Nokia has been honoured in the latest 2013 International Design Excellence (IDEA) awards, announced yesterday.

The Nokia Lumia range (Lumia 920, Lumia 820 and Lumia 620) received an IDEA gold for their design in the communication tools category, with the Nokia 206 picking up a bronze.

More broadly, the company also scooped the gold for its Colour and Materials design strategy across its product offering, from the top-end Lumia models to the most affordable mobile in the current range and across its accessories.

The judges noted that the design of the Lumia family…

include a commitment to purity and paying attention to every detail; making products that are simply built better, ensuring a deep collaboration between engineering and design; and making certain that the products are always human and feel natural.

Yellow is the new black

On the colour and materials strategy, the impact of bright colours on people’s perception of the whole company and their attitude towards its products was noted. The judges drew attention to the…

impactful, character-rich brand identity that allows Nokia to stand out from the crowd. This approach has enabled Nokia to innovate through materials, bringing color distinctly back into a market that was historically black and gray. This consequent approach to product making builds on Nokia’s heritage of color, quality and mastery.

The IDEA awards were founded in 1980 by the Industrial Designers Society of America. They are intended to help people understand, “the impact of design excellence on the quality of life and the economy.”

The award winners will take a place in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford museum in Michigan, USA. But you can see all this year’s winners from across every facet of industrial design at the association’s online gallery.