Saima won the renowned red dot design award with the Wirkkala and Raita models. Karelia-Upofloor launched new colours along the Saima Classic at the beginning of the year; such as the grey colour originally designed by the famous Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala. Design Director Pekka Toivanen and a Helsinki-based design company Muotohiomo have participated in the design of the renewed Saima family.
red dot is the world's largest and most respected design award. The 2009 awards were sought by more than 3.300 submissions from 49 countries. An international jury reviews and evaluates the submitted products according to criteria such as degree of innovation, functionality and the formal quality. This ensures the seriousness of the competition and its international acceptance. An annually changing constellation of the group of jurors, which is made up of renowned designers and design experts from all over the world guarantees a high degree of objectivity and reliability. The jurors reach their decisions independently and impartially. The award is a seal of quality; it stands for membership of the best in design and business.
The award is divided into the "red dot award: product design", the "red dot award: communication design" and the "red dot award: design concept." Saima participated in category 10: Architecture and interior design, which comprises designs from interior decoration and building materials to computers; production facilities to laboratory equipment; cars to mobile phones.
More about the red dot award http://www.red-dot.de/