FAQ - World Design Capital Helsinki 2012
The World Design Capital is an initiative of Icsid, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design, which every second year recognizes one global city for its accomplishments in utilizing design as a tool to improve social, cultural, and economic life. Icsid owns the rights to the World Design Capital trademark.
In 2012 Helsinki is the World Design Capital together with the neighbouring cities of Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti. The previous World Design Capitals have been Turin in Italy (2008) and Seoul in South Korea (2010). Cape Town, South Africa was chosen as the World Design Capital for 2014.
In 2012 Helsinki is the World Design Capital together with Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen and Lahti.
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is more than just a series of events or projects. It is about improving our cities, embedding design in life.
Our main theme is Open Helsinki – Embedding Design in Life. For us, openness equals transparency, curiosity, global responsibility, and innovation. Our vision extends the concept of design from goods to services and systems. It means finding solutions to people’s needs, for example in the public health care sector. In short, it’s about improving our cities
World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 is a joint venture of five neighbouring cities: Helsinki (595 000 inhabitants), Espoo (252 000 inhabitants), Vantaa (203 000 inhabitants), Kauniainen (8 700 inhabitants) and Lahti (102 000 inhabitants). Together these cities form the metropolitan area with over a million inhabitants.
The project has the following stakeholders:
The Finnish State: the competent ministries are the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry of Education and Culture. Besides these also other ministries, The Finnish Innovation Fund (Sitra) and The Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes) are involved.
Corporate partners: The World Design Capital 2012 is one of the largest cooperative ventures ever organised in Finland. Our main partners are: Blue1, BMW, Finavia – Helsinki Airport, Fortum, HOK-Elanto, KONE, Martela, MTV MEDIA, Nokia, Sanoma Magazines Finland, UPM, Viking Line. Our partners are: Clear Channel, Deloitte, Fjord, Hasan & Partners, IBM, Iittala, Lapin Kulta, Paulig, Stockmann.
Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences: Aalto University and University of Helsinki. Also Universities of Applied Sciences located both in the Helsinki metropolitain area and in Lahti.
Design Organisations: Design Forum Finland, The Finnish Association of Designers (Ornamo), Association of Professional Graphic Designers in Finland (Grafia), and Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA).
Foundations: Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.
You can find information from these pages, on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Vimeo. Please also download our mobile application.
To receive more information subscribe to our monthly newsletter and receive it via email. The newsletter is published in three languages (Finnish, Swedish, English).
For media and stakeholders we have a material bank and an online shop with marketing material.
The Design 2012 magazine is available for free at our events and from distribution points in Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa and Lahti. In Helsinki the Design 2012 magazine is available from Akateeminen kirjakauppa (bookstore) and the Design Museum. The Design 2012 magazine has 84 pages and is published in two languages (Finnish, Swedish). Design 2012 is also available online via the Issuu platform.
Download the mobile application.
Join us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Follow us on Tumblr.
Follow us on Vimeo.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
Go to our material bank.
The WDC 2012 Mobile Application is a comprehensive guide to WDC Helsinki 2012 and the activities taking place during the year. The app includes the programme, and is a guide to exhibitions, workshops and events. It allows you to save your favourites, comment on design and makes it easy to find event locations. The WDC 2012 mobile application is available for most smartphones on the market.
The phrase Embedding Design in Life highlights the new roles of design. From taking the end user into consideration in the early design development stages, to paying attention to the role and possibilities of design in the development of services and structures.
The budget for the entire World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project for 2010-2013 is approximately €16 million. The five cities involved together fund the joint venture with €6 million.
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy and Ministry of Education and Culture together fund the project with €5 million. Our corporate partners and the foundations involved fund the project with €5 million.
The budget for WDC Helsinki 2012 for 2010-2013 is divided as follows: Programme and content expenses €7 million. Communication and marketing expenses €5 million. Organisational and other expenses €4 million.
The funding covers functional expenses, such as producing the main events, and, moreover, the communication, marketing and organisational expenses of the joint venture.
The events and projects related to WDC Helsinki 2012 have their independent budgets and the varying input by corporations, public administration, citizens and other players is not reflected in our budget. Thus, the entire financial scope of WDC Helsinki 2012 is going to exceed €50 million.
The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project is executed and managed by the International Design Foundation founded specifically for this purpose.
The World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 project is executed and managed by the International Design Foundation. The foundation has its headquarters in central Helsinki and it collects, promotes and coordinates the aims, functions and the entire programme of WDC Helsinki 2012 . The Executive Director of the foundation is Pekka Timonen.
The board of the International Design Foundation is responsible for the appropriate organising of the foundation, manages the foundation funds and decides on the foundation’s operating principles. The board of the foundation is chaired by Tero Vähäkylä
In addition to the board, the foundation has a committee supporting its work chaired by Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.
