Nordic Design Futures

About

Nordic Design Futures is a two-week immersive exploration of the trajectories, materials, and mindsets shaping contemporary Nordic design. Through a balance of critical design, hands-on experimentation, and foresight-driven thinking, the course invites students to develop design approaches grounded in place, culture, and future possibilities.

In the first phase, students develop a grounded theoretical understanding of these themes within the socio-cultural contexts of the Nordic countries, with a particular focus on Finland, through visual materials, films, site-based references, and interactive dialogues. The second phase shifts toward hands-on exploration through workshops, site visits, and material-based experiments, engaging students in both collaborative and individual practice.

The course fosters a holistic creative process moving from ideation to the development of tangible artefacts, with a strong emphasis on foresight thinking and scenario-building. By the end of the course, students will be able to critically question design challenges and formulate their own design approaches grounded in Nordic design practice, while developing the ability to document, communicate, and present their design processes and outcomes. The students are also encouraged to reflect on and translate these perspectives into their own cultural and broader international contexts.

The previous implementation of this course was called "Nordic Product Design"

Course leader

Sushant Passi

Target group

This course does not require previous experience in the topic.

Participants must have completed a high school or vocational degree or equivalent by the time the course starts. However, they do not have to be a degree student at a university to participate in our courses.

Additionally, all summer school course students must be 18 years or older, as it is the legal age in Finland

Course aim

Demonstrate a critical understanding of Nordic design history, contemporary practices, and design-thinking, with a particular focus on the Finnish context.

Apply foresight thinking and ecologically driven product and material design methods through individual and team-based assignments, workshops, and site visits.

Integrate critical design and design-thinking approaches into the creative process to define, challenge, and address design problems in innovative ways.

Communicate and present design processes and outcomes that combine theoretical insight with practical, material-based experimentation

Fee info