The Dutch Design Week (17.-25.10.) in Eindhoven presents the exhibition Finnish Designer Awards ´08, where works of six award-winning Finnish designers will be to see.
Grafia, the association of professional graphic designers in Finland and Ornamo, the Finnish association of designers present awards annually to their distinguished members. With the Finnish Designer Awards '08 and the associated publicity, the industry community highlights the diversity and significance of the design field. Grafia chose to present an award to illustrator Klaus Haapaniemi, while the Ornamo award recipients are designer Tuuli Mattelmäki, clothes designer Anssi Tuupainen, artist Virpi Vesanen-Laukkanen, interior designer Esa Vesmanen and textile artist Kristiina Wiherheimo.
Esa Vesmanen has also conceived the Finnish Designer Awards '08 Exhibition that showcases the award-winning designers' work this autumn in Brussels and Eindhoven. In Brussels, the exhibition will be seen at the Wiels Contemporary Art Centre as a part of the Design September event. In Eindhoven, the exhibition partakes in the Dutch Design Week design fair. Later in the autumn the exhibition moves on to Madrid. The exhibition is organized by Ornamo and Grafia together with the Finnish Cultural Insitute for the Benelux.
Graphic designer Klaus Haapaniemi is a rarity among Finnish illustrators – his original work is also known abroad. Among other things, Haapaniemi has designed garment prints and illustrations for international fashion industry companies such as Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana. He has also illustrated publications such as the British Vogue. The most visible of his latest work in Finland has been Iittala's Taika dinnerware line, illustrated by Haapaniemi.
Industrial designer and design scholar Tuuli Mattelmäki is specialized in the development of user-oriented research and design methods. She acts as an industry expert in different projects both in Finland and abroad. She also actively writes academic articles and publications. Tuuli Mattelmäki's work highlights the significance of design research as an element of environmental design.
Anssi Tuupainen is an industrial clothes designer specialized in menswear. Tuupainen has wide experience of the Finnish clothes industry, spanning 17 years. Craftsmanship and artistic talent result in successful brands.
In her art, textile artist Virpi Vesanen-Laukkanen toys with and gently parodies the imagery and myths of womanhood. People of all ages find it easy to approach her fairytale-like works. Vesanen-Laukkanen is also distinguished as an art pedagogue.
Interior designer Esa Vesmanen received an award for the interior design of Salme Optic, a specialist retailer of eyeglasses. Vesmanen created an image for the client that is original and fashion-conscious in a sophisticated way. The furniture and lighting systems of the shop were purposefully designed and implemented honouring the original materials and structures of the building.
During her long career, textile artist Kristiina Wiherheimo has acted in versatile roles in the fields of both art and design. In her works, she has studied the significance of light and shadow in particular. Wiherheimo designs interior decoration textiles and unique works for public and private spaces.
In the Finnish Designer Awards '08 publication – designed by the winner of last year's award, dog design – the everyday work of designers is described in a fascinating way. The Curriculum Vitaes of the award recipients are also included. The rich illustration of the 80-page full colour publication sheds light on the world of creators: space design, clothes, works of art, illustrations and design research.
