Young Finnish Design

What Young Finnish Design does

Young Finnish Design (YFD) is a Helsinki-area design agency founded in 2017 by Aalto University graduates Heidi Maria Huovinen and Elisa Luoto. The company operates as a curated two-sided platform connecting emerging Finnish designers with Finnish companies through structured design competitions. YFD organizes open and curated competitions (YFD Sprint, YFD Standard, YFD Talent Rekry, and branded YFD X partnerships with brands such as Aarikka, Airam, VM Carpet, Saintex, and Parolan Rottinki), brand services including brand audits, visual identity design, and employer branding, as well as designer education (Design Career Booster mentorship, short-format courses), and an e-commerce store selling competition-winning products. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: a Squarespace website with Stripe payment processing for e-commerce, Canva for shared presentation materials, Google Meet for online course delivery, and email-based PDF briefs for competition management — with no proprietary software or platform IP disclosed.

Name

Young Finnish Design

Legal name

Young Finnish Design Oy

Website

https://youngfinnishdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Young Finnish Design is a Helsinki-based design agency and competition platform that connects emerging Finnish designers with Finnish companies through structured design competitions, brand services, and mentorship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (54142)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Visual Identity & Brand Design Systems (BPAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM), Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD)

Keywords

• Design competitions
• Brand design services
• Employer branding
• Design recruitment
• Creative mentorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Vantaa

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Design Competitions for Companies: YFD organizes open and curated design competitions for Finnish companies. Companies pay for the competition service, which provides new product ideas, marketing exposure, and access to emerging designer talent.
2. Brand & Design Services: YFD provides brand services including brand checks (bränditsekki), brand visual identity design (brändi-ilmeen suunnittelu), employer branding, and brand applications. Services also include photography and video production.
3. Courses and Mentorship Programs: YFD offers Design Career Booster — a 3-month mentorship program (6 sessions, every other week, online via Google Meet) priced at €250. Also offers 2-hour career courses priced at €25.
4. E-commerce Product Sales: Online store selling products designed through YFD competitions. Gift cards also available. Payment processed via Stripe through Squarespace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Young Finnish Design is a design agency that organizes structured design competitions (open and curated) connecting emerging Finnish designers with companies seeking new product ideas, patterns, and brand assets. It also delivers brand services including brand audits (bränditsekki), visual identity design, employer branding, and brand applications, plus courses and mentorship programs for emerging designers. Revenue is generated from companies paying for competition organization and brand services.

Product overview

Young Finnish Design (YFD) is a Finnish design agency that operates as a platform connecting emerging Finnish designers with businesses through design competitions and brand services. The company offers two primary service lines: (1) Design competitions including YFD Sprint (quick format), YFD Standard (comprehensive format), YFD Talent Rekry (recruitment), and branded YFD X competitions with specific partners like Aarikka, Airam, VM Carpet, and Annala; and (2) Brand services including Bränditsekki (brand audit), Brändi-ilmeen suunnittelu (visual identity), and Employer branding. Additional offerings include YFD Courses & Mentorships providing career development programs for designers. The company was founded by two designers from Aalto University in 2017 and is headquartered in Vantaa, Finland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YFD Sprint A quick design competition format that connects companies with emerging Finnish designers for rapid design solutions on a shorter timeline than the standard competition.
• YFD Standard The standard design competition format offering comprehensive designer-company collaboration for product and brand development.
• YFD Talent Rekry Recruitment service connecting companies with emerging Finnish designers for employment and collaboration opportunities, leveraging YFD's curated talent pipeline.
• YFD Bränditsekki (Brand Audit) Brand audit service providing companies with an external perspective on brand consistency and visual identity across channels, including competitor analysis.
• YFD Brändi-ilmeen suunnittelu (Brand Visual Identity Design) Brand visual identity design service creating a cohesive brand image and visual language for companies seeking a refreshed or new identity.
• YFD Employer Branding Employer branding service helping companies attract talent by strengthening their employer brand identity and external messaging.
• YFD Brändisovellutukset (Brand Applications) Brand applications service extending visual identity into tangible brand assets, marketing collateral, and other applied brand materials.
• YFD Courses & Mentorships Educational programs for emerging designers, including the Design Career Booster 3-month mentorship (€250 for 6 sessions over 3 months) and 2-hour career courses (€25) covering tools for career advancement, networking, and sales skills.
• YFD E-commerce Store (Design Competition Products) Online store (youngfinnishdesign.com) selling products designed through YFD competitions (e.g., Aarikka, Airam, VM Carpet, Annala collaboration products), with gift cards available. Powered by Squarespace with Stripe payments.
• Nuoret suunnittelijat töihin Competition 2026 Large-scale public design competition scheduled for 2026, connecting young designers with 21 companies (Fazer, Framery, Luhta, Isku, Harvia, etc.) across product, furniture, textile, graphic, concept, and spatial design categories. Launch event hosted at Hotel AX in Helsinki.
• Inclusive Design Competition Curated design competition focused on accessibility and inclusive design, conducted in partnership with Tieto Tech Consulting, Flow Festival, and Inklusiiv. Only three designers are selected for this competition focused on removing invisible barriers in festival experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 376 competition entries received for YFD X Aarikka competition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.

• SpacentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerYFD partnered with Spacent (Nordic hybrid work platform backed by 10+ years of Aalto University, MIT, and Tongji University research) to offer YFD designers a 15% discount on coworking passes. Spacent provides flexible workspaces across Finland for designers, freelancers, and remote workers.
• Habitare (Messukeskus)moderateGTM or Marketing PartnerYFD Speed Dating event held at Habitare PRO area on September 13, 2024. Habitare is Finland's largest interior design and living fair. The event connected young designers with entrepreneurs and experts from YFD's network.
• Hotel AXmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerHotel AX (art hotel in Helsinki) partnered with YFD for the launch event (April 16, 2026) and final ceremony of the 'Nuoret suunnittelijat töihin' competition. Hotel AX provides venue and catering for both events, supporting YFD's mission to connect young designers and companies.
• Tieto Tech ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYFD partnered with Tieto Tech Consulting, Flow Festival, and Inklusiiv to run an inclusive design competition. Only three designers are selected for this curated competition focused on removing invisible barriers in festival experiences. Applications closed June 3.
• Flow FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlow Festival co-partners with YFD and Tieto Tech Consulting for an inclusive design competition aimed at identifying invisible barriers that affect festival participation.
• InklusiivcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInklusiiv partners with YFD, Tieto Tech Consulting, and Flow Festival for an inclusive design competition. The organization focuses on making invisible barriers visible through design.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Reaktor: Finnish design and technology firm with a strong design practice. Competes for the same Finnish enterprise brand and digital design mandates that YFD targets.
• Futurice: Finnish design and engineering consultancy with strong brand and digital product practices. Comparable as a domestic competitor for Finnish enterprise design services and a potential employer drawing the same young designer talent.
• Designforum Finland: Finnish design promotion organization supporting design industry and education. Comparable mission of advancing Finnish design and connecting designers with industry, though as a non-profit rather than a commercial agency.

Direct peers

• DesignCrowd: Crowdsourced design marketplace where companies run design contests and receive multiple proposals. Directly comparable competition-driven GTM, though based in Australia and operating globally.
• Designhill: Design marketplace and competition platform with both contest-based and freelance offerings. Comparable to YFD's model of running branded client competitions producing final deliverables.
• 99designs: Global design competition platform connecting clients with freelance designers via contests. Closest direct comparable in the 'design competition as service' category, though at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• Crowdspring: Chicago-based design and naming competition platform offering contests for logos, branding, and product design. Mirrors YFD's competition-plus-brand-services model at a larger scale.

Others

• Aalto Design Factory: Aalto University experiential learning platform bridging design talent and industry projects. Closely comparable in mission and origin (same Aalto design community YFD founders emerged from), though operating as an academic initiative rather than a commercial agency.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: World's largest independent design consultancy, operating in branding, identity, and product design. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary brand design services firm, though at global scale and without the competition-talent funnel.
• Designit (Wipro): Global strategic design firm, part of Wipro, offering brand, product, and service design. Comparable as a competitor for Finnish and Nordic enterprise brand-services work, with deeper resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-finnish-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young Finnish Design