Mati Õunapuu Estonia matdis@hot.ee "Hi, my name is Mati Õunapuu, I am 59 years old. I am an industrial designer and manager of a small design firm. Talking about backgrounds – Estonians have always considered themselves as a part of European culture. Located in Central Europe and experiencing the pressure of oriental culture throughout history, Estonians have identified themselves as a Western-European culture. That’s why it may seem strange to Estonians to explain themselves to other European cultures and to prove we are ready to work on the same level. Unfortunately we have experienced lots of economical difficulties after the Second World War. Following the rules of a planned economy as part of the Soviet Union, there was no need for product design as most of the goods were scarce anyway. At present in a much more open society and with the rapid development of free market and economical relations, design has become a requirement. In Estonia design training has existed since 1967. The biggest problem for us is not the understanding of things, or lack of experience, but our obscurity in contemporary Europe. Main obstacles in merging with Western Europe are the ignorance of our partners and distrust towards us. It takes a long time to melt this ice. Estonian designers have always loved tailored and beautiful environments. Unique design, architecture and exclusive interiors have become inseparable part of our life style (come and have a look!). Industrial design, rejected for a long time, is making its progress and increasingly gaining respect. Because of our small population and subsequently small market Estonian manufacturers have come to understanding that one has to use all the resources available to make a breakthrough into the wide world. In this frantic development swirl, we, designers, try to do our best!"