14.01.10
Finnish Designer Awards ’10
Association of professional graphic designers Grafia and Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo award annually six distinguished designers. Finnish Designer Awards have been now selected for the year 2010.
The Finnish Designer Awards concept has been revamped: from this year the awards will be given in mid January. The aim of this change is to enhance the exhibition’s international tour. The Finnish Designer Awards ‘10 publication will be published in January 2010 together with the exhibition in Design Forum Finland..
In 2006 the organizations decided to join the different awards andevents into one Finnish Designer Awards Event, which also includes anannual publication and an international touring exhibition.
TheDesigner Awards 2007 exhibition was exhibited in Berlin where it becamea success amongst the public and within the media. The 2008 exhibition travelled in 2009 to Brussels in mid-September, Eindhoven in Octoberand Madrid in November where Finnish Design was extensivelypresented during the Month of Finnish Design (Mes del Diseño Finlandés)
Graphic Designer of the Year 2010 Sami Kortemäki
Sami Kortemäki founded Underware in 1999 together with his student friends, Akiem Helmling from Germany and Bas Jacobs from Holland. Underware has stood out with its high-quality and concise but thought-out selection and distinctive practices and become one of the world’s most famous independent font design companies.
Furniture Designer of the Year 2010 Timo Ripatti
Interior architect Timo Ripatti's designs represent absolute designer character, confidence and topical vision. He was also awarded SIO’s 2009 Furniture Award for the design of the Ellipse chair.
Ceramic Artist of the Year 2010 Kirsi Kivivirta
Ceramic artist Kirsi Kivivirta’s mosaic-like works are meticulously thought through with their fine detailing. She has participated in numerous exhibitions and workshops in Finland and abroad. Kivivirta also makes unique ceramic decorative tiles and seats on commission. Her prominent brick wall mural ‘Walls Talking Walls’ is constructed to a block of flats in Arabianranta, Helsinki.
Fashion Designer of the Year 2010 Kia Koski
From the beginning of her career fashion designer Kia Koski has been specialised in sports and leisure wear. She has worked in the Finnish fashion industry since the early 1980’s. Koski’ s expertise can be seen in clothes designed for the Scandinavian climate with extreme weather conditions.
Textile Artist of the Year 2010 Aino Kajaniemi
Textile artist Aino Kajaniemi’s tapestries have been exhibited in numerous Finnish and international exhibitions. They have been bought for private and public spaces as for example church textiles. The motifs closely reflect the moods, feelings and situations linked to people’s lives.
Industrial Designer of the Year 2010 Arni Aromaa & Sauli Suomela
Industrial designers Arni Aromaa and Sauli Suomela are the founders of the nine-person Pentagon Design and act as the company's design directors. The company operates within the fields of product design, strategic design and concept design.
Finnish Designer Awards ’10 exhibition
15 January - 21 February 2010
Design Forum Finland, Erottajankatu 7, Helsinki
Mon-Fri 10-19, Sat 10-18, Sun 12-17
Exhibition info +358 (0)9 6220 8132
Free entry
Further information and press photos:
Finnish Association of Designers Ornamo
Petra Ilonen, Secretary / Design, petra.ilonen@ornamo.fi
tel +358 9 687 77 422, +358 46 8782 572, www.ornamo.fi
Association of Professional Graphic Designers in Finland Grafia
Katja Ojala, Communications Officer, katja.ojala@grafia.fi
tel. +358 9 601 942, +358 40 8473 875, www.grafia.fi
Media representatives can also contact the award winners directly:
Sami Kortemäki, +358 9 673271, sami@underware.nl, www.underware.nl
Timo Ripatti, +358 50 68109, timo@studioripatti.fi, timo@coolcorporation.fi
Kirsi Kivivirta, +358 50 543 3735, info@kivivirta.com
Kia Koski, +358 40 539 5308, kia.koski@kolumbus.fi
Aino Kajaniemi, +358 50 327 9462, aino.kajaniemi@elisanet.fi
Arni Aromaa, +358 10 843 5501, arni.aromaa@pentagondesign.fi
Sauli Suomela, +358 10 843 5502, sauli.suomela@pentagondesign.fi
