The world of smartphones may be dominated by the iPhone and the 17 million Android-based models, but if we go back to the turn of the century, the crown was held by Nokia. Its creative core gave rise to very popular designs that became 'first mobile phones' for millions of users, and much of that content has been published online through the Nokia Design Archive, developed by Aalto University. From basic phones to virtual reality glasses that were never built, there is plenty of material to explore.
The Nokia 3310 has a legendary reputation for durability, but I must admit my heart belongs to the Nokia 1100. Beaten, thrown, turned into a submarine (more than once), and with a battery life of 17 years, I can only celebrate its design. Now, where did it come from? Who imagined its aesthetic? History tells us that the Nokia 1100 was born in the Nokia Design Center in California, and was patented by Dimitre D. Mehandjiysky, but those are superficial details. To learn more about 'Nokia design', its essence, and the craziest ideas of the company, I recommend visiting the Nokia Design Archive from Aalto University.
Exploring the Nokia Design Archive
The site's content is presented in a network with 722 main elements (for now), and a much larger number of subcategories. There is also the possibility of viewing everything in a timeline; however, I personally recommend using the internal search, and then "get lost" following tags.
For example, 'Going Crazy' with Design Concepts is one of the most interesting sections, full of concepts that never left the imagination of their creators. Holographic orbs, butterfly-shaped communicators, portable projectors, and privacy masks that block lip reading are some of the things we can see here.
Another tag that definitely deserves our attention is "Y2K Aesthetics". There we find phones like the Nokia 5110, but also prototypes of 'wearables', smart keyboards, virtual ink pens, pagers, webpads, child locators (!), and handheld consoles with oval screens. To study a document more closely or download copies, the site offers links to the Aalto Repository, where PDFs and high-resolution images are stored. Link below!
Official site: Click here
