Piippo Kari

Kari Piippo, one of Finland’s most internationally renowned graphic designers, graduated from the Graphic Design Department of the School of Art and Design in 1967. After graduating, he worked for two years in an advertising agency, after which he has been working as a freelancer specialising in illustration and poster design. He has had his own graphic design studio Kari Piippo since 1987.

Kari Piippo has designed numerous visual brand identities for corporate and community graphics, and some of his clients are the Finnish Medicines Agency, the Ministry of the Environment, the City of Mikkeli, the Central Arts Council and the museums of the City of Mikkeli. But Piippo is best known for his simplistic, striking culture posters. He is of crucial importance as the man who introduced modern theatre posters to Finland.

In addition to his design work, Piippo has taught at art schools in Finland and abroad since the 1980s. Piippo also organises poster courses, lectures, and works as a competition judge around the world. He has participated in major international exhibitions since the 1980s and held numerous solo exhibitions around the world.

In Finland, Piippo has received all the major awards in the art industry: In 1988 he was awarded the State Prize for Art and Design, in 1990 he was named Graphic Artist of the Year, and in 1993 Piippo was awarded the with the platinium prize of the Top of the year competition in 1993. He was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal in 2011. In addition, Piippo’s work has been awarded in numerous internationally significant poster competitions. Piippo is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), the world’s leading association of graphic artists and designers.

The material donated to Design Archives by Kari Piippo consists of his posters. See here the catalogue of Piippo’s archive.

Explore Piippo’s design work in the Design is thinking online exhibition.