Sustainable competitiveness with design

Design Forum Finland supports the growth, internationalisation and competitiveness of Finnish SMEs. We provide guidance and advice, and lower the barrier for utilising design extensively in business development.

Current topics

150 Anniversary

The Anniversary Scholarship Recipients Begin Their Design Thinking Programme – What Will They Bring Back from Stanford to Finland?

Design Forum Finland’s anniversary scholarship recipients Lea Aarinen-Koski, Timo Helosuo and Maija Koski are embarking on an intensive Design Thinking Bootcamp at Stanford University. The programme aims to explore new ways of applying design thinking to strategic decision-making and business development. Follow the scholarship recipients’ journey on our social media channels!

Design exhibition

Designs for a Cooler Planet Exhibition Makes the Future Visible

What might the future look like if building materials could store carbon, waste could be transformed into new products, and prosthetics could increasingly function as extensions of the human body? At Aalto University’s Designs for a Cooler Planet 2026 exhibition, sustainability is explored through research, design and hands-on experimentation.

Nation branding

Finland’s Global Image Doesn’t Happen by Accident

What is Finland actually communicating to the world? The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland’s Finland Toolbox brings together hundreds of ready-made presentations, reports, and visual materials that are used to build and share Finland’s image internationally. Among the latest additions is the “10 Patterns of Finnish Design” collection, which explores Finnish design thinking through everyday life, nature, and sustainable solutions.

150 anniversary

Design Forum Finland 150 Years – Shaping Finland Through the Power of Design

Founded in 1875, the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design, today’s Design Forum Finland, has played a central role in the development of Finnish design for over a century. The association has significantly shaped design education, strengthened professional expertise, and enhanced the international recognition of Finnish design.

Circular economy

Circular Design Guidebook

Our new guidebook is aimed at business decision-makers, product and service developers, as well as design professionals. Read the book on our website or download it!

Sustainable design

DeCo – Design Collaboration for Sustainable Business

DeCo aims to improve local,regional and national development policies through exchange of experience and capacity building in circular and sustainable design, production and manufacturing.

Facts about Finnish design

Source: Ornamo 2024.

Enterprises

21 770

Number of design business enterprises in Finland.

Digital

74 %

Digital design companies comprise 74 % of the total turnover of design enterprises.

Turnover

17.5 bn

The turnover of design business in Finland in 2024 was 17,5 billion Euros.

Employees

70 688

Persons employed in Finnish design businesses in 2024.

Projects

Towards an ecosystem

What does the design industry consist of? Design-intensive companies, design service providers, various professional or support organizations, museums, educational institutions, and media.