Outokumpu’s new identity, encapsulated in the slogan “Activating Your Ideas,” got its first physical manifestation at the company booths in the major international Tube & Wire 2008 trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany (31 March – 4 April 2008). Largely built with stainless steel but leaving visitors’ imagination to roam free, the booths reflect that identity: Outokumpu dedicates itself to total customer orientation, putting the customer in the heart of everything that the company does. Designer-in-Charge Aleksi Hautamäki of the design agency TANGO, explains that the first goal of the booths is immediate identification with Outokumpu’s business today. The patterns and forms are abstract, yet they reflect the deeper thinking of Outokumpu. “Stainless steel becomes something greater than itself,” Aleksi says, “and ideas are activated. Underneath the stainless sheet is the Outokumpu blue.” An eye catcher is a stainless sculpture that draws on contemporary architecture and organic forms alike. The booths also communicate a key, integral aspect of all Outokumpu operations: Outokumpu seeks to operate responsibly in every respect, with care for the environment and promoting sustainability. Underscoring Outokumpu’s current corporate-responsibility theme year, more than three quarters of the booth materials are recyclable. A key visual element of the new Outokumpu corporate identity is a stainless steel sphere. A large stainless-colored sphere with the blue logo overlooks the main Outokumpu booth in Düsseldorf, setting the tone. The sphere is the visual expression of Outokumpu’s aspirations, symbolizing the customer’s idea caught as if in a game and turned skillfully into a winning play by Outokumpu.
