Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
It’s an understatement to say that cell phones have changed in the 30-plus years since he entered the mainstream. But, regardless of all the features that our smart phones offer, they cannot compare to the performance of the first models. Now, there is an opportunity to go back, thanks to the new digital Nokia Design Archive sharing drawings, photos, interviews and videos from the mid-1990s to 2017.
Aalto University, in Nokia’s home country of Finland, hosts the Nokia Design Archive. His team of researchers saved 700 documents and included a site with 20,000 other items and 959GB of original digital files. Which has never been seen from Nokiawhich released its first GSM mobile phone in 1992, does not disappoint. Anyone who’s feeling a bit overwhelmed (ahem, me) can re-read the show with thoughts and ideas.
The dive that follows not only gives way to Nokia’s classic devices (and their 90s styling), but also a fascinating look at how technology evolves. “In the early years of Nokia, there was a real desire to understand people, how they live, what makes them tick. Now we are at the same time as social change with AI. No one is sure what it is, but we have to make people imagine what it could be,” said researcher Professor Anna Valtonen in a release. “The archive reveals how creators created a vision that could be explored well long before it became a reality. It reminds us that we have agency and can shape our world – by revealing the work of the many people who made it happen.”
The Design Archive appears as a floating text gallery, with topics including Mobile Games and Gaming – which offers a glimpse into the popular Snake game – and Mobile Fashion and Gadgets. The free platform offers filters for four topics: product, design, design and manufacturing process. Plus, you can go back a few years to get a better look at your favorite brand’s timeline. The team hopes to continue adding more as the project progresses.
