Graphic design knows no borders

Teemu Suviala and Antti Hinkula are the Young Designers of the Year

print this

By Hannu Pöppönen
     
      "Something funny, cool, punk!"
      That was the pithy assignment that came from Japan, when Antti Hinkula and Teemu Suviala, the winners of the Young Designer of the Year prize, were asked to do a music video for the Japanese pop star Yukari Fresh.
      The result, which combines retro nostalgia in the form of a series of music cassettes, a free style of drawing reminiscent of comic strips, and intense colours, would appear to be tantalisingly fresh in a way that tickles the senses.
      The clients appeared to be quite satisfied, even though the response was no more verbose than the assignment.
      "Great!"
     
A video is on one of the screens at Design Forum Finland in Helsinki. It is part of the prize exhibition of Hinkula, 28, and Suviala, 28.
      Hinkula and Suviala of the graphic design company Syrup Helsinki, are the first graphic designers to win the design prize worth EUR 5,000. It is a sign that graphic design is being recognised as a part of the broader range of Finnish design.
      "Graphic design has been overshadowed by product design, even though it is design in the same way that the design of washbasins might be", is the pointed comment of Mikko Karvonen, the representative of Grafia.
     
The exhibition at the Design Forum, from its architecture on down, is a successful depiction of the work of Syrup Helsinki.
      On display is a variety of work from prints for clothing, to magazine illustrations, from corporate image to conceptual design. Syrup Helsinki has produced examples of the latter for the research and development units of Nokia and Ralph Lauren among others.
      Syrup Helsinki has a long list of clients. One of this spring's projects with extensive international visibility was for Toyota.
      The car manufacturer asked ten European offices to design a graphic image for an urban car that it is launching this spring. Syrup Helsinki was one of the chosen ones.
     
One of the reasons for awarding the designers of Syrup Helsinki was their versatility.
      "The field of graphic design has expanded tremendously in recent years, as digital technologies have developed. Now it can be assumed that a graphic designer can produce moving images", Hinkula says.
      "We are offering our creative input, which can be seen in some desired medium in some desired form", Suviala says.
     
The two graduated from the Institute of Design at Lahti Polytechnic in 2001. Hinkula and Suviala were recognised already as students, from the thick jungle of pages on the Internet, from the portfolios that they had placed on a web site.
      They have also produced the visual design of the Koneisto electronic art and music festival for the past five years. Already the first time it sparked reactions and contacts from around the world.
      Syrup Helsinki has been visible in the press and in exhibitions in different countries.
      London's Victoria & Albert Museum included their design in a book published last year called Interplay: Interactive Design. In 2002 their design for the Koneisto festival was picked for the multimedia collections of the Frankfurt Museum of Modern Art, and it has been on display in a number of places, including the exhibition of Barcelona's Sónar Music Festival.
     
The roots of the company are in the United States. As students, Hinkula and Suviala worked in New York for the Syrup NYC office, and decided to set up a branch office in Helsinki in 2001.
      "The Internet is an important marketing channel", Suviala says.
      Their company currently has more foreign clients than Finns. Interest has been great especially in Japan.
      "Naturally we would like to work for Finnish design companies. We have been in touch with some, but we have not yet managed to sit at the same table", Suviala says.
      "Advertising agencies are not the only places for graphic design; there are companies specialised in it."
     
The customers of Syrup Helsinki operate largely in the fields of fashion, entertainment, and other sectors of culture.
      For example, Hinkula and Suviala have designed the graphic appearance of the play Niskavuoren nuori emäntä ("The Young Wife of Niskavuori") by Hella Wuolijoki.
      Syrup Helsinki would like to do more work with Finnish cultural institutions, such as museums and theatres.
      "In other European countries some of the best graphic design can be seen specifically in productions for cultural institutions", Suviala says.
     
The work of Syrup Helsinki transcends the borders of graphic design.
      The designers say that their working methods are reminiscent of sampling that is used in electronic music, but instead of sound, they combine pictures that they have produced themselves.
      Their layered work often combines the tall and short, things that are traditionally considered beautiful are juxtaposed with the ugly, while drawings or animation are set against photographs.
      Although the commissions by clients can be quite specific and unyielding, there is always room for creativity in the works. Those who have hired Syrup Helsinki have confidence in their vision.
      "It is always possible to push against borders. In other respects as well, we want to push design forward, to leave our own imprint on the field", Teemu Suviala explains.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 26.3.2005
     
The Young Designer of the Year exhibition can be seen at Helsinki's Design Forum (Erottajankatu 7) until April 17th Mondays through Fridays 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, and on Sundays 12:00 noon - 6:00 PM.

More on this subject:
 FACTFILE: Young Designer of the Year chosen for a fourth time

Links:
  Design Forum Finland press release

HANNU PÖPPÖNEN / Helsingin Sanomat
hannu.popponen@hs.fi