WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL HELSINKI: CREATIVITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
2022 marks the 10th anniversary since Helsinki was chosen as the World Design Capital 2012. During this 10-year journey, design has reached an important and enduring position as one of the core things that make up Helsinki’s own brand.
The Helsinki Oodi Central Library with a unique, impressive design.
World Design Capital
Located on the shores of the beautiful bay of Finland, Helsinki is the capital and most populous city of Finland. Helsinki and the 3 cities: Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and satellite cities form the Capital Region. This is not only a megacity, a political, educational, financial center, but also a pride of Finland in all aspects. Helsinki is one of the cities with the highest standard of living in the world. In 2011, the British magazine Monocle ranked Helsinki as the most livable city globally…
In 2012, Helsinki was awarded the title of World Design Capital. This is the starting point for recognizing the great design tradition of this city as well as widely applying design to all areas of the city in the present. The tradition of Finnish design is clearly reflected in unique architectural works such as Notre-Dame de Helsinki Cathedral, Uspenski Basilica – the largest Orthodox church in Western Europe, National Theater …
Today, creative design is seen as the breath of the city. Helsinki has a dedicated district for displaying, celebrating creative design ideas. The Design District begins at Diane Park, extending through streets such as Kaartinkaupunki, Kampi, Punavuori and Lulanlinna. There are more than 200 shops specializing in designing clothes, jewelry, shoes, tables and chairs and art galleries, restaurants, museums. All are identified by a circular label “Design District Helsinki” affixed to the glass. The Design Museum displays 75,000 artifacts, 40,000 drawings and 100,000 photographs illustrating the history of Finnish design from ancient to modern. Design Forum Finland is where one can find the work of famous designers.
Creativity is the key to success
Over the past 10 years, Helsinki has become an internationally recognized Capital of Design, a member of UNESCO’s Network of Creative Cities. UNESCO assesses that by taking a collaborative and practical approach, Helsinki uses design to improve city life. In an effort to create a better city, Helsinki calls on designers to make creative ways to focus on human needs. By this approach, Helsinki boasts that the city is growing through the creativity of its people… For Helsinki, design is a strategic tool in building an open city.
To build and grow this brand, Helsinki implemented a lot of synchronous solutions: Hire “city designers” to help the city integrate design into its services; Focus on developing a more open and transparent city…
So far, Helsinki has opened more than 1,000 datasets as open data – one of the key developments in enhancing transparency in management. In 2015, a new branding project for Helsinki was launched. This is the first project to focus on the city’s brand. The project charted Helsinki’s strengths and weaknesses and emphasized those aspects that Helsinki wants to be globally known for in the future. Thousands of people, including professionals, designers and citizens participated in this project.
In particular, the role of people is always appreciated, they are actively involved in the creative design process with pride: Creativity is the key to compete with the whole world. Children learn about design right from elementary school. Design concept contests are held regularly in all areas, from public urban space development projects to theme playgrounds… For instance, the actual subway seats are designed in collaboration with the user. Or to build a central library, the city has collected people’s ideas through the “Dream Tree”. This “dream tree” attracts more than 2,000 dreams, which is the basis for Helsinki to build the unique Helsinki Oodi Central Library. The architecture and design of its services has attracted a lot of international opinions about the library model of the future.
In 2022, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of receiving the title of World Capital Design, the city organizes a lot of activities to celebrate creative design. Especially the Helsinki Design Week event – a major design festival