These IKEA-Style Instructions May Help Trump Understand the A$AP Rocky Case

Sweden’s assault case against rapper A$AP Rocky has snowballed into an international debate. After he was arrested, it seemed like everyone turned into an armchair law professor. Even Trump has tried to personally intervene on the rapper’s behalf. But there is a big problem: the president clearly doesn’t understand how the Swedish justice system works. 

With this in mind, two Swedish creatives came up with a project to explain this in the simplest and most Swedish way they could think of: with IKEA-like instructions. On a newly-launched website, you can download a step-by-step manual and read about how Sweden doesn’t have a bail system or how their ministers can't comment about an individual case, for example. 

The Swedish team behind the project is Oscar Gierup, art director at McCann New York, and Hampus Elfström, copywriter at Forsman & Bodenfors. They first met at Berghs School of Communication and have been friends ever since. Even though they are currently based in different countries, they still work on side projects together.

“The idea came to us when Trump started to attack Sweden on Twitter,” says Oscar. “The whole thing is so bizarre that we wanted to create something that could be both funny and informative at the same time,” completes Hampus. 

A$AP Rocky was freed on Friday but is still pending a verdict in his trial, to be announced on August 14. This means that the case is still relevant and far from finished — no matter what Trump might say. Until then, the manual is available for anyone looking for an amusing yet practical guide to Sweden's criminal legal system.