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Lönnqvist, 29, from Helsinki, is one of three designers whose works have won the invitational competition organized by Kela. Two other designers are Aya Iwaya and Ilona Partanen. The theme of the competition was Working Together for Well-Being, and the participants were instructed to design something that portrays Finland and Finnishness.

Lönnqvist's design includes animals such as bear, hare, seal, elephant and giraffe. When working on the idea, Lönnqvist recalled his own childhood and its atmosphere. "I brought Finnishness in the illustration with the bear and the seal norppa that only appears in Finland, but I also added exotic animals that do not exist in Finland. With the animals I wanted to express openness and respect of diversity”,explains Lönnqvist. "I worked on themes like sleep and living together. Many parents use the box for a baby bed, so I wanted the package to be calm. I wanted the color palette to be somewhat dreamlike."

Lönnqvist is in the Master’s programme in Visual Communication Design at Aalto University, and is currently completing a student exchange at EnsAD Paris. He graduated from a programme in graphical design at the Lahti Institute of Design in 2016. As a freelancer, Lönnqvist has made illustrations, among others, in Mondo and Huili magazines. His most recent works include wall art illustrations at the student sports center Unisport in Helsinki.

Kela organized a design contest in honor of the 80th anniversary of the maternity package and invited 15 promising young designers. There was also a jury of children, who chose their favourites for the 2018 maternity package box design. Selected works will be used for the maternity package in the coming years.

Kela maternity package: 

Find Robert on Instagram: rakastaja_roobert