"I think we have a high sense of purpose. We believe we can help make cities better and more joyful places to live in. This includes many life-centered aspects of people flow beyond speed and efficiency, translating into more appealing living environments and increased property value." -Visa Rauta, Head of KONE Design, Global
Meet KONE Design
Where physical meets digital meets services, creating a meaningful experience for all.
KONE Design in numbers
In a nutshell, here are just a few figures to give you an idea of the current width and depth of design work at KONE. Some numbers change with time, but some won't: we work as one team and always aim for 100% inclusion.
~60
Talents
4
Global locations
47
Design awards
1,000+
Years of professional experience
Designing the flow of urban life
Design is a powerful catalyst in improving the flow of urban life – creating intelligent and regenerative solutions that shape the future. Making cities safer. Building a sense of belonging and inclusion. Providing joyful experiences.
We're proud of our job
Designs built on local end-user needs, state-of-the-art services, multisensory experiences, game-changing access solutions, digital user interfaces, and next-generation escalators – just to name a few designs we've received recognition for. Check out some of our recent projects below. Our latest winning design (Red Dot 2024) is the KONE 4G Gateway – a new-generation device for making online connectivity more accessible for elevators in all market areas.
KONE Office Flow
KONE Office Flow is an adaptive destination control system that makes the daily flow of people as fluid and easy as possible. A mobile app allows touchless entry, automatic elevator calls, and follow-you guidance. This creates a rewarding user experience, making you feel welcomed and trusted. The craftsmanship and timeless design with solid aluminum and glass adapt to various architectural styles. The devices can be customized to the building brand, a specific theme, or an individual tenant. Red Dot Winner 2021, Smart Product
KONE KDS Home V
KONE KDS Home V is a voice-operated elevator call system for residential settings. The elevator is operated with simple voice commands, allowing residents carefree, hands-free, and hassle-free access around the house. It includes two voice-call landing devices designed to serve different installation needs and accommodate varying interior materials. Improving usability and accessibility, KONE KDS Home V contributes to an easier, safer, and smoothly flowing home environment in all phases of life. Red Dot Winner 2022, Product Design
KONE I Series
KONE I Series is a set of elevator interior designs created in India for local residential and commercial buildings. It includes over 30 designs inspired by age-old elements: earth, fire, water, air, and space. Natural materials such as wood and steel are complemented by color schemes and decorative patterns celebrating local heritage and nature. These designs help evoke the atmosphere – energetic, confident, balanced, refreshed, inspired – that best fits the building and its environment. The I Series has helped KONE reach market leadership in India. Red Dot Winner 2022, Product Design
KONE Lane
KONE Lane is the next-generation access gate for Office Flow that aims to change how we view access control in high-end buildings. Its appealing looks, latest technology, and tiny physical footprint blend seamlessly into any interior style and help increase property value. Coupled with augmented personal guidance, it provides visitors with a more intuitive, inclusive, and delightful user experience. Red Dot Winner 2021, Product Design
KONE TravelMaster Premium Kit
The Premium Kit gives the ever-reliable KONE TravelMaster escalator a complete facelift with digital enhancements, meeting the highest expectations set for prestige buildings. It features programmable, animated lighting and adaptive info screens, enabling a smoother, faster, more enjoyable people flow – and helping to pay better attention to safety. Composed of solid aluminum and safety glass, the Premium Kit is a built-to-last solution with uncompromising aesthetics and a timeless appearance. Red Dot Best of the Best 2021
KONE DX Concept Car
The KONE DX Concept Car, introduced at World Expo 2020 Dubai, is an elevator interior concept that creates unique multisensory atmospheres with adaptive colors, smart lighting and sound, and a customizable media wall that transforms and adapts to different users. Important building info can be easily shared on the digital displays. Elevator screens in your building and adaptive screen content allow you to create a new, engaging user experience while providing helpful visitor guidance. Red Dot Winner 2020, Product Design
KONE Digital Experience Car
The KONE Digital Experience Car is an elevator car concept for creating customized rides – an industry first by several years. Wall-to-wall immersive digital media and a studio-quality sound system offer endless possibilities for creating personalized multisensory experiences in high-end buildings: highlighting the brand of the building, a floor theme, a specific tenant, a special occasion. For employees in the building, it can offer a relaxing break from the hectic workday or a rewarding experience for all the senses. Red Dot Winner 2021, Product Design
GiantKONE GM and GX Series
Designed for the Chinese market, the new generation of GiantKONE GM and GX Series of gearless elevator motors builds on the "gold standard" of reliable KONE technology. In terms of energy efficiency, it is rated Grade 1 (best in class) in China. The motor is also extremely space efficient, using up to 100 kg less materials than the competition. This design makes it more sustainable and easier to install and service than previous models. Red Dot Winner 2020 and 2022, Product Design
KONE DX Class collection
KONE DX Class is a collection of interior designs for elevators. With preset inspirational models and customization options – e.g. materials, smart colors, types of lighting, and modular control panels – it allows you to create your own eye-catching elevator interior for any building. The concept builds on 3 design directions: Natural Wellness focuses on urban well-being; Creative Life is inspired by disruptive technologies; and Modern Heritage reflects cultural and architectural achievements. Red Dot Winner 2020, Product Design
Life-centered design: how we walk the talk
Our quest at KONE Design is to shape future lives in cities. Here are some topics we are currently focusing on. Which ones resonate with you the most?
Joyful experiences for everyone
We want to make city life smoother, safer, and more enjoyable for all. It's not about functionality alone – we need to understand the whole spectrum of human needs and turn our focus beyond the needs of the wealthiest few.
Fusing the digital with the physical
We are exploring fascinating interactive, connected, multi-sensory digital experiences in various environments. Emerging technologies, such as AR, will play an important part. Combining all that with popular online services, it’s no exaggeration to say the sky’s the limit to what we can do.
Design presence in Asia – embracing cultures
Today, China, India, and other Asian nations are key innovators in digitalizing urban life. They are also our key market areas. As designers, we want to understand, embrace, and celebrate the local cultures and collaborate closely with local talent to create a strong impact.
Driving a customer culture
Committing to customer success is at the core of KONE's values. This means keeping our finger on the customer's pulse, gathering insight, and sharing it effectively across KONE teams. KONE Design plays a key role here – taking the customer-centric culture to the next level.
Collective effort
Design never happens in isolation – it is always a team effort organically connected with the surrounding world. We develop the best ideas and achieve the best results by working towards our goals as one global KONE team across all functions, our partners, and beyond.
Get to know our Designers
What our designers say about working for KONE
We are one global and diverse team with locations around the world: Finland, China (Shanghai & Kunshan), India (Chennai & Pune), and a presence in North America. Our designers are encouraged to see the world and switch locations. So, how do they feel about their work?
Padmini Gorthi, Head of KONE Design India
“We have grown to be a key contributor to the company’s business; it’s our designs that are putting a face to what the public sees about KONE. We work a lot with marketing, codesigning and cocreating the marketing materials with them. So it's a whole journey. You can't ever get bored with this, you're part of everything.”
Nina Kuitunen, Material Design Specialist, Finland
"I get to interact extensively with people from a wide range of fields. I like the fact that my role combines independent work and close cooperation with others. I also appreciate how well the employees’ needs are taken into account. Safety, well-being at work and equality take high priority in KONE's communication.”
Dora Zhu, Industrial Design Expert, China
"KONE respects my way of working. I have the freedom to do things my way and explore new possibilities. If I ever feel bored about things I’m doing, KONE can offer new roles for me to play. What’s more, as a mom of two boys, I can focus on work and also take good care of my family."
Judy Cotter, Senior Service Design Specialist, Americas
"Being at KONE has enabled me to see how design has a global, yet local impact. Designing holistic solutions that span the globe, but are desirable and applicable in each location, brings the importance of being customer-centric, truly knowing our customers and their situations, to the forefront of everything that we do."
Adalgisa Santos, Service Design Expert, Competence Lead, Finland
"There are lots of opportunities for a service designer at KONE. The most interesting to me is the possibility to design from concept to product deployment, as well as working in a truly international environment. I enjoy working here because, despite being a corporation, KONE is always reinventing itself. Every time I feel I need a new challenge, KONE can provide me with that.”
Jouni Junes, Industrial Design Expert, Finland
"Even as a novice at KONE, I was offered multiple products to work on, learn my trade and grow as a designer. A big corporation offers a wide range of opportunities to build your role and develop as a professional. We aim at world-class design in everything we do."
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