We here at Werklig wish all the amazing ladies a beautiful Women's Day!

The friends of Finnish Handicrafts was created 130 years ago in response to a manifesto exhorting Finnish artists and crafts enthusiasts to cherish and develop our national heritage of crafts.

Friends & Friends opening TONIGHT! Culmination. Bringing the message of the manifesto. I heard that at least Saara Renvall has developed nice product ideas for this. I bet they all have, actually – Samples and prototypes. 

Rainy day + opening = perfect act. 

Invitation

I spent a perfect weekend in Marais with Anna Ahonen from Ahonen&Lamberg. Mini holiday. Sun was shining in Paris, we were biking and just walking around. Visiting places we love, discussing about topics we find attractive and feel passionate about. Just perfect. 

Art

We visited galleries chosen by architecture (interior) and by (known) name, not by art itself or artist as we are maybe used to. That turned out to be an inspiring concept. Surprise art. 

Weekend's palette offered among other things a very nice solo show 'Considering Henry' by Hernan Bas in Gallery Emmanuel Perrotin (Miami&Paris).  

New romanticism, inspiration from the myths and the history of art. Lone figure in exotic landscapes, either reading alone or whispering to tree.

Gallery Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris

   
Hernan Bas, Considering Henry
I liked this isolated cabin painting

Fashion 

The release of the new Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland (starring Johnny Depp) had caused Alice mania in Paris. 

Printemps had collaborated with a gang of top fashion designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander Mcqueen etc. allowing them to decorate windows, create their versions of Alice in wonderland scenes – Alice outfits and playful display designs.

Actually Alice theme was going on in-store as well. I think that Ladurée's Alice in Wonderland tea party in the basement was amazing. Sweet delicacies & tea sipping. Books, macarons in every colour (black!), and other carefully picked theme-related objects from floor to ceiling.

The tea room itself featured a mix of chess board and grass floors. The sets were so impressive (out of this world!) that after some serious discovering and admire me and Anna couldn't find our way out from the store anymore. Art spectacular.

Photo via Heute World

Photo via Heute World 

Living 

Merci concept store is a fresh alternative for Colette. Lifestyle looking. Charity business. Merci donates all of its proceeds (after breaking even) for young women in Madagascar.  

I totally crushed on these Mydraps at Merci. First cloth serviettes 100% cotton or linen, in roll and pre-cut, for single use or to be washed and used again. High quality houseware design, with various colours and formats.  

A good idea on a roll!



THE kitchen at Merci = a system to tile three dimensionally. Originally as part of the Droog Design Collection. 
     
tiled washbasin, yes please. 

Internal fruitful Werklig discussions, yesterday's Grafia's and Aalto University's 'Future of graphic design'- seminar (We went to see how brilliant minds see it!) and for example Aiga's 'defining the designer of 2015' research shows that there is a one huge hot topic over the others. And that's the most relevant and inspirational issue that lead us, too, forward:

The ways of thinking & doing, processes, defining design, defining graphic designer and the content of art and design degrees in Finland, present and in future, keep our eyes and brains busy. We want to think that our influence is important. We need to speak out. 

In addition, there is a bunch of potential customers and the public who insistently asks questions of concrete profits they can reach by means of design, questions of added value. Lots of good argumentation work is done daily by us. I'm proud of us. 

In the past few weeks, I have found Werklig and our team to be a great success, because i think that already since Werklig's first baby steps over two years ago we have been searching solutions to right kind of questions, or more correct, we have asked the right questions and the very same ultimate ideal and goal that is in every institute's and great minds' lips now leads us forward.  

"Better vision leads to better solutions" as Marco Steinberg from Sitra puts it.

Random note page

There's a new club in town! DJ's KD and Jenna will play music from disco, experimental, cosmic and old French pop to new, cold and dark waves! The club starts at Musta Kissa on Friday 26/2, 21-02.

The two of them asked me to do a visual identity and consept for their club
YÉ YÉ! The brief was to come up with something surrealistic, could it get any better than that?

The idea is to alter the surrealistic kaleidoscope-like illustration a bit each time by just changing the angles and position of the elements by creating a slightly different atmosphere for each club. I will add a new pic here for each club night.

It's free and surreal! 

YÉ YÉ poster NO 1 by Inka Järvinen

Minna Parikka asked me to do a collaboration for a silk scarf collection with her. Minna Parikka is a succesful Finnish shoe designer who sells her collections around the world. I really admire Minna's way to work and I'm happy to have the opportunity to work with such a talent. For me this is a perfect way to be creative. Making something new by combining two ways of thinking for the ambition of making something beautiful.

Photography: Nina Merikallio

Photography: Nina Merikallio

Photography: Nina Merikallio

The scarf collection was inspired by women, their beauty and some traditional silk scarf imaginary.

The collection is coming out next fall and is presented in fashion fairs in Copenhagen, Milan and Paris during this spring.

I had the honor to have some of my works published in Flashback
— A book about Retro Design in Contemporary Graphics. The book was edited by Viction:ary.

Cover of Flashback via Viction:ary

"Retro design has emerged today as designers begin to look back to the vivid 20th century and find inspirations for new graphic styles in the depressive pixel age. Some think the collective and sensational reference of the old time aesthetics is the retrieval of the lost enthusiasm for new findings and the future in the new century, others reckon it as a tribute to the prominent art and design movements between the roaring twenties and the early nineties. Taking a trip down memory lane and witnessing a bold and pronounced application of shapes, typefaces and illustration works in contemporary graphic art, Flashback unveils how the epoch persists to be an enduring spring inside modern creative studios in the well-defined sections of Geometry, Typography and Illustration."

 
One of the works published in the book: Tuli & Savu made together by Inka Järvinen &  FRÄCK

Some other Finnish contribution by: Ahonen&Lamberg, Janine Rewell, Kokoro & Moi, FRÄCK and Jonatan Eriksson 

Avoine is the first Finnish IT company to focus solely on the Finnish third sector. Avoine's existing customers include the biggest unions and associations in Finland, such as Palvelualojen ammattiliitto PAM, Pardia, Rakennusliitto, SAK, Suomen Liikunta ja Urheilu SLU, Tehy, National Coalition Party and The Finnish Social Democratic Party.

Werklig created Avoine's new visual identity, including logo, colours and typography. Main design drivers for the visual concept were openess, freshness and usability.

Werklig also assisted in creating the encapsulation of Avoine’s core marketing message. As the foundation of all communication, it’s based on the central, distinctive and enduring features of Avoine.  

Typeface by Underware 

In making the decision concerning the award 'Graphic Designer of the year', the board annually observes the various sectors of graphic design in order to take equal notice of people working in different fields.

Graphic Designer of the Year is awarded annually without applying, primarily for outstanding work noted in the field of graphic design, or any other activity that advances the level and appreciation of Finnish graphic design.

Sami Kortemäki and Underware brings typography into focus in 2010! 

In contemporary use, the practice and study of typography is very broad, covering all aspects of letter design and applications: typesetting, type design, handwriting, calligraphy, graffiti, poster design and other large scale lettering. Business communications and promotional collateral, advertising, logos, cartographic labeling (map design), kinetic typography in motion picture films and TV, component of industrial design (type on home appliances for example) or modern poetry, web pages and mobile screens. Type is everywhere. Art and technique.

Typefaces, point size, line length, line spacing, adjusting the spaces between groups of letter, adjusting the space between pairs of letters etc. In typography, text is composed to create a readable, coherent, and visually satisfying whole that works invisibly, without the awareness of the reader.

Repetition, contrast, proximity and alignment. Choice of font — prose fiction, non fiction, editorial, educational, religious, scientific, spiritual and commercial writing all have differing characteristics and requirements of appropriate typefaces and fonts. Legibility – number one concern of typeface designer, and readability, concern of the the typographer or information designer. And what about the color of the text? How does it affect? 

Above ^ Everyday life of a professional visual designer who never question the importance of every detail and choice, the power of typography.

So, At best, typography in focus means that there is actually a large large amount of all kind of proper and thinkable things in focus. Pay attension for type in 2010!

And for your own best, just drop not later than NOW all the typo associated 'high society' or geek-related hearsay. Knowing type, talking type – we simply call it no more no less than professional. 

Sources: Grafia and Wikipedia  

Erik Bruun & Tiina Latva reunion in Aalto University opening ceremony. 2007 I had honour to be part of Erik's Pro Finlandia Medal ceremony in Suomenlinna.

Opening ceremony of Aalto University took place in Finlandia Hall and Kiasma on last Friday.

The guests included foreign dignitaries, government ministers, Members of Parliament, professionals in various fields, in addition to students, professors, and staff of the university.

The speakers at the opening included, in addition to the President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, Aalto President Tuula Teeri and President of Aalto University Student Union Jussi Valtonen. The idea was to make the launch a part of the society around.

Professor Yrjö Sotamaa, the father of Aalto idea, got also finally some thanks after a darker, about 1,5 years lasting, period of shit. In a nice dialogue number in opening ceremony he had also an opportunity to enlighten some of his pioneer ideas behind Aalto.

From Finlandia Hall, the 2,500 guests walked in a procession to the nearby Museum of Contemporary Art. That was a historical moment for me. I had honour to share my moment with some very important persons in my field: Marita Sandelin, super executive manager of Grafia, Erik Bruun, 83 years, legendary artist and graphic designer, Kyösti Varis, 72 years, multitalented living legend as well (both of them most openminded, warm and youthful gentlemen and colleagues you can ever imagine), my favourite UIAH alumn intellect Heikki Rajasalo from Yatta, and Teemu Suviala from Kokoro&Moi.

As Heikki wrote me today, Helsinki is too small for us, TOO small for whole graphic design field, just to stay in one's own office and hide. You need to attend and share!  
There we all, from honoured legends to youngsters, from alumns to Grafia stuff, did one more night to remember, (again,) TOGETHER.

Night at the Museum was success too, in every way. My friend who is working at Kiasma, said that hardly ever they have had so outgoing and cheerful guests in their own openings. She was totally enjoying of her work that night. I agree; the atmosphere, natural networking and socialization reached the new level in this context. There hasn't been too many similar successful nights where the whole Aalto University-related culture crowd gather together and have so laid back and sparkly times together.

Highlights of the night:

1. Chains – Beautiful dignified moment. Designers Saara Renvall and Inni Pärnänen in the stage together with first Aalto President Tuula Teeri. Meditative minutes. ( Note: We were asked to come up with a design for the chains including designer's sketches, 'making of' documentation etc. We are working on publication right now!)   

2. Matti Vanhanen – (surprisingly) gave a very very good speech! Much better than Tarja Halonen. 

3. Night at the museum – TAIK gettogether. Nice attendance percent.  

Good Luck! All the best! Sincerely. 
Design: Rasmus Snabb