Making of OK Do.
1. Get an idea
The idea of a design think tank sprang from our need to create a home for uncompromised thoughts, writing and doing. We wanted to create our own platform for collaboration and projects. The idea of OK Do was first discussed during a loud gig. We could hardly hear each other, but a couple of messy sentences were enough to deliver a common understanding. The idea of OK Do is great at least in a sense that it’s something that we believe in and really wanted to do.
2. Team up
It would be lonely in a tank by yourself. We met a couple of years ago and had both been facing the challenge of defining (in one word) what we do. We design, research, curate, manage projects, make art, write and draw. OK Do allows us to be ourselves: renaissance women, interested in many things. We also like to combine our forces with other people and organisations. We currently collaborate with professionals ranging from artists to mathematicians. The wilder the combination the better!
3. Plan a lot
“Ideas are easy, execution is difficult” – so true. Planning took us a lot of time, tea and Google docs, and you could say this is the toughest design process we have faced so far. We found it very helpful to talk to other people and share opinions and ideas. Some references that inspired and helped us along the way: Wabi-Sabi by Leonard Koren, Whole Earth Catalog by Stewart Brand, AMO, Click Opera, Designing design by Kenya Hara, Space Collective.
4. Question a lot
The next step was to take the plans and have a critical look at them. We were inspired by a meeting with John Thackara, who advised us to get out and find projects and people instead of spending too much time on planning on paper. Practice proves which aspects of a plan work in reality and which don’t. Sometimes you get lost in your own thoughts and visions. It’s good to ask yourself questions and encourage others to pose them to you as well. For example, what am I doing this list for?
5. Name
Coming up with name proposals was not difficult but making the final decision was. We held a naming workshop where we came up with a hundred of alternatives inspired by relevant themes and the entire alphabet, and then started cutting the alternatives down. We also teamed up with friends and asked for ideas. In fact, the final name OK Do was invented by Martti Kalliala, a family member of OK Do. In creating a name we realised that no name is an island. The meaning of a name is affected by other aspects of the identity and what it represents. We chose OK Do because to us it tells a story about briskness, doing and wabi-sabi attitude.
6. Visualise and make the web
We teamed up with Åh in London for our graphic identity and with Jonatan Eriksson for web development. The first step was to decide that the visual identity of OK Do should merge wabi-sabi philosophy to both avantgardist and classical elements and strong usability. Although the idea of a tick and hand-written logotype came up quickly, it took a hundred of sketches before we had the identity finalised. The end-result proves that it is possible to create a successful identity over sea (we definitely did learn a thing or two about email communication). In addition to creating the OK Do identity, we started a collaboration with many designers, illustrators and photographers. Along with the other contributors they form an important cornerstone of all the OK Doing.
7. Interview and write
One of the best parts of starting OK Do is that we’ve had a good reason to meet and talk with exciting people. The first interviews include stories of Momus dancing around the subject, Markus Miessen describing the work and life of a cross-bench practitioner and the world of music according to Crashroots. We have been able to dig into topics that truly interest us, such as inequality and innovation in the information age and the aesthetics of science. Writing for OK Do has made us ponder about the nature of online writing: what is the right balance between more profound material and entertainment.
8. Find/make a project
The first OK Do assignment is conducted within a research project around the design of future education by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK and The European Union. Started in spring 2009 when we took part in the workshops dealing with future business opportunities, services unbound by time and place and infrastructures of life, it has already contributed a great deal to the development of OK Do.
9. Launch
OK Do was launched on September 11, 2009 at a house party in Helsinki. The evening featured performances by Jaakko Eino Kalevi and Renaissance Man with sound painting by Jesse Auersalo and Daniel Palillo. In the same vein, we got our Home-Work-Home series started – a project exploring the idea of two merging spheres: home and work. The launch party marked an important turning point for us: OK Do was now officially alive! Read more about the launch party here.
10. Keep it going
After nine months of thinking and doing, OK Do is ready – but just in one way. We are looking forward to many projects, collaborations, learning, thinking and doing! Contact us to collaborate or say hello@ok-do.eu!