Katja Soini: “Ornamo is a community to give back to”

I am taking up the pen and starting a new tradition with this message. The Ornamo board has agreed that we will openly and regularly share updates on current topics we are working on for the benefit of our community. Many have requested a glimpse into the daily life of the board, and this has been discussed at length among the board members. The practical implementation has previously remained a poor intention, but now we are finally opening the door and airing our thoughts in turns. Hopefully, these messages, published a few times a year, will make the board more familiar and approachable.

In this first column, I want to share my thoughts on the very essence of Ornamo – our community.

Ornamo is a vibrant, multidisciplinary community that is in tune with the times. I am greatly pleased by the members’ enthusiasm and desire to influence the design field and wider society. Interest Groups have become very popular, and it’s no wonder, as they allow members to advance important issues together with designers from their own and other fields. An excellent example is the Ornamo Responsibility Manifesto, launched by one of the interest groups earlier this year. The manifesto is our collective interpretation of responsible design. It can also be challenged and refined, as no one has ready answers, but we can learn from each other.

Ornamo is a community that supports and protects the individual. Based on your feedback, the most important member services are the newsletter, professional training, personal advice, salary statistics, and Designduunit (open jobs). These provide practical help and support at career turning points, such as graduation, changing jobs, or facing unemployment. Additionally, in the community, you can meet a colleague who is in the same situation, and sharing experiences often helps. I think it’s important that, when the world is unstable, Ornamo remains a safe haven where you can seek out like-minded people who care about how you are doing.

Ornamo is a community where you can give back. I consider myself lucky because, despite my modest background, I have been able to fulfill myself professionally. I studied as far as possible, up to a Doctor of Arts. I get to do meaningful work as Strategy and Sustainability Director and accelerate the transition towards the circular economy. I am very grateful for this and consider Finnish society a privilege – still, despite major changes and recent cuts in public funding. I applied to be the chair of Ornamo because I want to give back to the design field and society. I do my best as the chair of the board to ensure that designers are recognized as drivers of sustainability transition. We create innovative solutions for a resource-wise society. To spread awareness of this potential and actually do it, we need all of us. Together, we can make this vision a reality <3

The above thoughts stem from Ornamo’s updated strategy for 2025–2030. It will be presented at the spring meeting on April 23, 2025. The event will be held in Finnish, but you are most welcome to listen, get excited, and challenge!

With appreciation,

Katja Soini

Chair of the Ornamo Board

Industrial Designer, Doctor of Arts, Strategy and Sustainability Director