Better by Design? A Critical Appraisal of the Creative Economy in Finland

In Finland the design sector evokes a mythical and romanticized image of the small nation overcoming the hardships of World War II through the establishment of a national identity developed around design and architecture, and successfully transforming this identity into an export-commodity, in the form of cultural products. Historically the creation of ‘Finnish Design’ was also in many respects similar to that of ‘Scandinavian Design’, a conscious effort of branding, promoted through international touring exhibitions, expositions and competitions (Stenros 2004). ‘On an international scale Finnish design products struck a chord with consumers in the 1950s and 1960s as they mirrored the spirit of the times and the changes in Western society’: for example, women’s equality, urban migration, and modern lifestyles (Stenros 2004). In many respects, however, the impact of Finnish design was perhaps more important on an imagined level and in the construction of subjects — rather than having a visible impact on exports. In the late 1950s and 1960s traditional heavy industries such as forestry dominated exports almost completely (Oinas 2005). In modern times, especially throughout the 1980s and much of the 1990s, the design sector has in many ways struggled to live up to the legacy of the international success that was acquired in the 1950s and 1960s both in terms of international recognition and in forming Finnish identity. Design remained something of a myth in the Finnish economic landscape, present in the background but not at the centre of economic discourse.