Polestar is a global leader in automotive design and the leading manufacturer in Scandinavia specialising in electric cars. While Polestar’s headquarters are situated in Gothenburg, Sweden, the company has rapidly expanded its global presence, currently operating over 100 dedicated Polestar spaces worldwide. At the core of Polestar’s philosophy are technological innovation, sustainable solutions, and a commitment to progressive automotive design.
Over the course of a year and a half, Lundgren+Lindqvist has collaborated closely with Polestar’s internal team on Volume 4 in Polestar’s series of Design Books. The idea behind the series is to create a book for each of their cars, titled with a number indicating its place in the company’s production chronology. While adhering to the established brand guidelines and design frameworks from the first three volumes, this edition challenges these boundaries by taking an experimental approach to both form and structure.
Film is central to the concept of the book, merging the tangible experience of leafing through pages with the dynamic storytelling of moving images. Printed on glossy paper alluding to a screen, six narrative sections appear as breaks between the main chapters, each offering poetic glimpses that attempt to convey the car’s essence. The visual material is combined with text functioning as subtitles, immersing the reader in a cinematic journey and transporting them directly into the world of Polestar 4.
Transparency is a defining feature throughout the publication. Text pages are printed on a very thin paper stock, creating a subtle translucency that reveals hints of the content on the following pages and introduces a sense of discovery. In the image sections, overlays allow for a dialogue between images that unfold across the spreads.
The book is divided into five distinct chapters—Design, Testing, Innovation, UX, and Reveal. Each chapter includes a numerical interlude, followed by a text section featuring interviews and reflections, dedicated photographic spreads, and an image overview. For the UX chapter, the same thin paper is used to explore the layered components of the interface. When pages are overlaid, they reveal the complete screen layout in a blueprint-like composition.
Exhibiting considerable technical complexity, the publication is the result of a thorough study that guided the integration of five distinct paper stocks within the inlay, optimising a rhythmic sequence while ensuring compatibility with bookbinding methods.
The raw-edge hardcover book is wrapped in a semi-transparent dust jacket, continuing the thematic exploration of transparency evident throughout the book. The title is printed on the interior of the dust jacket in reversed orientation, becoming readable as the jacket wraps around the cover. The textured paper used for dressing the cover board is also used as endpaper, allowing for a seamless transition from cover to inlay. A bespoke, silk screened ribbon bookmark, holding a continuous repetition of the title, adds another layer of tactility.
Within its pages, the Polestar 4 book features a carefully curated selection of images sourced from Polestar’s own studio shoots, advertising campaigns, and design process archives, alongside contributions from 16 independent artists; including a series of images by Erik Gustafsson and NASA imagery. The book is a testament to the collaborative effort across multiple disciplines to narrate the stories of Polestar 4. Blurring boundaries between technical documentation and visual expression, it stands as a hybrid between an automotive publication and an art book.
Throughout the various stages of production, Lundgren+Lindqvist and Polestar maintained close collaboration with printing and bookbinding specialists By Wind and Förlagshuset Nordens Grafiska, as well as with prepress specialist Linjepunkt Repro, to ensure the highest quality in physical execution.
