Designing a campaign inspired by Paimio Sanatorium, a masterpiece by Alvar and Aino Aalto
The Paimio sanatorium (opened in 1933) is a masterpiece of functionalism by Alvar and Aino Aalto. Set amidst pine forests outside the small town of Paimio in southwest Finland, the sanatorium was conceived as a ‘medical instrument’ dedicated to treating tuberculosis patients. To further the healing process, a remarkable array of colors was selected for its interiors.
To support the Paimio Sanatorium Foundation in its mission and to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the sanatorium’s opening, Artek released a celebratory Paimio Sanatorium Anniversary Collection. The glowing colors of sanatorium interiors inspired the new colorways of the company’s iconic products.Kokoro & Moi was responsible for designing the visual communication concept for Artek’s campaign and the implementations needed in marketing and communication. In addition to the campaign, The Colours of Paimio exhibition takes place at Artek’s flagship store in Helsinki in the summer of 2023. Alongside the campaign, we were responsible for the exhibition's graphic design.
To convey the uniqueness of the place, we built the visual communication concept on photography.
Paimio Sanatorium has inspired numerous photographers to visit the site and capture the architecture and interior details of the building. To convey the uniqueness of the place, we built the visual communication concept of the campaign on photography. We searched and curated photographs from different photographers, including Fabrice Fouillet, Benjamin Gilbert, Addison Godel, Suvi Kesäläinen, Miemo Penttinen and Tuomas Uusheimo, which served as the foundation for the campaign's visual concept.
In the implementations, we play with Artek's product images and the photos taken at Paimio sanatorium, freely arranging them in a travelogue-like manner. The color palette is derived from architecture and interior design. The typography is Futura, Artek's brand font.
The Colours of Paimio exhibition at Artek Helsinki was designed by Joanna Amemori and Artek’s team, with us being responsible for the graphic design part, which was based on the campaign colors and typography. For the windows, we got inspiration from the recognizable orange railing of the sanatorium's sun terrace.
The Colours of Paimio exhibition takes place at Artek’s flagship store in Helsinki in the summer of 2023.
