This time of the year, hundreds of Christmas markets are being hosted all around Finland. These events cater to the needs of holiday preparations.  In Finnish they are called joulumyyjäiset or joulumarkkinat.

Since there are so many Christmas markets, we are trying to list the ones that feature Finnish design or crafts.

Please bookmark this page, since we will be updating the list as new events come to our knowledge.

Note! If you are an organizer or a designer, mail us at designfinland {at} ekana.fi to your event on the list.

Design Christmas Markets 2009

28.-29.11. 2009 Nykyaikaiset joulumarkkinat, TURKU

Opening hours: Sat 11 - 17, Sun 11 - 17

Venue: Vimma, Aurakatu 16, Turku

Featuring: Globe Hope, Ihanna design, Kiertokulku, KLO Design, Saana ja Olli, Secco, Vitidesign

28.-29.11. 2009 TAIKin joulumyyjäiset, HELSINKI

Opening hours: Sat 9 - 18, Sun 9 - 18, Mon 9 - 18

Venue: TAIK, Arabia, Helsinki

Featuring: Products by students of TAIK.

28.-29.11. 2009 Taidemuseon designtori, TURKU

Opening hours: Sat 11 - 17, Sun 11 - 17

Venue: Turku Art Museum, Aurakatu 24, Turku

5.-6.12. 2009 Ornamon joulumyyjäiset, HELSINKI

Opening hours: Sat 10 - 18, Sun 12 - 17

Venue: Design Forum Finland, Helsinki

5.-6.12. 2009 Ornamon joulumyyjäiset, JOENSUU

12.-13.12. 2009 Korjaamo Markkinat, HELSINKI

Design Finland - Finnish Design has been very quiet during the last year. Still we have a steady number of visitors, looking for interesting information and news about design in Finland and Finnish design.

We also have a number of designers and design brands approaching on a weekly basis.Unfortunately we haven’t had enough time and resource to use all these great opportunities and share them with our readers.

We have a plan to revise the whole site in the near future. But revising the site is not enough, there needs to be content as well. That’s why we need more people who are eager to follow the design scene in Finland and want to write articles, take photos or record videos about the whole thing. 

If you have a passion about Finnish and are willing to spend some of your time with the publication, this may be your opportunity. You choose you specific area of interest from design, fashion, industrial design, graphical design or modern art, just as long as it’s related to Finland.

We can offer you a channel for your interests and a worldwide audience, priority access to many exclusive news and events and potential to be part of Finland’s design scene.

Interested? Want to talk more? Contact Janne via email at designfinland (at) ekana.fi

BÅHEM is a furniture for mobile gadgets. From now all your gadgets will have their own stabile place and all their wires will be nicely organized. Finally gadgets got their home.

Link: bohem.hotsnow.fi

  This party flyer was created for 69 AAMUA party. It includes a description of the program and names of DJ participants/hosts. I kept the logo design simple with a twist of 80 in typography and colors giving the idea of life and energy - Let’s dance!

Link: Hot Snow

Måltidets Hus is the new 9000 m2 national and international resource centre for food development, host of the Gastronomic Institute and Norwegian chef team. Ralston & Bau was commissioned by Figgjo to make a permanent installation in the reception hall. A central wall that runs three flights high was transformed into a generous, vertical feast table. Combined iconic Figgjo dishes form organic shaped plates and bowls of the table, the wall was covered with an innovative laminated wood material simulating a linen table cloth. The wood was engraved with the shapes of ghost silver ware and glasses, while a classic chair backrest on the wall top completes the illusion of the vertical table. The installation was opened to the public on the 16th of September.

Anders Thingbø, CEO Figgjo thinks: This project has had found it’s own path since it is truly innovative! The reception of the finished result was allround positive…and the final design a surprise to many. Constance Gaard Kristiansen, product manager Figgjo: I like the vertical table more and more!

Link: transplant.nu

Responsible Nordic design The first fall launch from Muuto is a storage basket with the name Restore. It is made of polymer felt from recycled plastic bottles, and allows you to store your things without burdening the environment or your conscience. The basket is designed by Finnish designer Mika Tolvanen who explains how he came up with the design: “My idea was to design a basket that could be used for a lot of purposes – something that stores anything from magazines and newspapers to toys and firewood. Also, a lot of thought has gone into the use of polymer felt. The responsible material choice combined with the basket’s soft shape give Restore an expression that is both warm and welcoming.”

Restore is available in light grey, dark grey, blue, green and purple. Width 35cm, length 48 cm, height 23 cm. In shops in November.

New colours for popular lamp The Mhy lamp from MUUTO is designed by Norway Says and with the introduction of a red and a grey version, the popular lamp is now available in no less than seven colours. Norway Says on the design: “Mhy combines an elegant and discreet appearance with a personal expression that is inspired by literature from our childhood. With its elegant and light design, Mhy is a great choice for your kitchen, dining table, hall or any other room, where you want to add a stylish element”

Mhy is now available in black, white, yellow, green, purple, red and grey. New colours will be in stores in October.

MUUTO is an innovative Scandinavian design company that joins forces with the leading contemporary Scandinavian designers to create original products with new perspectives. The result is design objects that are enjoyed across the world, representing the best of Scandinavian design today.

Link: www.muuto.com.

The stool Nitton° is a product from a sustainability project. Questions like “How can a stool be designed to be more environmentally friendly, economically profitable and with social features?

The stool is made from thin layers of wood that are pressed together with glue and heat. The glue is a new type that is not dangerous for our environment and is extra hard to allow the thin construction. Thin construction minimizes material and double curved surfaces allow maximum weight. To give it social values the stool is designed to comfort a small group of up to nineteen people. If you put nineteen stools together you get a circle that is the perfect size for a small group when communicating, everyone can have eye contact and easily hear each other, perfect for schools, libraries and museums.

The name Nitton° is the Swedish word for nineteen, the degree sign connects to the stools curve that is also nineteen.

The stool will be shown at the fair “Hem 2009” in Stockholm, Sweden this week 1-4 October

Link: www.karloskar.net

Ralston & Bau is working together with Fretex (norwegian salvation army) to create re-designs made out of their old products. To re-use objects putting them in a new context, makes not only a sustainable impact, it also gives new live to objects that tell a story.

During the last ReDesign Summer Camp Ralston & Bau made their first redesign series: Tekannelampe (tea pot light) & Ståltrådlysestake (steel wire candle holder). All products are handmade in house.

The “Tekannelampe” is made out of old tea pots, garden pottery, bowls and lamp shades. The cable flows out from the spout, while the handle invites to carry the lamp around.

The “Ståltrådlysestake” is made out of old lamp shades. Only strong lines describe the shape, seeking simplicity.

www.transplant.nu

more pictures: http://www.transplant.nu/?cat=229

I’ve always wanted to business on the web but was initially concerned because I’m a marketing guy, not a web developer. As such I rely on others to take my ideas and turn them into web sites, web pages, blogs, etc. This requires a good deal of faith and experience in finding the right developers to work on your web site.

When I was starting out with online marketing, a colleague mentioned that he didn’t fret too much about web development. He always seemed to have the resources he needed to get work done in a timely manner and it seemed like he was always working on his websites What I didn’t realize at the time was that he had an unlimited source of qualified developers at his disposal for around ten bucks an hour.

The first place to start is with a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish. This took me a long time to understand but it comes in handy for finding the right resources at the right price. If you start with only a vague notion of what you are trying to achieve, your results will be less than ideal and costs can spiral out of control. The best bet is to create an excel spreadsheet listing each task to be completed and specifically what it will look like when its done.

Once you’ve created a complete document of what you want and what it should look like when it’s done, you’re ready to find some qualified developers to help you create what you need. The best resources that I’ve found for finding qualified developers is eLance.com and GetAFreelancer.com. Both sites cost nothing to join and give you access to developers all over the world. Not only can you find people who are qualified to do the work, but they are much more affordable than what you’re used to paying. I’ve gotten many projects done for about 30 percent of domestic quotes.

With a large number of bids to chose from you may be asking yourself how can you make sure you select the right vendor. I have a simple method you can use that isn’t right one hundred percent of the time but does work rather well. Throw out the most expensive and the least expensive bid. After doing so, look for the vendor who has done the most projects and has the highest feedback rating. Finally, look at their samples and make sure you like what they’ve done for other clients. When you find a company you’re happy with, award them the bid and your project can start.

The good news is that after using numerous developers for your project, you will find a couple that really shine. I’ve narrowed my list down to two or three development companies and stick with them for all of my projects. You may choose to bid through eLance just to keep pricing competitive but always invite the previous companies you’ve worked with to bid on your new projects as well. This is a great way to retain those you have experience with and find new providers from time to time.

Finding resources to help with your development project are easy. You will have to work a little harder to ensure that they are delivering what you’ve asked for, especially if they are half way around the world. Build milestones and communicate with your developers every day and you are sure to have a successful experience.

Autodidakt is a small type design studio in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started up in 2006 and is run by Göran Söderström. Focus is on designing and developing original typeface families with high aesthetic and technical quality. In other words, provide tools for people working with typography. Available today is a small but original collection of typefaces that can be used to help communicate, build identity and to express. This collection will slowly grow as more typefaces are released.

http://www.autodidakt.se/