Linja Design

Linja Design was founded in Helsinki in 1986 as a subsidiary of Ergonomiadesign, a design studio in Turku. One of Linja’s first projects was to design a diving computer for Suunto. The design of a device for a challenging, underwater environment shaped the future direction of Linja Design, as the designers felt that designing interactive devices offered more challenge and excitement than designing furniture and tableware, for example.

In 2002, Eljas Perheentupa, founder and principal owner of Linja Design, was awarded the Industrial Designer of the Year. The Industrial Designers Association (TKO) praised Linja Design for successfully combining user interface and product design, being one of the first design agencies to show that they belong together. Linja’s competence has been a key factor in the profile of companies such as Suunto in international markets.

In 2006, Linja Design fully focused on software design and design instead of traditional product design, offering design from concept to implementation of digital products and services.

In addition to the design materials related to Suunto’s dive and wrist computers, the Linja Design´s archive contains a wealth of material, including Helkama’s household appliances, Lynx snowmobiles and slot machines. See here the catalogue of the Linja Design´s archive and here and here the digitised drawings and photos of objects.