Case

Journey of sand

We helped legendary Finnish brand Iittala – a pioneer in timeless Nordic design – to create a series of films and photographs that spoke to the spirit of the brand. The beauty of design, the magic of glassmaking, the heat of the hot shop, and the skill of craftspeople – each stage in the journey is fascinating but extremely difficult to capture.

We used documentary style and custom-crafted soundscape to convey glassmaking’s emotion, intensity and charm. ‘The Making of’ range included films and photography in the form of four poetic stories: Making of the Essentials, Making of the Birds, Making of the Aalto vase and Making of the Raami carafe.

The videos have gained tens of thousands of views. They are in use at the Iittala Glass Factory, the global chain of retail stores and social media channels.

Case Information

Client

Iittala

Scope

  1. Concept design
  2. Art direction
  3. Photography & film
  4. Social media content

Web

Credits

Image: Aleksi Kuokka
(All films & photographs)
Image: Jean-Marc Joseph
(Making of the Essentials)
Editor: Jean-Marc Joseph
Music: Simon Pyke & Simon Smith

Making of the Essentials

The film showcases a poetic evocation of the journey of sand through the process of glass manufacturing. The full version of The Making of the Essentials film is displayed on a big screen at the Iittala Glass Factory and the brand's flagship stores, while shorter versions of the original film can be viewed in retail stores, online and social media.

“We aimed to capture the intensity and tactility of glass making through the entire process.”
Jean-Marc Joseph

Making of the Birds

Oiva Toikka (1931-2019) is one of the greatest names in Finnish design. Toikka had two great passions in life, nature and glassmaking, both combining elegantly in his iconic collection of glass birds. The film follows Toikka's journey to Nuutajärvi, the birthplace of the Birds by Toikka collection – imagining how the artist observed birds at his summer cottage and then made them come alive as imaginative and colourful glass birds at the Nuutajärvi and Iittala glassworks.

 

“Taking Nordic music as inspiration, I created a soundtrack from a palette of sounds derived from glass, nature and the tools of creation where the music and sound effects are treated as one. The soundtrack also needed to convey the sense of focused calm within the factory as well as the intensity of heat and steam.”
Simon Pyke, Musician

It's all about the content

For us, the project is the perfect example of our approach to storytelling: touching hearts is far more important than technical superiority or polished perfection. And there is always more to great storytelling than a big budget. 

Results

  1. In a few weeks, 'Making of the Essentials' became the most viewed Iittala video to date. 

Are you interested?

Aleksi Kuokka

Head of Brand & Spaces,
Partner
+358 44 705 2226

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