Blue is a natural choice, as the colours of Finland are blue and white, and blue is also Helsinki's colour.

However, the WDC Helsinki 2012 project is strongly future-oriented, so the project has updated the blue identity to reflect the project's ambitions. The chosen bright blue colour is youthful, clean, fresh, dynamic and easy to use. It represents a new approach to the traditional Finnish blue in the spirit of "digital meets the nature". The choice both respects the Finnish heritage and looks to the future.  

Blue also distinguishes Helsinki from the previous World Design Capitals. The identifying colour of the first World Design Capital, Turin (Torino) of Italy, was green. The colour of the current World Design Capital, South-Korean capital Seoul, is red.

The visual identity of the WDC Helsinki 2012 project has been designed by Kokoro & Moi. "In addition to the bright blue, the identity incorporates a palette of other colours reflecting openness, diversity and new opportunities," says the design agency's creative director Mr. Teemu Suviala. "Altogether, these colours represent all twelve sections of the colour wheel – in a novel, fresh interpretation."


The concept of the visual identity is open. From here on, further development of the concept can be joined by everybody in open identity workshops, regardless of age and nationality. The first open workshop was organised in connection with the Ideas Forum on 22 May 2010, at the brainstorming session in the Moko Market in Helsinki. In the spirit of the WDC Helsinki 2012 project, the concept is called "WDC Helsinki 2012 Open Identity Plan".