Nokia is known for creating long-lasting, hard-wearing devices. It’s also known for introducing bold, vibrant colours into a world of generic black phones – dating back more than 20 years.

One such phone was the Nokia 6080, introduced to the world in 1992. From a world of limited colour options, this bold red phone made an impression with many of the early adopters.

In 1994, Alicia Silverstone used a Nokia 232. Although she used a black model, it was in fact available in other colours, including yellow.

When the Nokia 5110 was launched, it became popular with a new crowd of mobile phone owners – the youth of 1998. It was possible to pop off the front cover and replace it for another, with practically any colour you desired.

1999 was the year that mobile phones began to shrink, as technology and fashions changed. Like the 5110, the tiny Nokia 8210 had replaceable fascias, bringing customisation to millions of users.

While some saw this colour explosion as something that was just for ‘the kids’, in 2000 Nokia delivered the sturdy, everlasting Nokia 3310 that everybody wanted – with swappable, colourful front and back covers.

Not content with simply providing people with colourful phones, Nokia created the 7370 as part of a fashion range. This saw the introduction of graphics being printed onto handsets back in 2005.

Continuing the fashion trend, in 2008 the Nokia SuperNova 7310 also came with colourful surrounds, and matching colourful backgrounds built into the phone’s menu.

In 2010 the Nokia N8 with its aluminium shell also received a colour treatment. Dark grey, orange, blue, green and silver editions were all available.

In 2011, the Nokia Lumia 800, Nokia’s first Windows Phone smartphone, burst onto the scene in an array of bold and vibrant colours; cyan, magenta, black, and white.

In 2012, yellow and red were introduced to further cement the importance of using colour in Nokia’s portfolio.

While colourful designs may seem exclusively reserved for Nokia’s smartphones these days, colourful exteriors are in fact spread throughout the entire portfolio. The Nokia 206, Nokia Asha 501, and Nokia 108 are just a few examples of colourful phones to come in to market in 2012 and 2013.

The latest Nokia Lumia device to show off its colourful coat is the Lumia 1020.  It continues to sport the vibrant colours that are unmistakably Nokia. The CMYK colour palette has become a Nokia design signature.

Which has been your favourite colourful Nokia phone over the years? Do let us know in the comments below.