Finnish Design Info is a fairly new organisation aiming to get people to understand even better what design is today — and, moving forward, take the conversation around what it can be to a new level.
— When you normally ask people here what design is, he says, they come up with Alvar Aalto, Kaj Franck, Vuokko Nurmesniemi, and other great names from the 1950s and 1960s, or a little later on. It usually comes down to objects and physical things. The core purpose of Finnish Design Info is to update that. Today, design is so much broader, it covers all areas of life, whether it’s the physical world, the virtual world, or the digital worlds that we now live in as well. This transformative power of design is so important to understand.
— We live in an age where our societies are changing phenomenally, and quickly. This might be the fifth industrial revolution that we’re living in. If you think ten years back, what has happened in the past decade? At least that will happen in the next ten years. Or, most likely, the double of it.
— We also live in an age where our lives and our ways of consuming and producing things are not within the planetary boundaries. We need to change our ways of working and producing things, and design is a powerful tool to change that.
— I like the way Aalto University talks about ’radical creativity.’ The core idea of radical creativity is to bring creativity and creative thinking into the equation in order to create new solutions, not to just improve on what we have. It’s about bringing creativity and cross-disciplinary perspectives into processes, the way we work, and how we do it, whether it’s in governmental structures and decision-making or in organisations and companies — and how to make products and services. It’s a very, very big change and it’s difficult to get people to understand the depth of the change that we are facing. That’s why our role is key and integral in raising awareness of the importance of design and how design as a user-oriented and user-centred practice looks at different things, how they affect us users, and how they are the most usable for us.
— It’s a long journey, and we’re in the very early stages of our work, but now is the right time to change people’s perceptions of design, architecture, and other creative fields, shaping our world to be more sustainable — ecologically, socially, environmentally, and economically.
How well prepared is the Finnish design industry for this transformation?
— Some parts of society and some organisations are more well prepared. But I think everybody is starting to understand that this change is not a question if you want to or don’t want to but when you do it. The sooner you do it the better, in order to be prepared for the changes. These changes are fundamental and they’re coming fast — hopefully, we can help with the understanding of the change.
It might be obvious to many but can you describe this change? What’s required?
— The multilayered crisis — or wicked problems — we have demand changes. For example, people are very conscious of how and where products are made and they make decisions based on that information. What if in a few years time, products need to list their carbon footprint or energy consumption needed to make the product? Are companies ready for this? Some are, but not many enough. The market is changing because regulations and end users of products are pushing for a change. The companies that are at the forefront of this change will have a head start. I would hope that every company is, or should be, thinking of how they can make the changes needed in order to answer the demands of the changing market.
— Change is the only constant. The question is whether you embrace the change and plan and design for the future, or you struggle to keep things as they are. For me, the ’keep things as they are’ is not a solid plan and will only lead to struggle and failure.
— I like the famous quote by Henry Ford in the development of the model T: ’If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’ For me, the quote raises the question: are you in the business that slows the harmful change? Or are you in the business that helps create the positive change?
”Are you in the business that slows the harmful change? Or are you in the business that helps create the positive change?”
More in general, how is Finnish design doing in 2024?
— Quite well, I think. It’s less and less about products and physical things and much, much more about immaterial and digital things. It’s also about improving ways of how we work, whether it’s design for government practices or how we embed design thinking into the existing processes in companies, organisations, or public services.
— When Helsinki was the World Design Capital in 2012 and the city hired a Chief Design Officer as the first city in the world was a very important moment in time of understanding that we need that design understanding also in the big social organisations and structures.
Speaking of Helsinki, you’re also a part of the new Design Museum, which now sees exciting progress. What’s the latest?
— Yes, The AD Museum project is going forward fantastically, and the design competition for the new building is on at the moment. The first phase was completed in August, with 624 entries, and now a short list of 3-5 entries will be selected for the next round. The final winning entry will be published in August of 2025.
You mentioned an increased focus on a user-centred perspective, changing the conversation to be less about product launches and more about a deeper discussion on design. Can Finland become a leader in that field?
— I hope so. For a very long time, Finnish design has been quite practical with the ’form follows function’ built into our design and design education. Finland is a fairly small country with a strong infrastructure and public sector, which has helped us to shape our design culture to be user- and usability-centered. I hope Finland can lead in that field, but of course, I hope that other countries will do the same. It is really the only way; if our services or structures are not user-oriented, we are spending money and energy in the wrong places, Savolainen states. He continues:
— The changes that we are facing as humans and planetary beings are so fundamental and we need to understand that we need to redesign our ways of consumption and production. How we can use design to change those processes and our narrative in that is crucial and important. One key element is that all of us need to better understand the value of the creative practices, whether it’s architecture, design, or other creative practices and get those tools of design and design thinking to everybody’s availability. I think it should be taught in schools about design thinking and how you can do things a little bit differently; use empathy and curiosity to redesign and reimagine the futures that we could have.
It’s about time to move away from just being ’sustainable.’
— Exactly. We need to move forward. We focus on being carbon neutral and reducing our footprint but we should be thinking about how we can strengthen our handprint of not only being sustainable but also repairing the damages we have done for the planet.
Strengthening the handprint?
— Your footprint is your carbon footprint, but the handprint is the positive impact that you leave. If we can improve and strengthen the positive impact that we have, we will be able to fix things that we have broken as humans. It’s an interesting term, not only using less natural resources but inventing new ways of getting resources — solar, nuclear, wind, or whatever it is. It’s about not only improving things that we have but inventing new ways of being more sustainable, which are needed for the future.
How can brands work with it? What are the dos and don’ts? Can it also become beneficial for them to implement it?
— As I said, if a carbon footprint calculates measures the negative effects of a product or a service, the handprint evaluates the positive impact of a product or service leaves. Although it might sound like it is the opposite of a footprint, it is actually a bit more complex. The handprint looks at the beneficial impacts that a company can achieve by offering products and or services that will reduce the footprint of others. As The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) puts it, ’a carbon handprint is the reduction of the carbon footprint of others.’
— So basically you don’t just look at your own activity, but you look broader, at how you can have a positive impact, by offering a more sustainable product that will create a positive impact on climate change.
— This is beneficial for companies — and could be a great competitive edge — because through the handprint they can have more strategic sustainability programs and goals and they can look at the market more holistically. If we think back to the changing market and its demands, I see this coming in quite soon.
— Do’s and don’ts for carbon handprint are quite simple. Don’t try greenwashing. Work with NGOs or other organisations that are working with this. We are all aiming for the same goal. Study how the handprint works, make a plan and stick to it — and bring in some radical creativity!
