The people of Nikari: Jenni Roininen
Jenni Roininen’s duties, as Nikari’s creative director, are broadly related to all of the company’s visual actions and interactions. One might best describe Jenni as an intermediary, who ties sales, marketing and production together, into a cohesive whole.
Learning by doing
Jenni is a product developer and a creative mind, a designer of both details and the big picture, working across all areas of the company. “All the decisions that affect the company’s visual image go through my desk,” Jenni says, “but I’m very much involved in all technical details and production as well.”
My process at Nikari started with a question: what could we learn from all of this and how could it be retained?
Learning by remembering
Ten years ago, when Jenni started working at Nikari, alongside CEO Johanna Vuorio, a generational shift was underway at the company. Jenni and Johanna wanted to learn everything about Nikari, its people, and the immeasurable skill they possessed. “We didn’t want to change anything, but rather to learn and move things forward together,” Jenni explains.
The early years started a process of learning and exploring. “As a designer and technical designer, I had never worked with massive wood before. The sheer number of prototypes and project models — i.e., research material — that Kari and Rudi stored over the years was staggering. We found something new and amazing in every corner. So, my process at Nikari started with a question: what could we learn from all of this and how could it be retained?” Jenni says.
Learning by cooperating
Working at Nikari is above all a cooperative effort. It is important for Jenni to see and meet people and to be where everything happens. “The only way to learn more is to see things with your own eyes. A good product needs attention at many stages, as it is continuously developed throughout the design process. That is the most interesting part of my job,” says Jenni. The journey began ten years ago as a learning process and continues to this day. “Doing is the driving force,” Jenni concludes.
