12/08/11

Maternity package gets new look

In a design contest organised by Kela, students of the Aalto University School of Art and Design competed to give a new look to the maternity package. The winning entry, Sukupuu (Family tree), was submitted by Johanna Öst Häggblom.

The idea behind the contest was to bring out innovative and original ideas for the design of the maternity package. Part of the World Design Capital Helsinki programme, the contest was organised in collaboration with the Aalto University School of Art and Design.

The panel of six judges selected the entry titled Sukupuu (Family tree), submitted by Johanna Öst Häggblom, as the winner among the 30 entries received. Ms. Öst Häggblom is in the Master's degree programme in applied art and design. The winning design will be used in the next version of the maternity package, which is expected to be introduced in August 2012. The winner is awarded €1,500.

The second prize was awarded to Jonossa mars! (Single file, march!) submitted by Reeta Ek. Ms. Ek is in the Master's degree programme in textile art and design. She is awarded €1,000. The panel also gave an honourable mention to Aarteet (Treasures) submitted by Pauliina Nykänen, who studies graphic design in the Department of Design.

According to Anne Neimala, benefits director at Kela, the panel looked for a baby-friendly design that works well for boys and girls and communicates the purpose of the maternity package, which is to promote the baby's well-being.

Parents can customise their maternity package

The winning design impressed the judges with its functional, high-quality concept. True to its name, the design features a family tree where parents can write the name of their baby and those closest to him or her. The design makes it possible to customise the maternity package for the newborn. The panel praised the winning design for highlighting the family context that the baby is born into and for its use of strong and bold colours and versatile surfaces. The panel recognised that the design lends itself to many uses. One can affix photos to the box or even make a painting out of the cover.

The winners were selected by a panel of judges comprising Anne Neimala (chair), Seija Kauppinen and Suvi Onninen of Kela, Professor Marjatta Itkonen of the School of Art and Design, and graphical designers Erika Kallasmaa and Sakke Yrjölä.

Jonossa mars!, the runner-up design, was commended by the panel for its warm colours, soft style of illustration and sympathetic story. One side of the box portrays a bird family carrying eggs while walking through a park in the spring, while the other side shows them walking through the winter snow with little baby birds dressed in clothes featured in the maternity package. The panel found that the design portrays life in Finland and the change of seasons very attractively.

Distribution of the redesigned maternity package will begin in autumn 2012

The redesigned maternity package is planned to go into distribution in August 2012. More than 90% of first-time parents choose the maternity package. It is distributed yearly to about 50,000 families.

Pictures of the winning look and other participants, here.