Our story
After 50 years, our mission remains as relevant as ever: to transform human understanding to creative designs that stand the test of time.
“Heikki Kiiski peers into the future in 1969” (Photo: Jorma Pitkonen)
Half a century of shaping the future
Just as our way of working has evolved over time, so has our name. We are now known as Edea Design – or simply just Edea® – but as ED Design, we’ve been creating innovative and sustainable design solutions for over 50 years.
Our history starts in the middle of the oil crisis of the 1970s, spans through the rise of personal computers, mobile phones, the Internet, cloud services, AR/VR/XR, and AI. Along the way, we have not only adapted to the changing world – we have shaped it via our designs.
1973 – Design studio Ergonomiadesign is founded.
1976 – Design studio Destem is founded.
Destem becomes the first in Finland to take Intergraph 3D CAD workstations into use. Until then, the designers’ main tools had been pen and paper.
1979 – Salora televisions, designed by Destem, become market leaders in Finland.
1981 – NMT 450 cellular network is launched in the Nordics. NMT is the first technology to enable roaming.
Three years later, the world’s first portable phone, Mobira Talkman, is launched. It is designed by Ergonomiadesign.
1982 – Destem envisions the “Hitech” concept.
The concept features futuristic items such as a flat-screen television with on-screen widgets and a remote with an integrated display. They would not become reality for decades.
1987 – Mobira launches Cityman 900, the world’s first mobile phone, again designed by Ergonomiadesign.
The phone is fondly known as “Gorba” after the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who is the first one to try it out.
1988 – Polar Electro develops the world’s first watch that features a heart rate monitor. It is designed by Destem.
1990 – Finland’s economy falls into depression following the fall of the Soviet Union.
Undaunted, Ergonomiadesign and Destem join forces to become E&D Design. It immediately becomes one of the major design studios in the Nordic countries.
1990 – Oras launches Electra, the world’s first touch-free faucet. Designed by E&D, it continues the co-operation between Oras and Ergonomiadesign.
1995 – Following the commercial breakthrough of Internet, E&D creates the concept for the first Nokia Communicator.
1996 – E&D creates the “Future Personal Portal” concept. In it, devices act as universal windows to data stored on remote servers or on peer devices. The devices share a universal user interface.
It would still take a decade before cloud services and device ecosystems make their real-world breakthrough.
1999 – Valtra develops Model S, their biggest tractor so far. Designed by E&D, the model features a round bonnet, a world-first feature that would win several design awards and become widely copied.
2000 – E&D changes its name to ED-Design, matching the studio’s Internet domain.
ED-Design becomes the first design studio in Finland to acquire an in-house rapid prototyping machine, essentially, a nylon based 3D printer.
2002 – Tunturi T8 Ergometer hits the market.
Designed by ED-Design, Tunturi exercise bicycles’ popularity in the U.S. is known to have made the word “tunturi” synonymous with “exercise bike”.
2005 – Hyster-Yale shortlists the world’s best utility vehicle design studios. ED-Design is selected as their forklift design partner.
2006 – ED-Design starts design co-operation with Molok. The company is known for developing the world’s first deep waste container.
2008 – Philips spin-off PolymerVision introduces the world’s first rollable e-ink display. ED-Design is contracted to design its user experience.
2016 – Morehouse launches its flagship product, the COMM7 Rapid Deployment Command Center.
The foldable workstations designed by ED Design enable the NATO compatible mobile hub to be deployed in mere minutes. The previous record is bettered by 90 %.
2019 – Uniqair introduces Uniq, an air purifier capable of cleaning viruses off room air. It is designed by ED Design.
The product is launched just in time before the COVID-19 pandemic starts spreading across the world.
2021 – Tablebed‘s multifunctional table/bed furniture, designed by ED Design, gets listed as “One of the best inventions of 2021” by TIME magazine.
2023 – ED Design celebrates its 50 year journey by adopting a new name, Edea Design – or simply just Edea®.
The new company motto, Every design is a relationship®, reflects the core idea that continues to drive us: we transform human understanding to creative products and services that stand the test of time.