Welcome to our new website to follow the planning of the new architecture and design museum in Helsinki. The visual identity and the website for the project were created by hasan & partners, complemented by illustrations by Anja Reponen.

A dialogue between design and architecture

If implemented, the new architecture and design museum will be built in the Makasiiniranta area of Helsinki’s South Harbour. The new museum will bring design and architecture – two strongly intertwined disciplines – together under one roof.

The idea behind the visual identity and the website was to create a look that would leave room for imagining a completely new museum and its future. From the very beginning, the dialogue between architecture and design was at the heart of the design process.

‍"The design process started with a bit of an empty canvas. The whole project team wanted the new visual identity to highlight coming together, sharing and creating together. As the visual identity of the project phase is temporary, we suggested the design communicate that too - the elements you see are what can be seen as building blocks for future,” says the lead designer, Diana Sanchez, describing the design process.

Inspiration for the colour scheme of the visual identity was drawn from the location of the new museum, combining the shades of the sea and the cityscape surrounding the Market Square. The idea for the playful design of the website came from browsing books and magazines, which is typical in the world of both architecture and design.

<quote-mark>"<quote-mark><small-quote>The design choices for the identity and the logo communicate openness and the incompleteness of the process. The look is made up of different elements and shapes that are together, while also leaving space between them. By combining different pieces, you can create something completely new.<small-quote><quote-author>Diana Sanchez<quote-author>

The visual identity is enriched by illustrations by Anja Reponen. The illustrations on the website reflect the new architecture and design museum’s aim to be an open and welcoming place for locals and visitors of all ages. Reponen’s idea was to create sketch-like illustrations for the project, at the heart of which are the users of the future museum.

"The starting point was really inspiring for me. The project team and I wanted the illustrations to convey that the future museum is for everyone. One challenge for me was to avoid the feeling of picture agency imagery and distance associated with iconic places. I did the work by hand, as I usually do, and only added some necessary finishing touches with photo editing software. I always try to bring warmth and a touch of human imperfection to my images, and this time was no exception", Anja Reponen tells.

The result was a series of illustrations highlighting the key themes of the new museum – curiosity, communality and learning.

<quote-mark>"<quote-mark><small-quote>I hope that the illustrations will evoke positive emotions and impressions of the new museum and help define the spirit and profile of the future museum. It would be great if the illustrations were to contribute to making the new museum feel personal, meaningful and attractive.<small-quote><quote-author>Anja Reponen<quote-author>

The website outlines the stages of the new museum’s planning towards the implementation decision in 2023. Current news about the project will also be featured in the newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter in either Finnish or English.