The new collection, Nokia Design Archive, serves as a kind of museum to the phone history for anyone who cherishes the memory of the indestructible classics or who loves mobile design history.
Created by Aalto University in Finland, this digital collection highlights the Nokia design evolution from the mid-1990s to 2017, the era that formed the mobile industry.
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The archive features over 700 curated entries including sketches photos presentations and interviews. The collection offers an uncurated repository with 20,000 items and an impressive 959GB of digital flies.
Nokia’s Design Evolution
While it celebrates iconic devices like the 3310 and the N-Gage, it also provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Nokia designs evolved. Through concept sketches, mood boards, and product presentations, users can understand how Nokia balanced user behavior, technological shifts, and design innovation.
Professor Anna Valtonen the lead researcher of the project emphasized on the human-centered design approach that the company employs. In the early ages of Nokia, there was a genuine wish to understand people. Now we are at a similar point of societal transformation with AI she noted.
An Interactive Experience
What makes the archive interesting is the interactivity involved. For example, users can filter the collection by-products, aesthetics, design processor, or specific years. Some topics like Mobile Games and gaming reveal how the legendary snake game was created. Sections on Phones, Fashion, and Accessories reveal influence by Nokia even beyond technology.
It's definitely not a simple nostalgia-ride down the avenue of past eras but the Nokia Design Archive also stands to celebrate innovation.