Nokia opens design studio in Bangalore

Nokia has set up a design studio in partnership with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore. The studio will explore a range of design trends and themes including colour and material trends in India, mobile use of the Internet and its implications for design, and examining innovative features and uses for mobiles. It will be run by a team of Nokia designers along with students at Srishti School and established designers across India.

“For Nokia, design is not just about the look and feel of the handsets but equally important is what it can do for people and how it fits into their lives. Designers must be exposed to how people live and work in different places around the world. Our new satellite studio in India will draw on the experiences of this dynamic market to develop new design ideas and identify trends," said Mr Hannu Nieminen, Head of Insight and Innovation, Nokia Design, in a statement said.

“Nokia’s decision to open its first design satellite studio in India underscores our commitment to the market and strengthens our presence in the country– distribution and sales, R&D, manufacturing and now design. Our vision for India is to connect the next billion and our design and R&D centres will be instrumental in giving us insights to cater to the needs of this market,” said Mr D Shivakumar, Vice-President and Country General Manager, Nokia India.

Ms. Geetha Narayanan, Founder and Director, Srishti, said: “Exposure to world class designers in one of the fastest growing product category in the world will be a huge opportunity for the students in India.”

The Bangalore satellite studio is part of Nokia’s ongoing investment in design. This year the company established a new design studio at its global headquarters in Espoo, Finland and plans to open a similar facility in London later this year. Globally, it has hired 50 more designers in the last year. Nokia has more than 300 designers in its global team from 34 countries.