The Creative Economy needs Design – Design Forum Finland shaping the Future of Growth

Design Forum Finland is participating in the Advisory Board on the Creative Economy established by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Culture. The board’s aim is to promote the growth, internationalisation, and cross-sectoral collaboration of the creative industries between 2024 and 2030. Design Forum Finland is represented on the board by CEO Joakim Karske, with Finance and Administration Manager Sanna Lahovaara as deputy member.

Design Forum Finland aims to ensure that the role of design is reflected in national innovation policy, export programmes, and business support systems. According to CEO Joakim Karske, achieving this requires structural changes, which can be advanced through new forms of collaboration and a shared strategic vision. The advisory board’s work has already produced concrete proposals, including recommendations on RDI funding structures and the commercialisation of creative services. Design Forum Finland has contributed insights on the business potential of design and the need to direct funding towards service design and innovation based on customer understanding. Karske sees the advisory board as a significant opportunity to position design as a core element of national growth and export strategies – not merely as an aesthetic layer, but as a way of working that drives innovation and addresses societal challenges.

“Design is a strategic tool that helps solve the key challenges of our time – from climate change to building competitiveness. It is crucial to see design as an investment, not just as an end product.”

In addition, Karske highlights the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration. The advisory board has already sparked new dialogue between various organisations. Design Forum Finland and Marketing Finland have launched a collaboration around the Design Finland initiative and are seeking joint funding for its implementation.

“The creative sector needs more cross-sectoral collaboration instead of operating in isolated silos and bubbles,” Karske states.

The Growth Strategy for the Creative Economy published

The growth of the creative industries and the creative economy is driven by companies within the sector, their business development, and international success. This is outlined in the Growth Strategy for the Creative Economy 2025–2030, published on June 10, 2025, by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The strategy has been developed in close cooperation with industry stakeholders and the Creative Economy Advisory Board, and its implementation will be monitored through 2030.

The strategy aims to promote growth and internationalisation across three key business areas: scalable content (such as games, literature, music, and the audiovisual sector), creative services (including architecture, design, fashion, and marketing), and the event industry (including arts and cultural services). The proposed measures are national in scope and cover the entire sector, grouped under six focus areas:

• Skills and foresight
• Ecosystem collaboration
• Business advisory services
• Funding pathways
• Promoting Finland’s country image, export promotion, and marketing
• Regulation

The strategy also takes into account ongoing sector-specific growth agreements and previous studies. It includes defined indicators to support monitoring and evaluating the impact of measures through 2030.

Finland still has significant untapped potential in the creative economy. Compared to countries like Sweden, the opportunities for generating intangible value are surprisingly underutilized in Finland. Design and other creative services can play a key role in unlocking this potential.

Read more of the Growth strategy for the creative economy
Julkaisu: Luovan talouden kasvustrategia 2025–2030 (in Finnish)
Advisory Board for Creative Industries Advisory Board on the Creative Economy 2024–2030

Photo: Sanna Lahovaara