Behind Open House Tallinn 2025 is the boutique creative agency Poolpäev – sisters Kristel and Kairit Onno. We asked them about their work so far and what inspired this year’s visual identity.
What’s your background?
We’ve been running our creative agency for just about a year, founded by us as a sister duo. In Estonian terms, we’re based in a rather exotic location – the heart of our work lies in the town of Võru. The agency’s scope covers branding, graphic design and motion graphics, websites, photography, and video. We are quite flexible in our approach, often involving other local creatives, experts, and designers on a project basis.
When it comes to our duo, the agency’s project and creative lead is Kristel, who has more than 8 years of experience in design and marketing alongside her earlier career in cultural management. Her strengths include strategic thinking, analyzing information, seeing the bigger picture, a sharp sense of style, and working with people. The design work is handled by Kairit, who holds diplomas in both graphic design and motion graphics. She is responsible for all visual identities, advertisements, printed materials, posters, and of course, anything that needs to move. Kairit is demanding and precise, yet also playful and technically skilled.
Our agency’s name, Poolpäev, comes from the South Estonian word for Saturday – puulpäiv. On one hand, it connects us with Võrumaa and carries the feeling of Saturday – the best day of the week, full of freedom and flow, but also excitement and sparkle. We want to keep that feeling alive in our working life. On the other hand, Poolpäev also means “half-day,” which is a reminder to ourselves of the long-term ideal we want to reach. Today’s society of exhaustion has taken on rather extreme proportions, where rushing through life at full speed has become the norm. We want to find ways to live differently, to enjoy the view along the journey, and to make space for ourselves and our loved ones.
Since we’ve been active for a relatively short time, we’re still very much in a phase of gaining momentum. Nevertheless, we’ve already created several smaller branding projects and websites, plus a variety of printed materials and merchandise for different event series under Poolpäev. Some larger and more exciting projects are currently in the works, and we’ll be sharing the results soon!
What inspired this year’s Open House Tallinn visual identity? How did architecture and urban space influence it?
Since this year’s OHT focuses on the heritage of the future, we based our concept on the relationship between urban space and time. The city silhouette in the design has three layers – the past in the background, which we tend to forget; the present in the middle, which we experience intensely; and the future in the foreground, as a vision. These layers blend into one another, illustrating the city’s continuous process of growth and transformation. The layered contours, transparent blocks, and lines represent a city that is at once a construction project, a memory, and a vision.
What does future architecture and urban space mean to you? What’s important in it?
For us, diversity, excitement, and playfulness are essential. Just as we believe that quality work is born when there is time and space to breathe, urban space should also have enough places that offer shelter from city noise, spark inspiration, and invite exploration. We hope that future urban spaces will always include unexpectedly wide views, parks full of greenery, hidden gardens, and non-purpose-driven areas. From the perspective of Võru, we also see how smaller towns can set an example for larger cities – here, there is still room to breathe, time to think, and opportunities to grow.
