Harri Koskinen on Postponing Decisions, Generating New Ideas Through Conversation, and the Importance of Self-Confidence in Design
Posted in: Core77 Questionnaire
This is the latest installment of our Core77 Questionnaire. Previously, we talked to Fred Bould of Bould Design.
Name: Harri Koskinen
Occupation: I’m a designer.
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Current projects: At the moment, we’re doing a lot of work with Finnish-based companies. We are doing work in the safety field, creating some locking systems. We’re also doing tableware objects, and we have some material-based studies in the works—these are innovations with new materials, and we are doing some trials in our workshop around those. Then I also share my time with Iittala; I’m there two days a week as the design director.
Mission: To do my best. I would like to have a big, big mission, but at the moment I’m doing things a bit more slowly, step by step, just trying to do my best in this design field.
Koskinen’s most recent projects include the Cyclebar bike rack for Valpastin (above) and the M Series two-way active speaker for Genelec (below).
When did you decide that you wanted to be a designer? I never actually made a decision that someday I was going to be a designer. It just happened. I didn’t have any idea about this profession when I was in high school. But I worked with my uncle over many summers, building things with him as a summer job. I felt quite happy doing this, working with my hands. So I thought that design would be something that connects many different interests and skills. And it has been like that, pretty much.
Education: First I studied at the Lahte Design Institute; that was more like workshop studies. Then I applied and entered the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. There I studied industrial design and more conceptual design.
First design job: Well, I worked as a intern at some advertising agencies. But my first actual job as a designer was in 1996, when I was invited to work for Iittala glassworks. And then I was invited to work as an in-house designer at Iittala in 1998.
Who is your design hero? Maybe Dieter Rams—he was perhaps the most important for me. Also Richard Sapper. And, of course, in Finland we cannot forget Alvar Aalto. He’s an obvious choice, but still it’s amazing the amount of work that he made at a really high-quality level.
Above and below: Some of Koskinen’s designs in his Helsinki studio, including his Genelec speakers and subwoofer (above)
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