The home of design: World Design Capital Helsinki 2012

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and design has become an integral component of these metropolitan environments: it makes cities more attractive, more liveable and, most importantly, more communicative. Every two years, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design selects a World Design Capital, and this year, it’s Helsinki. The Council could hardly have chosen a better city: in Helsinki, design comes alive every day, and people of all ages enjoy the various manifestations of design that can be found throughout the city.

People use design to give all of their creations, including texts, meaning and significance. At Textklinik, we are dedicated to bringing texts to perfection and elucidate their meaning in a comprehensive way. We believe that the world is currently discovering a new, orderly, harmonious holistic entity in Finland, which is why we will be repeatedly reporting directly from Helsinki and neighbouring Finnish cities throughout 2012.

The first highlight is the opening of the World Design Capital Helsinki 2012 pavilion, located directly between the Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture. The pavilion will become a meeting spot for everyone interested in learning more about communicative design in an open space. Openness is important for every space – after all, the motto of the WDC 2012 is ‘Open Helsinki: Embedding Design in Life’. The aim is harmony and a sense of well-being, as Sauli Niinistö, the Finnish President, emphasised in his opening address.