of our cooperation with corporations involved companies from Warsaw and Krakow.
In fact, in my opinion, regardless of the region – whether it was a company from Szczecin, Warsaw, or Rzeszów – you could find both organizations open to change and those that were conservative in their approach.
I think that if we conducted more extensive research, we would be able to see certain correlations. However, in my experience, the most important factor is who manages the company and how willing and open they are to change.
So who is open to business transformation? Today we are talking about sustainable design and product development. Tell me: what qualities should an organization leader have in order to truly implement this perspective?
It is difficult for me to give specific examples because I have not had the opportunity to work with companies that have undergone a generational change in leadership. However, I know that at Wiśniowski (garage doors and gates – ed.), for example, the founder's daughter took over the management and introduced innovative solutions with great energy. The younger generation has a slightly different sensibility, can bring a more balanced approach to business, and be open to innovation. It is no longer just about the struggle for survival, but about searching for new values, researching trends, and observing changes. Currently, Poland is undergoing a period of intense succession – entrepreneurs who started their businesses thirty years ago are handing them over to their children. In the long term, we will see how effective the changes introduced, including sustainable design, will prove to be.
What skills should a designer have in relation to these changes? What can they do today to implement responsible and sustainable solutions in business tomorrow?
It seems to me that the requirements are becoming increasingly complex. When I was a student, the master-apprentice model prevailed – there were recognized specialists who taught specific fields: poster design, product design, or alternative design. Today, we have access to artificial intelligence, countless courses, and tools. The master is no longer someone who “knows everything,” but someone who acts as a mentor and coach.
However, I still believe that three qualities are key:
inquisitiveness – the need for a deep understanding of problems and their context;
the ability to synthesize – the ability to efficiently organize and simplify complex sets of information;
openness – the ability to listen actively, openness to change, willingness to learn.
My doctoral thesis supervisor, Jurek (Prof. Jerzy Ginalski – ed.), was an inspiration to me in this regard. At over ninety years of age, he still followed new trends and discussed with me the service design that I described in my dissertation. He was not only able to understand the subject, but also give examples of how this approach was implemented in business. It was impressive to remain so open to the world at such an advanced age.
Give a few examples of methods – or tools – that a designer should know.
On a technical level, it is of course important to be able to use design support programs such as Photoshop, SolidWorks, or KeyShot. But it is crucial not to become dependent on tools. A designer who focuses only on mastering one program may miss out on technological changes. Just as in the past, people who worked exclusively with one technique, for example, a drawing board, could lose their jobs when new solutions appeared.
Today, I see fears among students that artificial intelligence will take away their jobs. No, it won't. It will only change the role of the designer – there will be less of a craftsman and more of a facilitator and curator. The ability to evaluate and make decisions will become crucial: does the solution generated by AI make sense, is it appropriate for the given context?
What can an entrepreneur expect from a designer?
An entrepreneur who is undergoing succession or changing their business model often faces a wall – they know they have to change something for the company to survive. What can a designer offer them?
Designers are excellent navigators in the maze of different competencies and decisions. They help to understand user needs, changing consumer preferences, the contexts of the circular economy, and technological innovations. Contrary to appearances, this is not something that can be replaced by an algorithm.
A product – whether physical or digital – does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a system, a multisensory experience. Designers will continue to be key in this process as those who can combine different perspectives and make informed decisions.
-
The meeting and workshop Sustainable Product Design and Development Strategies, led by Dr. Krzysztof Bogomaz, took place on January 17, 2025, thanks to the support of the Circotronic project, co-financed by the EU's Interreg Central Europe Program.
This time, I invited Krzysiek to a workshop on sustainable design for businesses operating in the electrical and electronics sector. He dropped in for a day. He conducted the workshop and told the participants about six strategies for implementing a sustainable approach to product design that can be introduced today. And in the evening, he was already home with his family.
Before he returned, we had thirty minutes to meet for coffee. We had ambitions for a podcast (laughter), but an analog conversation proved to be sufficiently energizing for us.
We hope that our meeting will enrich the design community in Poland, our students whom we educate at art colleges, and the entrepreneurs who have placed their trust in us and with whom we have the pleasure of working on a daily basis.
Magdalena Małachowska: In November 2024, I attended the final of the Good Design competition (at the Institute of Industrial Design, IWP – ed.), where a debate was held on the cooperation between entrepreneurs and designers. From that conversation, I concluded that business still needs to learn why it should hire designers. This joint learning process has been going on for thirty years. And then I had this thought – we already know a lot. Isn't it time to admit that things are good and can only get better? It's like realizing that Poland is already a developed country, not a developing one. This gave rise to my first question to you: what else do we need to realize and learn in designer-entrepreneur cooperation in the third decade of the 21st century?
Krzysztof Bogomaz: A quick reflection: isn't it the case that we designers want to teach business too much? We have knowledge, experience, certain ideas. When we talk about the circular economy, for example, we want entrepreneurs to understand and implement everything at once. But this can be too overwhelming for them.
It reminds me a little of raising children. We, as parents, really want to explain something, clarify it, and preferably give an example. It's similar with entrepreneurs – instead of overwhelming them with grand visions, maybe it's better to start with small steps? If they see that something small works, they will dare to make bigger changes.
Designers are taught to think in big concepts and act with panache. They have a desire to “save the world,” but often this is simply too much for business. Entrepreneurs want to make money, they can't afford losses because they risk losing their market position. They face a lot of challenges: legislative, technological, competitive, etc. And we add to that with innovations that require them to make business changes, often 180 degrees.
It seems to me that when you talk about “teaching business,” that's the problem-we want to teach them too much at once.
Today you are in Szczecin and you led a workshop on sustainable product design for the market. You said something interesting there: the effectiveness of implementing sustainable solutions in business depends on the organizational culture of the company.
Exactly. It's about how open and ready for change the organizational culture is – does it allow the designer to bring a “breath of fresh air,” new energy, ideas, and a new perspective on reality to the company?
From my experience at Ergodesign, I can see that every company has its own unique organizational culture. It may look different in different areas, but the key is the approach to innovation and readiness for change. What is also important is what can be called human-centered design – that is, placing the user at the center as the criterion for evaluating the success of a project.
What do I mean? Today, we all know examples of companies that have achieved success thanks to this approach – Apple, Tesla, Dyson. These are companies that put the user at the center, and technology, although crucial, always serves their needs. It's about convenience, simplicity, and creating positive experiences. Entrepreneurs are recognizing these patterns, and many of them are starting to think in a similar way – that innovation is more than just competing on price or winning tenders.
But this is not the standard in every company operating today. Many companies still operate according to the old model – that is, they are suppliers to larger players such as IKEA or other multinational corporations. This means that they do not build their own culture of innovation, because their main goal is to meet the requirements of a larger customer. And yet, building an organizational culture is a conscious effort that a company must undertake.
Today, the workshops were attended by companies that sent their employees to gain new knowledge. If they return to their organizations and start introducing changes – even if there are only three people – there is already a chance to make a real difference.
Do industry and company size matter when it comes to organizational culture? Large corporations have this element of business management built into their structure-they employ people responsible for this area, plan development and the quality of life within the organization. Small and medium-sized enterprises, on the other hand, do not always have such resources, and their organizational culture can be chaotic. Does it matter who you design for?
Enormous. I have had both positive and negative experiences in SMEs and corporations alike.
There were corporations where it was practically impossible to introduce any change or innovation. But there were also those where I met people with enormous energy for action. I remember the workshops I conducted for Microsoft (prepared by IWP – ed.). Among the participants were five people who were extremely open to innovation and the implementation of service design and design thinking. They were genuinely ready to take action, and I knew that with the tools I offered them, they would do something valuable because there was room for it in their organization.
On the other hand, I also worked with corporations where this willingness was completely lacking. People were trained, but they returned to work and couldn't change anything because they were just “cogs in a big machine.”
The situation is similar with small companies. I came across some that were established immediately after the political transformation and were undergoing a generational change. Sometimes the founders themselves were open to innovation and passed this attitude on to the next generation. But there were also companies where the prevailing principle was: let's do things the old way, only a little nicer, a little better. Some used EU funding for design, seeing it as a real opportunity for development, while others treated it only as an opportunity to obtain funds – without a long-term strategy.
At Ergodesign, we learned a lot while working on design audits. We saw companies that had the same funding and opportunities – some were able to make great use of them, developed, built competencies and sensitivity to well-designed products, while others simply accepted the funding and that was it.
Do you see any regional differences? Do companies have different approaches depending on the region of Poland? Are there places where entrepreneurs are more courageous in using design as a driving force for their business?
I don't have a clear picture, but most of the design strategies we implemented were in Eastern Poland – that's where the funding was available. On the other hand, most of our cooperation with corporations involved companies from Warsaw and Krakow.
In fact, in my opinion, regardless of the region – whether it was a company from Szczecin, Warsaw, or Rzeszów – you could find both organizations open to change and those that were conservative in their approach.
I think that if we conducted more extensive research, we would be able to see certain correlations. However, in my experience, the most important factor is who manages the company and how willing and open they are to change.
So who is open to business transformation? Today we are talking about sustainable design and product development. Tell me: what qualities should an organization leader have in order to truly implement this perspective?
It is difficult for me to give specific examples because I have not had the opportunity to work with companies that have undergone a generational change in leadership. However, I know that at Wiśniowski (garage doors and gates – ed.), for example, the founder's daughter took over the management and introduced innovative solutions with great energy. The younger generation has a slightly different sensibility, can bring a more balanced approach to business, and be open to innovation. It is no longer just about the struggle for survival, but about searching for new values, researching trends, and observing changes. Currently, Poland is undergoing a period of intense succession – entrepreneurs who started their businesses thirty years ago are handing them over to their children. In the long term, we will see how effective the changes introduced, including sustainable design, will prove to be.
What skills should a designer have in relation to these changes? What can they do today to implement responsible and sustainable solutions in business tomorrow?
It seems to me that the requirements are becoming increasingly complex. When I was a student, the master-apprentice model prevailed – there were recognized specialists who taught specific fields: poster design, product design, or alternative design. Today, we have access to artificial intelligence, countless courses, and tools. The master is no longer someone who “knows everything,” but someone who acts as a mentor and coach.
However, I still believe that three qualities are key:
inquisitiveness – the need for a deep understanding of problems and their context;
the ability to synthesize – the ability to efficiently organize and simplify complex sets of information;
openness – the ability to listen actively, openness to change, willingness to learn.
My doctoral thesis supervisor, Jurek (Prof. Jerzy Ginalski – ed.), was an inspiration to me in this regard. At over ninety years of age, he still followed new trends and discussed with me the service design that I described in my dissertation. He was not only able to understand the subject, but also give examples of how this approach was implemented in business. It was impressive to remain so open to the world at such an advanced age.
Give a few examples of methods – or tools – that a designer should know.
On a technical level, it is of course important to be able to use design support programs such as Photoshop, SolidWorks, or KeyShot. But it is crucial not to become dependent on tools. A designer who focuses only on mastering one program may miss out on technological changes. Just as in the past, people who worked exclusively with one technique, for example, a drawing board, could lose their jobs when new solutions appeared.
Today, I see fears among students that artificial intelligence will take away their jobs. No, it won't. It will only change the role of the designer – there will be less of a craftsman and more of a facilitator and curator. The ability to evaluate and make decisions will become crucial: does the solution generated by AI make sense, is it appropriate for the given context?
What can an entrepreneur expect from a designer?
An entrepreneur who is undergoing succession or changing their business model often faces a wall – they know they have to change something for the company to survive. What can a designer offer them?
Designers are excellent navigators in the maze of different competencies and decisions. They help to understand user needs, changing consumer preferences, the contexts of the circular economy, and technological innovations. Contrary to appearances, this is not something that can be replaced by an algorithm.
A product – whether physical or digital – does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a system, a multisensory experience. Designers will continue to be key in this process as those who can combine different perspectives and make informed decisions.
-
The meeting and workshop Sustainable Product Design and Development Strategies, led by Dr. Krzysztof Bogomaz, took place on January 17, 2025, thanks to the support of the Circotronic project, co-financed by the EU's Interreg Central Europe Program.
