Ornamo Afterwork: The Pulse of Design
Start the autumn season with a gathering that is part honest reflection, part reunion and a time to connect. Ornamo Dialogue brings together design professionals and researchers to explore the current state of the field and where it’s heading next in Finland.
Join us along shared insight, honest reflection, and open conversation. This event will explore the current, lived reality of design, alongside fresh research on where the Finnish design field is heading, and a candid discussion on the pressures facing design today and what it takes for the discipline to remain relevant and vibrant.
Program
17:00 — Doors, drinks, hellos Roll in, grab something cold, find your people.
17:30 — Where we actually are: Emmi Putkonen (Ornamo) opens with findings from the Design Pulse study, a comprehensive snapshot of the design field from employment and income to entrepreneurship, market conditions, and outlook.
17:45 — What the research sees: Nuria Solsona Caba & Eva Astria (Aalto University) share fresh research on where the Finnish design field is heading.
~18:10 — The big talk A frank, no-spin panel, hosted by Zeynep Falay, on why design teams are being cut, and what it takes for design to stay relevant and feel alive again:
- Heli Ihamäki, Principal Consultant, Strategy & Design, Invinite
- Michihito Mizutani, UX & Design Lead, KONE
- Marjukka Mäkelä, Designer and Strategist
~18:50 — Audience engagement: Dive into one of the two open conversations: (1) raising the strategic impact of design inside companies, and (2) supporting young designers facing the hardest job market in years. The second feeds a policy recommendation Ornamo will carry to decision-makers.
20:00 — Close
Speakers
Núria Solsona is a lecturer in Service Design at Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Finland. She also serves as the program director of the multi-school master’s program, International Design Business Management, representing the ARTS School. With a background in design practice, she has worked extensively in service design consultancies, collaborating with large organizations worldwide in public and commercial sectors. Her research focuses on advancing the adoption of design practices and the role of design in steering ecosystems in response to complex socio-economic and sustainability challenges.
Eva Mega Astria is a designer and researcher at Aalto University, working in visual design and strategic service design. A recent graduate of the International Design Business Management (MA) programme, her research focuses on how design operates within organisations and how the role of designers is evolving in interdisciplinary contexts. She is interested in the relationship between design practice, organisational structures, and the ways design can enable new forms of value creation and systemic change.
Michihito “Michi” Mizutani is a UX and design lead with a passion for creating human-centered products, services, and experiences that deliver value for both people and business. He specializes in connecting user needs, design systems, and business strategy to drive meaningful outcomes in complex product ecosystems. His work is guided by systems thinking, collaboration, and a belief that design can help organizations navigate complexity, create impact, and stay relevant in times of change. Michi is an advocate for design excellence, continuous learning, and the evolving role of design in shaping better products, services, and organizations.
Marjukka Mäkelä is a people leader with a passion for humanizing organizations. Over the past twenty years, she has been advancing the role of design in multiple corporations, including ABB, Digia, KONE, and Posti sharing her passion for human-centered design and organizational change. Marjukka holds a degree in strategic and industrial design and has extensive professional experience ranging from R&D Project and Product Management to building and leading successful design teams, shaping strategic customer experience, and developing effective operating models.
Join the discussion! Because world needs the voice of designers more than ever, and we’re far better at this together than alone. 💫
The event will be held in English.
In Collaboration
ODDspace is a new kind of creative hub in the making. A shared workspace & cultural platform where artists, creative entrepreneurs, and cultural organisations work side by side.