Kaj Franck

Kaj Franck (1911 – 1989) was a very influential Finnish designer whose design practice truly embodies the democratic values of his native country. Described as ‘the conscience of Finnish design’, Franck created simple, yet stunningly beautiful work that typically consisted of striking geometric forms and bold colours. A strong advocate for the importance of recycling, the designer shunned materialism, excess and throwaway culture, in favour of timeless, enduring and minimalist designs.

After graduating with a degree in Industrial Design in 1932, Franck had an array of different roles predominately in the glass and textile industry. These ranged from glassware catalogue illustrator to textile and interior designer. After the war, he joined ceramic and glassware company Arabia as a Product Designer and later also became Director of Design for Nuutäjarvi Notsjö. Notably, as the designer’s career took off so too did Finnish design on the international stage, becoming a major export industry.

Franck’s post-war designs were some of the most innovative, popular and influential of the period. As a true Modernist, Franck used geometric shapes to achieve universality and purity of form. This, in addition to his incredibly refined combination of both utility and aesthetics, allows his work to appear as contemporary as it did decades ago.

Throughout his incredibly successful career, Kaj Fanck amassed many Finnish and international design awards. He was heavily recognised by the famous Triennale di Milano on three occasions, receiving a Gold Medal (1951), Diplome d’honneur (1954) and the Grand Prix (1957). This was in addition to being the recipient of the Lunning Prize in 1955 and the Compasso d’oro in 1957. His work has been exhibited at MoMA, New York and is in the collection of many renowned galleries and museums. Today, the most prestigious design award in Finland is the ‘Kaj Franck Design Prize’.