It's no secret that today Scandinavians, like Ukrainians, are at the top of the world design. Anyone who has visited Finland at least once, immediately notices that everything is “different” there. This feeling does not leave you anywhere. On the street, in a supermarket, in a coffee shop, in the subway and even in an ice cream stand. We notice that everything looks different, we think that this is Europe, where the streets are washed with shampoo and people are born with a golden spoon in their mouth. That they cut off a finger for the dropped litter, and that is why everything glitters like illustrations in a glossy magazine. 

In fact, Finland looks like this thanks to its design. The design is in Finns’ blood. In 2012, Helsinki received the title of the capital of the world design not for nothing. Finns use items considered luxury goods for us, and appreciated in design circles, in their everyday life. They drink and eat from designer tableware, wear local designers' clothes, and even street signs are organized by designers. 

Environmental friendliness, practicality, style, beauty – they all are synonymous with Finnish design. Finns treat their cities and nature with so much love and frugality, that it causes the feeling of awe.

I would like to devote a separate paragraph to how Finns organize signboards to local stores, cafes, beauty salons and other establishments in the central areas. Have you ever paid attention to how they do it? My answer to this question: they do it divinely! You won’t see loud signboards with neon illumination in three rows and one and a half meter high letters of bright neon colors here. Small signboards neatly inscribed in the face of the building are usually painted on the facade itself or depicted in three-dimensional modest letters, and additional information is placed on shop windows. Simple, brief, neat, informative and harmonious. Helsinki is a paradise for a graphic designer. The way this predominantly blond and benevolent nation organizes its own visual world causes the feeling of deep respect. Fortunately, it is the 21st century outside, any day you can jump into the car or buy a bus ticket and go for inspiration. 

If you have free time and a desire to touch the beauty, we recommend visiting the design quarter in Helsinki. In one of the stores, you can take a map on which points are marked in different colors by categories. And walk. You can find a lot of interesting things for home and not just that.