Challenging the tired old stereotypes of Scandinavian design, these essays look at design in Denmark, Norway and Sweden and assess the different roles that Finland and the wider Nordic region had in forming an image of Scandinavian design throughout the world. By looking at the legacy of Nordic design and its global impact, editors Rachel Gotlieb and Astrid Skjerven shed light on the development of national and regional design identities and their historical associations. Authors explore the transnational circulation of ideas throughout the later 20th century and examine the influences on design practices, production and consumerism. They look at how different countries negotiated and promoted Nordic branding and ideology, and offer new perspectives on design in relation to sustainability, changing economies and indigenous traditions.A range of leading international scholars look at the popularity of Nordic style in Soviet material culture, the influence on jewellery design in post-war Britain, Japanese interpretations of furniture and the shared philosophies of Japan and Finland. They investigate the particularly extensive use of natural materials and associations with sustainability in the USA, Canada and Europe.Drawing from a wealth of archival material and interviews with designers, makers and other stakeholders, this book reveals a lesser-known history of cross-cultural collaborations, exhibition production and tensions between mainstream and indigenous design in Scandinavia. Transnational Discourses in Nordic Design also provides an insight into some of the authors' own design practices and reveals the challenges facing Nordic designers today.

The transnational scope of the essays and focus on the later 20th century make this an original contribution to the field in the English language

Introduction, Rachel Gotlieb (Sheridan College, Canada) and Astrid Skjerven (Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway)Section 1: Transnational Exchanges1. Nordic Style as a Model for Soviet Estonian Design (1955-1970), Trinn Jerlei (Vilnius University, Lithuania)2. Design, Disability and Human Rights for Everyone? Sweden's Cold War Visit to ICSID'75 Moscow, Margareta Tillberg (Uppsala University, Sweden)3. Packing up the House: Standard Buildings in the Nordic Countries, Laura Berger, Philip Tidwell and Kristo Vesikansa (Aalto University, Finland)4. Scandinavian Design, Thai Teak and Material Availability as Methodology, Maggie Taft (Independent Scholar, USA)5. Mid-Century Modernist Jewellery: Influences and Parallels between the Nordic Countries and Britain, Sarah Rothwell (National Museums of Scotland, UK)Section 2: Exhibitions and Branding6. Branded as Supermodernism or Minimalism? Danish Design Identity seen from Canada and Japan, Anders V. Munch (University of Southern Denmark)7. Brief Encounter: The Nordic Industrial Design Exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts, Oslo, Denise Hagströmer (The National Museum, Norway)8. Finnish Design 2.0 at the XXII Triennale di Milano: Everyday Experimentation in its Historical and Policy Contexts, Guy Julier and Kaisu Savola (Aalto University, Finland)9. Out of the Woods or the Nature of Identity, the Identity of Nature and the Complexity of Contemporary Canadian Design, Michael J. Prokopow (OCAD University, Canada)10. Norway in the United Nations Security Council: How a Discarded Tapestry and a Pair of Pink Socks became the Nucleus of a Promotion Campaign, Astrid Skjerven (Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway)Section 3: Makers and Educators11. Finnishing Touches: Donald Lloyd McKinley and Ruth Gowley McKinley, Rachel Gotlieb (Sheridan College, Canada)12. A Design Journey: Impressions from a Trip to Sweden, Finland and Denmark, Paul Epp (OCAD University, Canada)13. The Challenges of Sámi Design, Anne Gerd Eira14. From Higher Education of Duodji to Higher Education in Duodji and Sámi Design, Gunvor Gutorm (Sámi University of Applied Sciences, Norway)