Jutellaan vähän Suomen maabrändistä

Visual communication is not merely the surface of Finland’s country brand, it is its foundation. It shapes how Finland is represented, understood, and imagined. In this panel discussion organized by Grafia ry, Finland’s country brand will be examined as a cultural and visual construct in which aesthetics, power, and the framing of reality are deeply intertwined. One of the central tensions in country branding is the expectation that a national brand should be simultaneously coherent, recognisable, and representative of an entire country. This raises the question of whether such a unified narrative inevitably narrows the visual language into a safe, and ultimately unremarkable, view of Finland.

Rather than seeking to resolve the contradictions of country branding, the panel aims to explore them. Can state-led imagery ever truly be collective, or does it inevitably involve a process of inclusion and exclusion, where some people recognise themselves in the narrative while others do not? When Finland is presented to the world as a peaceful, functional liberal democracy, this is not merely a matter of communication; it is also a statement about which values are made visible.

Participants include graphic designer Aarni Kapanen, whose work explores Finland’s country brand; creative director Mikko Hakkarainen (United Imaginations); Lead Specialist Meira Pappi from the Country Brand Unit of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs; and executive director Johanna Jäkälä (Finland Promotion Services, Business Finland). The discussion will be moderated by Kirsi Juva, Executive Director of Finnish Design Info.

Welcome to listen and discuss with us as part of the Helsinki Design Week programme at the beautiful premises of Fyra Oy!

Thursday, 3 September, 16:00–18:00
Fyra Oy, Eerikinkatu 32, 00180 Helsinki
More information: grafia@grafia.fi

*Note! The panel discussion will be held in Finnish.*

Free advance registration for the event at https://q.surveypal.com/maabrandi