The Design Deed of the Year is awarded annually to a Finnish enterprise where design plays a significant role. This year, the prize was awarded to Woodio Oy. The jury appreciates the international branding of Woodio, in which a traditional and everyday product has been realised in an innovative and distinctive way. An investment has been made in professional design right from the beginning and the company’s products delight the consumer with their novel aesthetic, durability and usability.

“The material innovation itself was born out of a product idea. First, we had an idea about manufacturing bathroom tiles out of wood. While working on this idea, the Woodio material, a waterproof solid wood composite, was created. The technology has been developed within the company but Pentagon Design has been an indispensable partner in product design since the beginning. It has been wonderful to be able to use Woodio to combine the Finnish export assets: wood, design and technology,” says Woodio founder, CEO and Doctor of Chemistry Petro Lahtinen.