Simo Viljakainen, owner of Northern Snow Emotion, had an idea. He had created a unique snowmobile sledge, one that was warm and comfortable with big windows for sightseeing. Pulled behind a snowmobile, the sledge could take all guests, young and old, into the Arctic. Simo had prepared a wooden kota, a teepee-style hut, in the middle of the vast nature. With an open-fire kitchen, he had planned a 5-course dinner. Imagine, nothing but the wilderness and northern lights, paired with fine dining and good wine. To make this adventure available to all, Simo wanted to create a mobile sales stand, where it would be possible to purchase these adventures online or in-person. Together, we submitted an application for an innovation voucher by Business Finland.

Once we got a positive response from Business Finland, we were ready for action. The project began with an interactive workshop with the company’s stakeholders. Implementing the help of a top service designer, Hanna-Riina Vuontisjärvi, we mapped the needs and wants of international travelers, and planned a prototype that we could test on the spot. With the findings from the workshop, we created a digital prototype that we once more tested with the stakeholders. Once we were confident with the usability aspects of the stand, we shifted our focus to the prototype’s content. We created detailed information for potential guests and tested the sales material. During the project, Simo realized he would need to improve his logo in order to better reflect the company’s mission. We took this on as a side project, and together went through some of the visual materials I had collected. After the meeting, I created two different logo designs. For most logo projects, I usually sketch between one and three versions, all of which can be fully developed.

As an outcome, Northern Snow Emotion received a ready-to-produce prototype of a mobile sales stand, as well as additional sales material. We also created a logo to match the company’s identity, along with both business card and graphic instructions.

“Working with Kirsti was great. She was able tailor a prototype that really looked wonderful.”