Going to Milan to showcase the skills of Finnish students, we wanted to channel the spirit of Finnish design and Nordic nature. The inspiration to the mushroom shape was drawn from Tapio Wirkkala’s work.
Wirkkala was the exhibition architect for the Milan Triennial in 1951 and 1954, and his Chantarelle vase won the main prize there in 1951, so it felt appropriate to pay tribute to the legendary designer’s work in our exhibitions’ visual identity as well. The golden ratio and its manifestation in nature and the forest was a focus point I wanted to mirror somehow, however the final mushroom shape came to by accident while doodling.
I was excited to see a colour as bright as possible to harmonize with the light, wooden designs on display while also creating a high contrast between the web-coloresque color, and the beautiful unpainted wood. Blue felt most obvious as our Finnish identity was at the centre of the whole concept.