Nokia has teamed up with Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore to open its first studio in India. The Bangalore studio will be run by a team of Nokia designers along with students at Srishti School and established designers across India. It is learnt that the partnership is the first in a series planned to tap into the potential of countries that are seen as design hotspots.
“Nokia will work on new ideas for India’s fast-growing mobile-phone users. 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,” a company spokesperson told Indiaretailing.
“India is a good indicator of other emerging markets with rapidly expanding economies, as demand for mobile phones spans the range from cheap, no-frill handsets to high-end multimedia devices,” he added.
“For Nokia, design is not just about the look and feel of the handsets; 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,” Hannu Nieminen, head of Insight and Innovation, Nokia Design, clarified in a statement.
“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 – in terms of distribution and sales, R&D, manufacturing and, now, design. Our design and R&D centres will be instrumental in giving us insights to cater to the needs of this market,” said D Shivakumar, VP and country GM, Nokia 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 hired 50 more designers in the last year. Nokia has more than 300 designers in its global team from 34 countries.
Geetha Narayanan, founder and director, Srishti, informed: “Exposure to world-class designers in one of the fastest-growing product categories in the world will be a huge opportunity for the students in India.”
Nokia hopes that by embracing the skills of budding and established designers in India, it will inspire new trends across markets. The Nokia handsets created in Bangalore will also be sold worldwide.
– Vishnu Rageev R, Bangalore Bureau
