What’s the story
Nokia, the Finnish telecommunications giant that ruled the global mobile phone market in the late 1990s, is finally getting its design legacy preserved in an online archive.
The company’s design archive, which has been acquired by Finland‘s Aalto University, will be unveiled on January 15, 2024.
The university plans to make this collection accessible through a curated online portal and by appointment.
Contribution to Finland’s economy
Nokia’s contribution to Finland’s economy is immense. According to the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (Etla), it accounted for a quarter of Finland’s economic growth between 1998 and 2007.
Nokia was also the bestselling phone brand globally, with 40% of the market, and 70% of the UK market.
Jonathan Bell, tech editor for Wallpaper magazine, also noted Nokia’s focus on design and innovation. He said, “Nokia was one of the first phone companies to really emphasize design and difference.”
Iconic ringtone and cultural influence
Nokia’s default ringtone, 1902 Gran Vals by Francisco Tarrega, became a cultural phenomenon in the 1990s and 2000s. Reportedly, it was heard an estimated 1.8 billion times daily around the globe.
The Nokia 8110 handset, aka ‘the banana’ (due to its elegant curved design, a unique shape, and yellow color), became famous after being featured in the 1999 film The Matrix. This further cemented Nokia’s status in popular culture.
Appeal to youth and design philosophy
Launched in 1999, the Nokia 3210 became a favorite among young consumers, thanks to its customizable casing.
Now, Mark Mason, a former member of Nokia’s design team and current design expert for UK’s Design Council, has reflected on the company’s design philosophy.
He said their mantra was ‘human technology’ with a focus on ‘Connecting people.’ This approach shaped all aspects of their designs.
Aalto University’s archive offers insights into Nokia’s innovation
The archive at Aalto University contains marketing images, sketches, market profiling, and presentations that offer new insights into Nokia’s innovative approach.
Lead researcher Anna Valtonen, a lead researcher on the Nokia design archive and a former designer at the company, said she loved audio tapes in the records where designers talk about their projects.
These tapes not only add depth to the documents but also highlight what the designers were aiming to achieve.
Decline and resurgence in the mobile market
Nokia’s operating profit was $4 billion by 1999, but the market value dropped by nearly 90% after 2007, primarily due to the emergence of more sophisticated touchscreen smartphones such as the iPhone.
Microsoft acquired its mobile phone business in 2013, but failed to revive the brand’s popularity.
However, Nokia handsets were brought back to production by Human Mobile Devices (HMD), a Finnish independent mobile phone manufacturer, mostly staffed by former Nokia employees.