The cultural impact of Nokia will be properly recognized for the first time on 15 January when the company's design archive goes on display. Finland's Aalto University has acquired the archive and will make it available through an online curated portal and by appointment. While for Finland the impact of Nokia is indisputable, the brand's international pop culture value is undeniable, too.
Nokia was one of the first phone companies to really emphasize design and difference, with everything from very affordable phones right up to the latest cutting-edge handsets. In the world before Apple, Google and even Samsung, they stood above all the other players.
Nokia's factory setting ringtone, the 1902 Gran Vals by Francisco Tarrega, was so ubiquitous in the 1990s and 2000s that birds learned to sing it. In 2009, it was reported that the tune was heard an estimated 1.8bn times a day around the world.
The brand quickly became imbued with cultural cachet. Style journalist Murray Healy recalls how, in the late 90s, when mobiles were these dull, serious, precious and expensive items, Nokia stood out as a vibrant and desirable option.
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