Born in 1926 in Helsinki, Timo Sarpaneva is one of the great personalities responsible for the world reputation of Finnish design since the 1950s. He is a master of materials such as glass, porcelain, cast iron and textile as well as graphic art.
Timo Sarpaneva designed the current Iittala trademark for his glass collection called I-line (I-linja) in 1956, for which he received one of his Grand Prix in Milan the following year. He has been honoured with numerous awards and acknowledgements. Sarpaneva is Doctor HC of the Royal College of Art in London and the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and Academician HC of the University of Mexico. His work can be seen in art and design museums all over the world.