When it comes to design, Nokia’s got a strong portfolio. Designing products that look elegant, premium, new and fresh has its challenges, but one that’s worth tackling head-on.
“Although there are many different departments within Nokia, there are no boundaries where design is concerned. We all collaborate together create a coherent, differentiated and beautifully executed portfolio of Nokia products based on our focus on purity, color and craft. to make our designs as strong as possible.”
Markku Oksman is the Head of Gear Design at Nokia, and as he describes, the teams across the company frequently communicate to design a portfolio of products that fit tightly together.
While this is the case, Markku works specifically within the Nokia Gear team and is passionate about how accessories and phones, and their experiences are brought together.
“Over the past year or two, the focus on the design of our accessories has improved significantly compared to several years ago.”
In true Finnish style, Markku describes the design process as a constant flowing river where there’s no standing water; so nothing stagnates. It’s how Nokia keeps things fresh and new.
When designing an accessory, like the Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset by Monster or the DC-18 (portable charger), you’ll notice that they follow a similar design. And the accessories are designed to match Nokia phones, too. For instance, the CMYK colour palette used is the same on our phones and accessories.
“It’s important that our accessories match our other products. We [Nokia] have an identity, a very visual one, and you can see that when you look at the Nokia Lumia 620, or Lumia 920, for example. Aligning the design identity of our phones and accessories is an important element of Nokia’s design approach and uniqueness.”
Colours aside, when it comes to materials, Markku tells us that the design teams are accustomed to experimenting and manipulating different plastics and metals and they’re certainly “mastering the materials”.
“We are really material-lead in our designs.”
When we talk about design, it’s all too easy to think we’re just referring to the aesthetics or style of something. While this is a huge facet of design, function is equally as important, if not more so.
“Visually, our products have to be eye-catching; they must look great. But under the beautiful surface of plastic, metal, or glass, our products need to do the job they’re built for. And people need to enjoy it, too. Creating a great user experience is also something that needs to be designed.”
“If we look at the Nokia Purity Pro Wireless Stereo Headset by Monster for example, it’s designed to connect seamlessly by using NFC technology. The ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) only activates when you wear the headset, thanks to built-in sensors. Design plays a big part in making all of this work to give the best possible experience.”
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