The creative agency behind the WDC Helsinki 2012 visual identity received the Graphic Designer ‘12 award

The design industry organisations Grafia and Ornamo award annual prizes to their members whose work represents interesting and high quality contemporary design. The Designers award aims to highlight the diverse visibility of the design industry in society and the economy.

The Designers ’12 exhibition with the associated publication will for the sixth time be jointly organised by Grafia and Ornamo. Ornamo's Furniture Designer of the Year award went to Tapio Anttila, the Clothes Designer of the Year award to Freeman and the Textile Designer of the Year award to Elina Helenius. In addition, Elizabeth Salonen received the Industrial Designer of the Year and Outi Turpeinen the Artist of the Year award.

Grafia’s award to Kokoro & Moi

The Graphic Designer of the Year award was presented to the design agency Kokoro & Moi. The extensive portfolio of this creative design agency includes works from the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 ‘look’ to works produced in cooperation with international clients such as Puma and Sony. To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Kokoro & Moi have also opened an office in New York.

The distinctive style of the Kokoro & Moi founders Antti Hinkula and Teemu Suviala is derived from the skill to revitalise Scandinavian design heritage by stripping away stiff harmony and solemnity. The visual world of Kokoro & Moi is colourful, playful, nimbly effervescent and yet sturdy in use. Although Kokoro & Moi designs are trendy and experimental, the results are true classics produced in the spirit of the present day. The internationally renown and successful Kokoro & Moi is a great example of a graphic design agency embracing the times in which we live.

Communal design

Hinkula and Suviala’s goal is, not only to create new, but also to revitalise existing design processes. Lately, they have been focusing on societies as designers. The outdoor advertising campaign Muutakin (Something Else) covered advertising surfaces with posters designed by city residents, showing the way for companies and brands to encourage practical involvement and to be involved in city culture.

Hinkula and Suviala ’recruited’ people from around the world to design the WDC Helsinki 2012 visual identity. In the Open Identity workshops, anyone can have the opportunity to create a part of the WDC Helsinki 2012 visuals, and the constantly changing background wallpaper consists of drawings produced by people from various walks of life.

The next Open Identity workshops will be organised during the WDC Helsinki Open Doors Weekend – welcome to draw!

The Designers '12 exhibition runs from 25 January till 25 March 2012 at Virka Gallery.