We are Yatofu

Yatofu was founded in Helsinki in 2017, and has consistently grown with an international presence and team. A global understanding of design and business is built straight into our DNA. Our innate sensitivity to cultural nuances allows us to bravely challenge boundaries while celebrating diversity.

Services

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  • Interior Architecture
  • Product and Furniture Design
  • Visual Communication
  • Strategic Design

Our Motivation

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Our work is anything but ordinary. We believe that by creating meaningful experiences and uncovering emotional echoes, we can elevate and transform the mundane aspects of everyday life.

Designing for a Shared Experience

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We are a team of explorers, tinkerers, artists, and storytellers who believe that design is just as synonymous with Solutions as it is with Exploration. Our process allows us to collaborate boldly and bravely with our clients, producing outcomes and results that are both intuitive and striking.

How we work

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At Yatofu every project is an opportunity to challenge our curiosities. Through imagination, research, and an empathetic understanding of our clients, we create valuable design solutions that both surprises and resonates.

  1. Consultation and Brief (Free of charge)

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    We are always interested in getting to know your projects. Whether you already have an ongoing project or are just in the exploratory phase, we are more than willing to have a conversation and provide expertise on how to proceed.

  2. Project Proposal (free of charge)

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    When you are ready to proceed, we can provide a service proposal and quotation based on your project brief. We tailor all proposals according to our clients’ needs as we understand that every project is unique!

  3. Research

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    Our process always starts with research. This includes research into the business model, the industry, benchmarking cases and user profiles. Only with the proper foundation of understanding can we create solutions that are both visually and functionally valuable.

  4. Concept and Design

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    In this step, we develop interesting and relevant concept directions based on our research and client needs. The concepts are taken through selections, iterations and in-depth development to become the final design solution.

  5. Production

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    Depending on your project needs, our production phase deliverables could range from visual guidelines documents to complete hotel interiors. We ensure that our results are fitting to your needs, and will work with you to take the next steps, whether that means a brand launch or moving into your dream space.

  6. Follow-up

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    We follow up on all our projects to make sure that what we have delivered is fulfilling its purpose. We take pride in our work and are only happy when our clients are happy!

FOUNDERS

Bio

The two founding designers of Yatofu Creatives, Angela Lindahl and Yihan Xiang, possess a combined geographic background that spreads across Asia, North America and Europe. The duo started their design studio with the intention of bringing an accessible approach to designing for an international audience.

Angela Lindahl, a Taiwanese-Canadian, has studied and worked in multiple design industries, in multiple countries. Her interests in the business of design started well before her Bachelors of Industrial Design studies in New York’s Pratt Institute, and took on another form when she moved to Helsinki to complete her Masters studies in Interior Architecture（spatial and furniture design）. Having studied and worked with both products and spaces, Angela’s understanding of design and scale allows success in design projects that are detailed as well as multi-faceted.

Yihan Xiang boasts a prestigious Bachelors degree in Interior Architecture from Tsinghua University Beijing, after which his pursuit for a more global perspective of art and design brought him to Helsinki where he completed his Masters degree in Interior Architecture (spatial and furniture design) in addition to working across multiple European cities. Yihan’s fluent understanding of cultures and their context manifests itself in his artistic and sensitive approach to the design process.