Nokia’s design archive includes over 20 years of never-before-seen images, graphics and strategies

It’s an understatement to say that Mobile phones have evolved In the more than 30 years since they entered mainstream society. But, despite all the things our smartphones have to offer, they won’t achieve success in the same way as those early models. Now, there’s a chance to go back in time, thanks to new digital technology Nokia Design Archive Sharing sketches, photos, interviews and videos spanning from the mid-1990s to 2017.

Aalto University, in Nokia’s home country of Finland, is responsible for the Nokia Design Archive. Her team of researchers organized 700 entries and included a repository containing another 20,000 items and 959 gigabytes of original digital files. Never before seen content Nokiawhich released the first GSM mobile phone in 1992, does not disappoint. Anyone feeling a little more fanatical (ahem, me) can read presentations that contain mood boards and concept designs.

The ensuing dive into nostalgia provides not only an ode to Nokia’s classic hardware (and its ’90s design), but also an interesting look at how technology has evolved. “In the early days of Nokia, there was a real desire to understand people, how they live, and what drives them. And now we are at a similar point of societal transformation with artificial intelligence. No one has defined what it is yet, but we have no idea what it is,” lead researcher Professor Anna Valtonen said in a statement. “We need to make people think about what could happen.” The archive reveals how designers fleshed out visions so they could be properly explored long before they became reality. It reminds us that we have the power to shape our world – by revealing the work of the many people who have done so.

The design archive looks like a word graph moving through space, with topics including mobile gaming, gaming – which offers an overview of the creation of the infamous Snake game – and phone fashion and accessories. The free platform offers four topic filters: Products, Aesthetics, Design Process, and Design Strategy. Additionally, you can narrow down specific years to get a better look at the time period of your favorite model. The team hopes to continue adding more content as the project develops further.