feature :: the law of jante

This article was published 12 years

I’m sharing some of my favourite 2014 posts throughout December – this one was actually inspired by the interview with Petter that I shared on Tuesday…

As I typed the pleasingly alliterative phrase ‘Danish design duo’ for the umpteenth time, it struck me how often I’ve met Scandinavian designers working in pairs or teams, versus their Southern counterparts who tend to work alone.

The law of Jante – Janteloven in Danish and Norwegian and Jantelagen in Swedish – describes the Scandinavian culture of prioritising the collective over the individual. It was first documented in Aksel Sandemose’s 1933 novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks, though the author insisted he was merely describing social norms that had been part of the psyche for centuries.

The law of Jante states:
1. You’re not to think you are anything special.
2. You’re not to think you are as good as we are.
3. You’re not to think you are smarter than we are.
4. You’re not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.
5. You’re not to think you know more than we do.
6. You’re not to think you are more important than we are.
7. You’re not to think you are good at anything.
8. You’re not to laugh at us.
9. You’re not to think anyone cares about you.
10. You’re not to think you can teach us anything.

To British eyes, where individual achievement is highly respected, it seems alien and even cruel, but I wondered to what extent it affects Scandinavian design. Does a lack of ego lead to better design, or is Jante holding back would-be stars?

I spoke to Swedish graphic design studio PJADAD (aka Anton Wigbrand, Oskar Svensson and Petter Johansson Kukacka, who described their joint response as “an action of Jante in itself”); Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen, designer for Danish brand Menu; Norwegian designer Vibeke Skar; and Tortus Copenhagen’s master potter Eric Landon, an American who studied, and now lives and works, in Denmark.

Everybody agreed that Jante has benefits for designers and for the products they create.

Eric said, “Janteloven encourages me to seek social or collective relevance for whatever I create. True Danish design is not based on the material needs of the individual that differentiate us, but on the functional needs that bond us together. Janteloven reminds us that the motivation for achievement should be the common good.

Vibeke said, “Janteloven tells us that we are all equal and no one is more important than anyone else. It’s very important in our culture – it’s in how we think and act, so Norwegians are very good at collaboration. A collaborative approach to design has so many benefits. You don’t stand out as a person, but as a group: ‘together we are stronger.’”

However, Jante can also get in the way of entrepreneurialism, originality and even self-confidence.

“Statistically, Denmark is one of the worst countries in the world for entrepreneurialism,” said Eric. “Entrepreneurialism requires competitiveness. Janteloven means that Danes often lack the competitive drive and self-belief necessary to start and maintain unique businesses. This is the biggest challenge facing young Danish designers today.”

Jonas added, “Jante definitely holds Scandinavian designers back. Believing firmly in what you do is crucial to success.”

While PJADAD said, “Jantealgen creates well thought-out and well crafted design, but it rarely drives fresh thinking. If you want to achieve great success, you have to explore the unknown.”

So is Jante in danger dying out?

“In rural areas of Denmark, Janteloven is more integrated in the culture than in central Copenhagen,” said Jonas. “But in relation to Southern cultures, it still plays a role. I think young designers are more global in outlook so it’s becoming less influential, which is a good thing.”

Eric said, “As Denmark drifts further away from its socialist past, the gaps that arise in society may become so wide that Janteloven will become too irrelevant to persist.”

And finally Vibeke said, “Designers are getting better at rejecting the law of Jante and wishing each other success. The most important thing is to get Norwegian design known and well-liked – although I just caught myself looking for a word that didn’t mean too sought-after, so I guess the law of Jante will always be the little voice that reminds us of our culture.”