Finnish photographer Hanna Koikkalainen asked me to do the design for her book, presenting her photo project Raja (The Border). The pictures were taken at both sides of the border between Southern Finland and Russia and they are accompanied by her personal diary notes. I wanted to respect the dreamy peaceful atmosphere of Hanna’s photos by giving them space to breathe. Book was published by art specialised publishing house Musta Taide.
*** The book won the main price of Finnish Book Committee’s The Most Beautiful Book of the Year 2016. ***
Client: Musta Taide / Maahenki
Year: 2016
Credits: Text and photographs / Hanna Koikkalainen
These collages are designed to work with AR content. Portrait photos were taken from slightly different angles in order to make a nice effect when weaved together. I tested different weaving technics with laser prints. Final choices were inkjet printed on high quality photo paper in a professional photo lab. I cut the prints in pieces and did the weaving and combining. The collages were photographed for the book. In each collage there is at least one photo that corresponds exactly the opening frame in the AR video, to create the feeling that the photograph awakens to life through the AR application.
Client: Medialiitto (Finnmedia)
Year: 2017
Credits: Original portrait photos: Teemu Kuusimurto / Collage photos: Susanna Kekkonen
Finnish vintage furniture shop For Love or Money is specialised for 50's, 60's and 70's design. I created visual identity that reflects the style of that era and suits with the design objects of the period of time. The logo design was inspired by the playfulness of fifties wire and dots constructions such as Charles and Ray Eames’s Hang-It-All Rack.
The colors are chosen to be matching to each others and working with the materials of the furnitures. The main color minty green suits beautifully to teak wood which was commonly used in interiors those days. Second main color is smokey light purple, typical color in interiors especially in the 50’s.
Client: For Love or Money
Year: 2011
The ARS FENNICA award is Finland’s most significant visual-art prize. It was a great honour to design the visual identity for the 30th anniversary exhibition in 2021.
In addition to the identity I designed the invitations, exhibition booklets, museum banderols, advertisements and social media images.
Client: ARS FENNICA – Henna and Pertti Niemistö Art Foundation & Hämeenlinna Art Museum
Year: 2021
The Deported project was awarded as the best Finnish Visual Journalism Project of the year 2016. The competition was organised by The Finnish Visual Journalism Guild and the winner was chosen by Søren Nyeland the Creative Director of Danish Politiken Journal.
The Project was produced by a working group of journalists, researchers and artists who have joined forces to throw light on a little-known phenomenon. By combining different ways of storytelling we produced a book, created an exhibition at HAM Corner in Helsinki Art Museum, organised a seminar, a theme club at the Finnish National Theatre Club Scene [Kansallisteatterin Lavaklubi], and workshops on the subject. The material was also turned in to a documentaristic play.
The team: Kaisa Viitanen, Katja Tähjä, Anne-Mari Ahonen, Niina Vuolajärvi, Elina Izarra, Laura Oja, Anna Mattson, Anne Ignatius, Johanna Kippo, Jukka Könönen
Tiina Vainio, the author of the book, developed Sauna Pilates after successful launching of Sauna Yoga. Both sauna fitness systems have now became popular all over the world. The book titled Sauna Pilates – Wellbeing for the Back demonstrates three 30-minute long sequences of poses with the emphasis on servicing the back and on strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles.
Like in previous book Sauna Jooga the aim of visuality was to reflect the peace and beauty of Finnish sauna culture, but this time with an urban twist. We went to take photos in urban saunas of Helsinki and searched for beautiful nature spots in the city as well as rough wastelands and old industrial buildings for urban nostalgia.
Client: WSOY
Year: 2012
Credits: Authors Tiina Vainio (text) / Charlotta Boucht (Photos)
The book Retroaarteet (Retro Treasures) presents Finnish design from the years 1940–1970. The design of the book respects the functional minimalism of the Finnish design. The objects are often collected in groups that take over an entire spread. Photographs of interiors, furnitures, and other design objects are in the main role.
Client: WSOY
Year: 2011
Credits: Authors Anne-Kaisa Huusko (text) / Juho Huttunen (Photos)
I created the visual identity and the exhibition architecture for the exhibition At the Mercy of Water (Veden varassa) at Helinä Rautavaara ethnographical museum in Espoo.
The exhibition enlightens how the climate change is affecting the people who’s life is depending on the water cycle. Tropical cyclones, unpredictable monsoon rains and rising sea level – those are among the consequenses of the climate change people are facing in they daily life. These phenomens are specially affecting the lives of hunter-gatherer communities relying on nature’s resources and people living in coastal areas. Photographer Vargha Bahagir’s beautiful images are the core of the exhibition, showing the lifestyle of two nomad people, the Bajaus living in the sea areas of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, and the Raute on the slopes of Nepal. The water related objects from the museum’s collection picture the importance of water for cultures around the world.
Client: Helinä Rautavaara Museum
Year: 2020
Kotikulmilla – Kuvia Vantaalta ennen ja nyt /
In the neighbourhood – Photos of Vantaa before and now
This book is an exhibition catalogue for #ThrowbackVantaa exhibition that I designed as well for the Vantaa City Museum. It illustrates the chances Vantaa City has gone through during the last seven decades. I chose colors, fonts, paper and the binding to fit the Photographs that are mostly from 1950’s to 1970’s.
*** The book was awarded with an honorable mention and was chosen to the Finnish Book Committee’s The Most Beautiful Books of 2018 collection. ***
Client: Vantaan City Museum
Year: 2018
Credits: Editor: Karoliina Junno-Huikari / Photos: Antti Yrjönen and Lauri Leppänen / Digital image adjustment: Antti Sepponen / Printed by: Aldus Oy
The Deported project was produced by a working group of journalists, researchers and artists who have joined forces to throw light on a little-known phenomenon. By combining different ways of storytelling we produced a book, created an exhibition at HAM Corner in Helsinki Art Museum, organised a seminar, a theme club and workshops on the subject. The material was also turned in to a documentaristic play.
My role was to create the visual identity for the event, the exhibition architecture, and couple of installation for the exhibition.
*** The Deported project was awarded as the best Finnish Visual Journalism Project of the year 2016. ***
The team: Kaisa Viitanen, Katja Tähjä, Anne-Mari Ahonen, Niina Vuolajärvi, Elina Izarra, Laura Oja, Anna Mattson, Anne Ignatius, Johanna Kippo, Jukka Könönen
Mediakirja (The Media Book) is a yearbook of Medialiitto (Finnmedia), an advocacy organisation for the Finnish media industry and printing companies. I was asked to be the art director of the book of 2017, the second time the book was published.
My idea was to mix different media concepts. It has two covers, inside the hard book covers there is a magazine like soft cover publication. Also the layout is a combination of book and magazine styles. The third element is the AR content, where the photo collages wake up to life trough the mobile phone screen.
I art directed the book, designed it and did the layout. I also designed the AR animations for the book, directed the video material for it and created the photo collage illustrations for the AR content. The AR script writing we did in co-laboration with the editor in chief Ville Blåfield.
Client: Medialiitto (Finnmedia)
Year: 2017
Credits: Editor in Chief: Ville Blåfield / Infographics: Outi Kainiemi / Photographs: Eeva Anundi, Suvi Elo, Teemu Kuusimurto, Vilma Pimeneoff, Heli Sorjonen, Juuso Westerlund
The exhibition #ThrowbackVantaa at Vantaa City Museum illustrates the chances that Vantaa City has gone through during the last seven decades. The material is based on old pictures of local amateur photographer Lauri Leppänen and supplemented by pair photographs of the todays situations of the same locations, taken by photographer Antti Yrjönen. Four themes are indicated in the exhibition space with different wall colors. The rhythm of the exhibition architecture is also created by the variation of huge whole wall photographs and smaller picture pairs mounted on aluminium.
Client: Vantaan City Museum
Year: 2018
Tiina Vainio, the author of the book, developed a licensed sauna fitness system Sauna Yoga which has now became popular all over the world. The book titled Sauna Yoga - Finding Calm and Relaxation demonstrates three, 30-minute long sequences of poses suitable for for anyone regardless of age and level of fitness.
With the design I wanted to reflect the serenity of yoga and the peace and beauty of Finnish sauna culture. Finnish nature plays an important role in choice of photos. Photographer Charlotta Boucht took amazing pictures for the book. The dim light and roughness of the old sauna buildings or the calm beauty of the summery sceneries have almost a meditative effect on a reader. See also Saunapilates, the second book from the same authors.
Client: WSOY
Year: 2012
Credits: Authors Tiina Vainio (text) / Charlotta Boucht (Photos)
I designed visual identity for two simultaniously opened exhibitions at Rauma Art Museum, Hanna Koikkalainen’s Lakkautettu kylä and Hanneriina Moisseinen’s Kannas. Then came covid and the museum had to be shut for the public, and I was asked to convert the content to an audiovisual online exhibition.
Client: Rauma Art Museum
Year: 2020
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“Anne-Mari’s visual and aesthetic sense is unparalleled. As a creative collaborator, Anne-Mari is simply exceptional. The end result is always elegant and high-quality, and the collaboration takes place in a receptive and thoughtful dialogue where even my own perspective grows and expands almost without noticing.”
– Heta Kaisto, Curator and Museum Manager of Rauma Art Museum
Exhibition titled Rakkaus / Kärlek / Love, in The Finnish Museum of Photography K1, is a retrospective exhibition of the work of Susanna Majuri (1978–2020). Majuri’s gorgeous photographs are like fairytales, they tell stories and show sceneries of fantastic dreams. With the typography and colour choices I wanted to continue the storybook style and underwater feeling. Titles and quotes from Majuri’s writings on the walls have gradient of watery colors.
Client: The Finnish Museum of Photography
Artits: Susanna Majuri
Year: 2021
I created the concept and designed AR content to Mediakirja book. The idea of the book was to mix different media concepts. One of the media elements is the AR content, where the photo collages wake up to life trough the mobile phone screen.
I designed the AR animation concepts, directed the video material and created the photo collage illustrations. The AR script writing we did in co-laboration with the editor in chief Ville Blåfield.
Client: Medialiitto (Finnmedia)
Year: 2017
Credits: Original portrait photos and videos: Teemu Kuusimurto / photo prints: Dia Lab / Collage photos: Susanna Kekkonen / Final animation and the AR technology: Arilyn / Screenwriting: Anne-Mari Ahonen and Ville Blåfield / Video direction: Anne-Mari Ahonen
I worked for several years as an Art Director in Divaani magazine, an interior design and lifestyle publication. I was responsible of the magazine's visual identity and developing the brand with the editor in chief. I was in charge of the leading the layout process and managing the design team, I planned and supervised the photoshoots and ordered photos and illustrations from the contributors. I participated creating and producing content for social media. Sometimes my work included also writing and photographing.
Publisher: Bonnier Publication / Aller Media
Year: 2011–2015
I worked as an Art Director for the 925 Magazine. This was the second issue of the bookazine-like publication concept created one year earlier for the 925 Festival. The magazine had interviews of the world's top scientists who research motivation, mindsets and thinking as tools for success in worklife.
Client: Aller Ideas
Year: 2014
Pink Eminence is a company specialising in communications, partnership and consulting, with its heart in relations between arts and business. I created the company’s visual identity in 2009 and refreshed it in 2016.
The original logo I made was pink but couple of years ago we decided to have a fresher and more sophisticated look by changing the logo to grey and adding just a little hint of pink. Business cards have a sandwich structure, there is a pink layer between two white layers and the same pink in a fine line on contact information side of the card.
