Post 15. The success

Success comes from reputation. The cornerstone of the reputation is always what is already being done and real products and actions. A reputation generates trust, which in turn contributes success to a business. Although the myth of Finnish design is history, its reputation has been joined by a new factor that supports it: high technology. As a leading IT country, Finland’s industry has perceptively linked state-of-the-art technology with excellent design – which has given rise to new international success stories.

The achievement of success by Finnish design in the late 1990s and later in the 21st century has required companies to have strong expertise and brand-building as well as necessitating support from the state. The Design 2005! programme was issued in 2000 with the aims of improving design education and research and of internationalising design firms. Another mission is to encourage more small and medium-sized companies to use design services holistically in their businesses.

Iittala has developed a new, lifestyle-based concept for marketing and product design. This is particularly aimed at the young consumers and the global market. International designers are nowadays used for some of iittala’s products. In the picture above, there is one of the most known design of Iittala, Mariskooli.