The World Design Capital designation is a city promotion project that celebrates the accomplishments of cities that have used design as a tool to reinvent themselves and improve social, cultural and economic life.

Helsinki has been appointed the World Design Capital for 2012. Finnish design has a long and distinguished history. It is no exaggeration to say that design is ever-present in the Finnish lifestyle.

Design infuses all Helsinki life with a sense of artistry. Coffee breaks are enlivened by striking Arabia ceramics, fashion antennae twitch as locals saunter by in dazzling Marimekko threads. Buildings show off their Neoclassical perfection around Senate Square (built by the same architects as St Petersburg), while Nouveau motifs and Deco flourishes make visitors pause on countless streets.