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In early February, Finnish lifestyle brand Iittala unveiled its new brand identity at Stockholm Design Week. The logo and collection pay homage to the legacy of architects Alvar and Aino, who designed many of Iittala's iconic products. The new visual identity completely contradicts the original brand impression.
Iittala, Finland's leading lifestyle brand, is a company with a 143-year history that started in 1881 in a glass factory in the village of Iittala. The Aalto Vase collection, created by architect Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino for a fine Helsinki restaurant in 1937, is world-famous. It is also famous for legendary designer Timo Salpaneva's 'i' sticker, which has been in use since 1991.
The entire visual identity has completely changed. The image color changed from red to a yellow color like a furnace melting glass, and the logo is mainly expressed in black and white. The solid and thick geometric wordmarks and symbols of minimalist aesthetics have been replaced by thin and delicate forms.
The new wordmark was inspired by an 1892 factory sign and designed a trumpet-shaped serif font. He created a typeface named Aino, with the 'II' and 'TT' being unique ligatures that look like glass art. '1881' placed at the bottom represents Iittala's long history.
We also introduced Play, a new home furniture collection inspired by the famous quote “Don’t forget to play” by Alvar, the architect who designed Iittala’s signature vases. It feels like a product for more fun and witty moments rather than everyday life. The product design, photos, and videos give off the nuance of a fashion brand like Bottega Veneta.
Every Tuesday morning, a designer with 16 years of experience curated Collect design trends.
