Johanna Augustin, CEO of Pond Design., based in Stockholm, works with the likes of Absolut, Jameson, Oddly Good and Korshags.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Spending time with my daughters – Gen Alpha in the wild! Watching them grow into their own people, teaching me new trends, makeup and music I’d never find alone, is something else entirely.
A few weeks ago, my husband was away and the three of us had a whole city day – matcha, little stores, wandering around Stockholm – and I was completely part of their gang! I had to pinch myself. Seeing Stockholm and seeing the world through their eyes is something I love doing.
From a work perspective, I love when we sit as a team at Pond Design. The whole team in the room, with different backgrounds and specialisms all bouncing a story, problem, or a challenge until something begins to take shape. It’s not a single moment, but a feeling and a process. Even after 16 years at Pond Design, I can walk in on a random rainy Tuesday in November with genuine anticipation. It never gets old, but it’s not a one-person show. It’s the collective high of nailing it, coming out of a great meeting and knowing you got there together as a team. I couldn’t live without it.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
Growing up, my friend’s mum had an extraordinary wardrobe, and she was generous enough to let us loose in it. We’d try costume jewellery, hats, scarves, things that made no sense together but somehow made perfect sense to us. We were being super creative, playing with different personalities and styles. I didn’t know it then, but that’s exactly what I do now – just with brands and packaging instead of borrowed clothes.
What is your biggest regret?
I have a few, and unfortunately, I’m one of those people who dwells. I’m working on being more constructive about it, but I always take hard learnings from these experiences.
Studying economics felt like the wrong decision for a long time; I should have been doing something creative from the start. But that experience gives me an interesting point of view on creativity which I’d never have had otherwise.
And three years of Latin at high school – every week sitting there thinking, to what end? Turns out, alongside French, Italian, Swedish and English, it gives me a feel for language, naming and tonality in branding. The history of packaging design actually starts in the Etruscan era, before the Romans, before the Latin. So, it seems I was secretly doing homework on packaging design all along, I just didn’t know it yet!
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
I’ve been through a couple, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but truthfully, I also would. It’s a horrible experience, but coming out on the other side is what made me recognize the right person when I found them. Meeting my husband made every past heartbreak worth it, and even after all these years, I know he is genuinely my soulmate.
What makes you cry?
A lot of things, honestly. Happy things like watching my daughters get through an exam or a theatre performance. A great film, music, beautiful literature. I just finished a book by Karolina Ramqvist, a Swedish author I love. It’s a doomed love story about her falling in love for the first time, being in her 20s, travelling and experiences through music and it’s devastatingly good.
And Arsenal, apparently. I don’t even like football but my husband (who is a bit of an anglophile), and my daughters are big fans. ‘North London Forever’ makes me cry because I just think of my family. For his 50th birthday we are taking him to his first match in London and I’m sure I’ll cry there too.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Too short. I am significantly better at lingering on my mistakes than celebrating my wins, which is very stupid – but I’m working on it. On the positive side: I will never be a fat cat!
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Yes, because I’m much more a visionary and dreamer than a pragmatist. I grew up surrounded by ghost stories from various aunts and uncles, and I believe the world is more magical than it appears. So yes, I do believe in an afterlife.
What do you hate most about yourself?
My perfectionism (although I also love it). My laziness when it comes to regular sports and activities, and the fact I still haven’t said yes to getting a daschund. The whole family wants one, but I know I’ll end up being responsible for it, and I hate that I’m still saying, ‘not yet’.
What do you love most about yourself?
My curiosity and my warmth. I genuinely care about people and seem to bring out the best in them in a collaborative way – which is at the heart of how Pond Design works as a studio. I also love and enjoy my grit. I don’t give up, never settle, and always push for the right solution in life and work.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
You can’t beat a Swedish sandwich known as smörgås: rye bread (proper, dense, REAL rye bread), thinly grated cheese, cucumber and butter. We Swedes take our bread culture seriously. I’ve lived in many places around the world, and a Swedish sandwich is always the thing I come back longing for. That being said, my husband makes a Sichuan-style dish with egg, tomato and noodles that is essentially a Chinese bolognese, which gives smörgås a real run for its money!
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