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That is the basis

of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. We want to be open in everything that we do. Open for suggestions, open in communication, open for conversation. Sure, we have events, a calendar filled with them, actually. World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, however, is more than just events or even projects. It is about embedding design in life.

Openness.

Today, design can be found everywhere around us. In public services, in education systems, in transportation, in science, in business, in arts and culture, in sports and in policymaking to begin with. Design exists even if we don’t see it.

Design is an instrument that has helped people cope with change and progress for thousands of years. Without design, not one of the greatest civilizations in the human history would have flourished. A man would never have walked on the moon. Without design, there simply would be no roads, no airplanes, no fridges, no paperclips, no cell phones or no cities.

Our Helsinki is also an open Helsinki. For

us, openness equals transparency, curiosity,

global responsibility and innovation. We

believe that design can create happiness.

W EA R EO P E N

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Helsinki, our capital, is a vibrant, multi-cultural and internationally connected metropolitan area with

a strong design tradition, a rapidly changing urban structure and a shared vision to become the global

leader in the international field of design.

Finland is a land of thousands of designers. Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Eero Aarnio, Kaj Franck, Maija Isola, Harri Koskinen, and Tapio Wirkkala, just to mention a few, are all household names around the global design community. Design is simply a part of the Finnish way of life. Something we learn to appreciate when we are kids and carry along until we are old.

The way Helsinki functions 365 days a year

is an example of how design can improve the everyday life

of hundreds of thousands of

people. In the wintertime,

for example, Helsinki is often

packed with snow. Despite

this, the sidewalks, the tramlines and

the bus routes are kept open.

The schools, the stores, the

bars and the theatres operate normally. People

get where they are supposed to be getting.

Finland is also a country of design thinkers. When we see a problem, local or international, we will think it over. It all starts at school. The Finnish education model has become an international benchmark.

We love Helsinki. It is a fantastic place

to live and even better to explore.

Design is the key driver behind the cultural, social, economic and sustainable development of Helsinki. In fact, Helsinki itself is a city driven by design.

In the summertime,Helsinki, located

conveniently at theheart of The Baltic Sea,takes over the waves.

Private boats and public waterbuses take people

to dozens of islands located a stone’s throw off of Helsinki’s shores.

Thanks to good cityplanning, no matter

the weather, Helsinki is functioning.

F I N L A N D —S M A L L

P O P U L A T I O N B I G

D E S I G N

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Design can be beautiful. Beauty is important. But at the end of the day, design is more than desirable objects, wow-architecture, fancy clothes, stylish furniture or gadgets made of steel and glass. Design is about life.

One of the main goals of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is to draw attention on how design is embedded into ordinary life. Embedded design extends the concept of design from goods

to services and systems. That means finding solutions to people’s needs through innovative design and a user-driven perspective. Usability, sustainability and desirability. That is what we are looking for.

Design is also a feeling, a state of mind,

an attitude, something that can be found in people’s hearts and minds. Our events,

exhibitions, talks and spaces are open for you. And if you cannot make

it there in person, please meet us online.

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 consists of events and projects that

turn design into a tool for cultural, social and

economic development. Just like design itself, World Design Capital

Helsinki 2012 is literally everywhere around

us. You can find it at galleries, shops or cafes

in the Design District Helsinki. Or you can

bump into it on your way to the grocery store.

The purpose of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012, however, is not to throw a great party for a year and then say goodbye. We want to make sure that our effect will last. We shape the city not for ourselves but for our children, grandchildren and their grandchildren.

We sincerely believe that design can make

Helsinki a better place to live. Not just in 2012

or 2017 but beyond. We design for life.

E M B E D D I N GD E S I G N

I N L I F E

The theme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is Open Helsinki. We want to design not only objects but solutions. We want to create open platforms that enable people to take part in designing a better, happier, increasingly livable city. We believe in collaboration. More than anything, World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is a platform for various participants.

Everything we do is a result of cooperation.

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is

cooperation between five metropolitan area cities: Helsinki, Espoo,

Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti.

The visual identity of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is built around the idea of openness.The elements of our visual identity have been drawn by people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. Therefore, the identity is similar to World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 itself. It changes and evolves depending on the time and medium, and it is never 100 percent complete.

We also have

great support from the Finnish government and the ministries as well as foundations. Not to mention the Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and the Institute of Design of Lahti, the leading educational institutions in the region.

Design is becoming more and more important for

businesses worldwide as they strive to stay

competitive. Our corporate partners are enhancing their design knowhow and learning to execute projects and

collaborate with each other more effectively. World Design Capital

Helsinki 2012 could not exist without our

corporate partners.

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W O R L D D E S I G N C A P I T A L H E L S I N K I 2 0 1 2And last but not least,

there are the people. Dozens of NGOs, small

teams, organizations, families, and ordinary

citizens willing to work with us. Men and women

and boys and girls who have sent us more than

one thousand programme proposals, participated

in our Idea Forums or posed as models for our

photographs.

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H E L S I N K I M E T R O P O L I T A NA R E A

O N E S H A R E D

V I S I O N

HEL SINKISometimes referred toas “the smallest big cityin the world”, Helsinki is a place where everything good - and by everything, we mean everything - is just around the corner.

L AHTIEasily reachable by train,Lahti is not only famousfor the Wood ArchitecturePark and the Sibelius Hall, but also the home of the Institute of Design, oneof the mostprestigiousdesign schoolsin Finland.

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is a joint

venture between the cities of Helsinki, Espoo,

Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti. Together,

these cities make up an excellent pocket-sized metropolitan region in the design district of Southern Finland.

ESPOOHome to Nokia, AlanWake, Angry Birdsand the main campusof the Aalto University. Espoo is a bicycle ride away from Helsinki city centre.

VANTA AHome to the HeurekaScience Center andHelsinki Airport, Vantaa is our port to therest of the world.

K AUNIAINENPopulation 8,600, located15 kilometres west ofHelsinki. With its100-year-old villasKauniainen is a perfect day trip destination to anyone interested in traditional Finnish small town life.

We are confident that World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 will be a fantastic chain of events, projects and ideas. Even more, we believe that all the openness and cooperation between different organizations will continue after the year 2012 and eventually result in something totally new but equally exiting. That should be our legacy.

There was a time when Helsinki was considered as a distant place at the edge of the universe. Today, Helsinki is a known link between the East and the West. The closest destination from Europe on the way to Asia. And a halfway stop between North America and Asia.

We like where we are. We love what we are. We are excited about what we will become in the future. We love Helsinki and we love our visitors. Welcome.

WORL D DESIGN CAPITAL

The World Design Capital® (WDC) designation is a biennial city promotion project that celebrates the accomplishments of cities that have used design as a tool to reinvent themselves and improve social, cultural and economic life.

www.worlddesigncapital.com

PA R TNERS

Main corporate partners

ICSID IDA

The World Design Capital is an initiative of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), a non-profit organisation that protects and promotes the interests of the profession of industrial design.

Founded in 1957, Icsid serves as a unified voice of over 50 nations through which members can express their views and be heard on an international platform. Since its inception, Icsid has continued to develop its wide-reaching network of students and professionals devoted to the recognition, success and growth of the industrial design community.

Together, professional associations, promotional societies, educational institutions, government bodies and corporations create a comprehensive and diverse system on the forefront of industrial design education and progress.

www.icsid.org

In cooperation with

Corporate partners

GE T IN TOUCH

World Design Capital Helsinki 2012Aleksanterinkatu 16–18 P.O.BOX 2012FI-00099 City of HelsinkiFinland

info@wdchelsinki2012.fiwww.wdchelsinki2012.fi

W HERE IS HEL SINKI?

© World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

Photography by Valtteri Hirvonen / Eriksson & Company (if not otherwise specified)

Design by Kokoro & Moi

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