IDEA, one of the world’s most prestigious design awards programs was founded by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) in 1980. This year, IDEA has selected winners across 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology and Digital Interaction. Key evaluation criteria include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Guided by evolving values and innovative technology, Samsung’s design principles have been recognized for creating products that place people’s lifestyles and experiences at the forefront.

“Innovation born from advanced technology and human empathy enriches our people’s lives,” said Mauro Porcini, President and Chief Design Officer of the Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “We are dedicated to not only pushing boundaries of technology, but also cultivating meaningful connections that bring us closer to a brighter, more connected future together.”

Samsung Earns Two Gold Awards

The following exciting innovations received Gold awards, the highest honor at IDEA 2025:

• Samsung Mobile Design Visual Identity System — a design system that connects the diverse form factors of the Galaxy series under a unified visual identity. The system refined each form factor into an intuitive shape and extended the application of the system beyond packaging to include books, films and retail stores, aiming to effectively communicate the brand message of ‘Essential’ across multiple platforms.

• Advanced Concepts for Visually Impaired Users in Home Appliances — named as ‘Samsung Inclusive Essentials’— a visionary design aimed at enhancing accessibility for everyone, including visually impaired and elderly individuals. By standardizing shapes and colors and integrating embossing, sound and lighting into key components, it provides both visual, auditory and tactile guidance, enabling low-vision users to intuitively and conveniently interact with products.

Samsung Earns Three Silver Awards

Samsung also secured three Silver awards for these cutting-edge technologies:

• Galaxy Tab S10 Series — Samsung’s first tablets built with AI enhancements offer 3D Map View, which gives a visual overview of the home and all connected devices to streamline device management across the SmartThings ecosystem.

• Advanced Concept for Samsung Smart Modular House — a visionary living space for future innovation, is designed to embrace AI and advanced IT with an architecture that can be flexibly expanded to an evolving lifestyle.

• Digital Twin — a next-generation AI-powered b.IoT solution for smart building management that enables intuitive operations and energy optimization through 3D-based technology, offering efficient and sustainable solutions.

Samsung Wins Three Bronze Awards

These three products took home Bronze awards for their harmonious designs:

• The Galaxy S24 FE — enhances the user experience with Galaxy AI-powered photography and an advanced camera setup that empowers users to be more creative. Featuring a large screen, thin bezels, a refined color palette and high-quality materials, it delivers a premium mobile experience to more users.

• Samsung Vision AI Onscreen Story — a visual representation of Samsung’s TV branding under the concept of “Endless Wonder.”

• The EHS MONO Outdoor-Indoor System — a home heat pump device equipped with SmartThings and the AI Home touchscreen for more convenient energy management.

From Product to UX Design, a Total of 39 TVs, Home Appliances and Smartphones Named Finalists

A wide range of Samsung designs were named Featured Finalists, including:

• The Galaxy Z Fold6 & Z Flip6 — redefine the future of mobile technology by combining innovative foldable form factors with Galaxy AI, offering seamless mobile experiences and unparalleled versatility for users.
• The Smart Monitor M9 (M90SF model) — brings together the brilliance of a 4K OLED display and AI features like 4K AI Upscaling Pro, AI Picture Optimizer and Active Voice Amplifier (AVA) Pro to consistently provide reliable, high-quality entertainment.
• The Bespoke AI Laundry Hub — a sleek, space-saving stacked washer and dryer featuring an AI Home touchscreen, delivering seamless integration and intelligent laundry solutions. (Currently sold in Korea only)
• The Newfound Equilibrium Exhibition — showcases Samsung’s user-centered design philosophy, with an aim to inspire vision for a better future that encompasses the balance between people and technology.

IDEA — one of the world’s most prestigious design awards programs — is held by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Founded in 1980, IDEA acknowledges achievements in industrial design. This year, IDEA has selected winners in 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology and Digital Interaction. Key criteria for evaluation also include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Samsung’s design reflects the company’s changing values and innovative technology. The company was recognized for its excellence in design centered on consumer lifestyles and experiences.

“These awards serve as important validation of our relentless commitment to pushing the boundaries of design while still ensuring our creations resonate with people,” said TM Roh, President and Head of the Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics. “As we move forward, we’ll maintain a keen focus on developing innovative designs that both enrich the lives of our users and also stay true to each product’s essence.”

Samsung Earned Two Gold Awards for These Exciting Innovations:

• Galaxy AI UX introduces meaningful intelligence aimed at enhancing every part of life, especially by enabling seamless communication anywhere, anytime. The features it brings can be conveniently used in daily life — with Interpreter defying language barriers, Live Translate automatically translating voice calls, Note Assist enabling users to create intelligent summaries of their notes, Browsing Assist allowing them to summarize and translate webpages and Chat Assist letting them text in the language in which they’re most comfortable.

• Advanced Design Concepts for Appliance Accessories — named as ‘Sustainable Design Identity for Home Appliances Accessories’ designated three colors for accessories — such as filters for vacuum cleaners and air purifiers — depending on their maintenance requirements and disposal methods. Through this design improvement, users can more easily recognize the needs of their accessories, especially if they have changed or been updated.

Samsung Earned a Silver Award for This Cutting-Edge Product:

• Galaxy Z Flip 5, a foldable smartphone that uses a new form factor and a larger cover display to maximize the user experience.

Samsung Earned Two Bronze Awards for These Harmonious Designs:

• The Galaxy Tab S9 Series blends the portability of a tablet with the powerful functionality of a laptop. Its versatile format and robust tools and apps make it a surprising productivity powerhouse throughout the day.

• AI Vision Inside¹  recognizes up to 33 fresh food items as they enter and leave the Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+² and then fills out the user’s Food List.

From Product to UX Design, a Total of 45 Awards for TVs, Home Appliances and Smartphones

A wide range of Samsung designs were named Finalists, including:

• The Neo QLED 8K, a TV that provides an immersive experience with the infinity air design.
• The Music Frame, a customizable wireless speaker designed to seamlessly blend into its surroundings.
• The Bespoke AI Laundry Combo, an all-in-one washer and dryer.
• The Easy Setting Box, which allows users to partition screens into multiple sections for enhanced multitasking and productivity. It also provides the functionality of both a PC and smart monitor using a single mouse, without a remote control.
• The Galaxy Z Flip5 Maison Margiela Edition Package is a special collaboration with the Parisian Haute Couture house Maison Margiela, reflecting their unfinished style by utilizing a distinct stitching pattern in the center of the flap. The paper-based woven book cloth fabric covering the package’s exterior seamlessly blends the device with the haute couture aesthetic of Maison Margiela’s atelier.

¹ As of March 2024, AI Vision Inside can recognize up to 33 food items, such as fresh fruits and vegetables. If a food item is not recognizable, it may be listed as an unknown item. AI Vision Inside cannot identify or list any food items in the refrigerator door bins or freezer. It recognizes food items based on deep learning models, which may be updated periodically to improve accuracy.
² Naming is different by region. North America: Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+, Latin America: Bespoke 4-Door French Door Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+.

IDEA — one of the world’s most prestigious design awards programs — is held by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Founded in 1980, IDEA acknowledges achievements in industrial design. This year, IDEA has selected winners in 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology and Digital Interaction. Key criteria for evaluation also include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Samsung’s design reflects the company’s changing values and innovative technology. The company was recognized for its excellence in design centered on consumer lifestyle and experiences.

Emphasizing the importance of a “human-centered design philosophy” TM Roh, President and Head of the Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics, said, “We will continue to make efforts to enrich our customers’ lives with designs that are harmonious with their environment, as well as essential designs that prioritize the product’s clarity of purpose.”

Samsung earned one Silver award for the following cutting-edge product:

• The Bespoke AirDresser, a clothing cleaner that meets the needs of consumers who want faster and easier clothing care, uses AI to provide a more convenient and hygienic clothing management experience.

Samsung earned three Bronze awards for the following harmonious designs:

• The Bespoke Water Purifier features a built-in design that installs a water purification module under the sink and harmonizes with the kitchen space by enabling the customer to select a faucet color that suits their preferences and tastes.

• The Bespoke AI Laundry boasts a convenient washer-and-dryer-integrated design, a slot height that anyone can conveniently use, and a control panel that can operate both the washer and dryer.

• The Bespoke Jet Bot AI+ enhances autonomous driving functions through AI smart control and by recognizing and distinguishing obstacles with 3D sensors.

From Product to UX Design, a Total of 50 Awards for TVs, Home Appliances and Smartphones

In the Product category, a wide range of Samsung designs were named Finalists, including:

• The new QLED 8K, a TV that produces an immersive experience with an infinity screen.
• The Solarcell Remote, a TV remote control that has a solar panel for convenient charging rather than disposable batteries.
• The Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4, smartphones which maximize the user experience with a large cover display in a new form factor.
• The Galaxy Book 3 Pro Series, a notebook that provides a more convenient user experience with a premium slim metal design and connectivity with a wide range of Galaxy products.

In other categories, Samsung’s designs that consider accessibility and surroundings were named Featured Finalists, including:

• Gesture UX, which enables the control of TV screens and subtitles based on hand gesture recognition to improve the viewing experience of users with hearing impairments.
• Samsung Space Tycoon, a virtual space and management simulation game on the Roblox metaverse platform in which users can create and play games and share experiences using Samsung products.

IDEA is one of the world’s most prestigious design awards programs held by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), founded in 1980, to acknowledge achievements in industrial design. This year, IDEA has chosen winners in 20 categories, including Home, Consumer Technology, Digital Interaction and Design Strategy. Key criteria for evaluation also include Design Innovation, Benefit to User, Benefit to Society and more.

Samsung’s product design reflects the company’s changing values and innovative technology. The interactive, region-specific and advanced designs were recognized to be progressive and diverse.

“It is important to provide an optimized experience for changing consumer values and lifestyles,” said Jinsoo Kim, Executive Vice President at Corporate Design Center in Samsung Electronics. “We will constantly strive to provide sustainable experiences with creative innovations for our customers.”

Bespoke Won Two Golds for Its Customizable Designs and User Experiences That Fits Different Lifestyles

The Bespoke U.S. Kitchen Package (Bespoke U.S. Kitchen Package & Bespoke FDR RF8000B), a home appliance package including refrigerator, oven-range, microwave and dishwasher available in the North America region, was one of two Gold award winners. Based on the Bespoke philosophy that caters to the preference of users, the package provides an integrated design experience that emphasizes harmony in the kitchen space.

The design of the 4-door (French door) refrigerator, newly launched in North America, maximizes convenience for consumers as it comes with replaceable door panels that owners can choose according to their preferences and lifestyles. The Beverage Center, built into the interior to minimize contamination, stores clean and purified water, and the Dual Auto Ice Maker quickly makes Cubed Ice and smaller Ice Bites.

The Bespoke Jet, the cordless stick vacuum with an all-in-one Clean Station, has also won the Gold award for its excellence in design. It offers a unique experience that covers the whole process from cleaning and disposal to storage. After placing the vacuum on the Clean Station, users can empty the dust bin with a simple press of a button, keeping the home area and air fresh and clean from dust. The all-in-one design of the Bespoke Jet ensures convenience that also looks great to match any living space.

A Wide Range of Samsung Products Achieved Five Silver Awards and One Bronze Award for Their Advance Designs 

The Galaxy Tab S8, out of the Silver awarded, has been highlighted for its slimmest, lightest, but strongest body yet, combined with the largest 14.6-inch AMOLED display. The expansive display is protected by the Armor Aluminum frame, allowing the device to be scratch-resistant and less prone to bending. The tablet also features a dedicated S Pen charging pad on the back of the device that is seamlessly integrated with the camera housing for a satisfying design experience.

Another Silver winner was the Galaxy Upcycling at Home, a program that gives new life to older Galaxy smartphones by repurposing them into IoT devices with a simple software update. Through the SmartThings app, users can repurpose unused smartphones into convenient smart home devices such as a childcare monitor or a pet care.

In addition, other Silver awards went to:

• Samsung India Keyboard, which provides an optimized smartphone keyboard experience that supports faster & easier typing in 29 Indian languages.

• Cook Sensor, which helps you cook your favorite food much more easily by connecting the Samsung Induction Cooktop to the SmartThings Kitchen Service.
• Samsung Air Hood, a concept design that combines the functions of hood, air conditioner and air purifier to help improve the cooking environment in the kitchens of Southwest Asia.

The Bronze award was given to the Galaxy Z Flip3 case, which provides a variety of options to customize the phone using a ring or a colorful strap.

The IDEA 2021 awards for Samsung include creative designs across multiple categories, showcasing Samsung’s excellence in consumer lifestyle design from product design to interactive and advanced concept design.

IDEA, hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), has been held annually since 1980. Widely viewed as the most influential design awards program in North America, IDEA considers design innovation, benefit to user and benefit to society as part of its criteria for selecting its awardees.

Samsung attained seven Silver awards for its cutting-edge creations including:

• Samsung Neo QLED 8K (QN900A), which deploys the Infinity Screen design that maximizes immersion by minimizing the bezel.

• Bespoke Cube air purifier (AX9500N) with the innovative concept of letting consumers choose the purifier’s front panel design according to their lifestyle.

• Bespoke Slim (VS6800AL),¹ a vacuum cleaner, which offers a slim and customizable design that fits in a small space.

• SmartThings Cooking, enabling one-stop culinary experience powered by Whisk’s Food AI.

The following received Bronze awards:

• The Frame, a lifestyle TV that can be matched to any home décor and features ‘Art Mode’, which allows viewers to enjoy masterpieces from their homes.

• The Premiere, a lifestyle projector designed for those who want to create a theater-like environment in their homes.

• Bespoke 4-Door Flex refrigerator, which helps consumers achieve their desired lifestyles through flexible, personalized offerings.

“The pandemic affected consumers’ lifestyles in many ways, so it is more important than ever to keep an eye on how those change and to offer meaningful experiences to consumers accordingly,” said Dontae Lee, Executive Vice President and the Head of Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to provide optimized experiences for consumers based on a variety of lifestyles with the design that best resonates with them.”

The IDEA 2021 Ceremony was held virtually on September 21. The International Design Conference is also being held virtually for two days from September 22 to 23. Dontae Lee is scheduled to deliver a keynote titled ‘Design for a Better Tomorrow’ at the event.

The list of all 48 award-winning designs can be found here.

¹ The product is currently available in Korean market.

A recognition of the user-centered experience and values Samsung offers, the company has won 48 awards in the 2020 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA), one of the most globally-renowned design competitions hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Following judging criteria that looked at design innovation, user experience and social contribution, Samsung received one Gold award, four Silvers, four Bronzes, 38 Finalists and one Best in Show. Read on for more information about the Samsung products that flawlessly embody the company’s design philosophy of putting the user’s daily life first.

The IDEA 2020 awards for Samsung include not only the top design awards for creative, cutting-edge creations, but products spanning across multiple categories, showcasing Samsung’s excellence in consumer lifestyle designs with elegant aesthetics, as well as interactive and sustainable designs that reflect social values and broad spectrum of professional expertise.

IDEA, hosted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), has been held annually since 1980. Widely viewed as the most influential design awards in North America, IDEA considers design innovation, benefit to user and benefit to society as part of its criteria for selecting its awardees.

BESPOKE Family Hub UX won Gold for delivering user-centric experience and innovation. Based on consumer-driven insight, the UX allows users to share and create photos and recipes through the refrigerator screen. Additionally, connectivity with mobile apps enables consumers to enjoy remote access regardless of their location.

BESPOKE Refrigerator won Silver for its customizable modular design which allows users to choose colors, materials and types of the refrigerator fit for individual lifestyles and preferences. BESPOKE Refrigerator has already won a Gold award at International Forum (iF) Design Award 2020.

The IDEA 2020 jury honored Samsung with ‘Best-in-Show’, a special award for BESPOKE Family Hub UX and BESPOKE Refrigerator, recognizing Samsung’s achievements in consumer-centric design excellence.

Samsung’s Upcycling Solution for TV Packaging received a Silver award for its customizable packaging box. Samsung adopted upcycling into packaging materials of its lifestyle TVs – The Frame, The Serif and The Sero. The product packaging was designed to encourage consumers to upcycle the boxes and create innovative pieces of small furniture that suit individual needs, such as a cat tower or a TV stand. The packaging won 2020 CES Innovation Awards for its innovative concept, contribution to environmental protection and raising of awareness for recycling and upcycling.

In addition, Q950TS, a QLED 8K TV maximizing screen immersion with Infinity Screen, and The Serif Visual Identity System, which illustrates sophisticated visual strategies targeting the millennial generation, also won Silver awards.

The following received Bronze awards: Galaxy Fold, a foldable smartphone that offers new experience; Infinite Line Oven, a built-in kitchen that delivers sleek premium design; The Sero Visual Identity System that demonstrates bold and intense graphic with new brand visual strategies targeting the millennial generation; and Inclusive IoT, an advanced design concept utilizing AI Sound Recognition for helping people with hearing loss.

“Design increasingly values interaction between products and user experiences,” said Dontae Lee, Executive Vice President and the Head of Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics. “Samsung will continue to provide meaningful customer experiences and sustainable values with innovative technologies and differentiated designs.”

The IDEA 2020 Ceremony was held virtually on September 16. The International Design Conference is also being held virtually for two days from September 17 to 18. Felix Heck, vice president and the head of Samsung Design Europe, is scheduled to give a presentation titled ‘Design for Resonance’ at the event.

Awards in Detail at ‘IDEA 2020’

	Awards
Gold(1)	BESPOKE Family Hub UX
Silver(4)	BESPOKE Refrigerator Upcycling Solution for TV Packaging Q950TS∙QLED 8K TV The Serif VIS (Visual Identity System)
Bronze(4)	Galaxy Fold Infinite Line Oven The Sero VIS (Visual Identity System) Inclusive IoT

“With consumer-focused innovation, we will continue to strive for design that can create meaningful value in the everyday lives of our customers,” said Dontae Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Corporate Design Center at Samsung Electronics.

Wireless Audio Visual Identity System

Samsung received the Gold award:

• Wireless Audio Visual Identity System – it delivers a consistent branding message by visually expressing the powerful audio and unique design characteristics for the Millennial generation.

Dual Cook Flex (top), Emergency Services Network (ESN) device (middle left), VL5/VL3 Wireless Audio Series (middle right), CJ79 Thunderbolt 3 QLED Curved Monitor

Samsung won six Silver awards:

• Dual Cook Flex – the premium oven with a soft and minimalist design. The oven has a flexible door system to conveniently cook more than two dishes at the same time without excessive heat loss.
• Built-in Chef Collection Cooking Package – the premium built-in kitchen appliances with a pro-refined commercial design consisting of an oven, cooktop, pro-range, hood and dishwasher which have a seamless professional look. The chef-inspired features enabled by the internet of things (IoT) give a great cooking experience.
• Emergency Services Network (ESN) device –­ a handheld mobile device that is fully optimized for the emergency environment, supporting all emergency services’ functionality and critical voice services. Ruggedized for use in the field, the device also features IP68 water and dust resistance.
• CJ79 Thunderbolt 3 QLED Curved Monitor – a 34-inch ultra-wide, 21:9 aspect ratio curved display that offers an optimal immersive and comfortable viewing experience with a natural curved design.
• The Frame – the new beautiful TV experience that brings walls to life with “Art Mode” which incorporates new inspiration into everyday life.
• VL5/VL3 Wireless Audio Series – the wireless audio system with unique design which allows easy installation around the house and brings the true essence of sound experience.

Built-in Chef Collection Cooking Package (top), The Frame

Samsung also won two Bronze awards:

• Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy Note8 – the combination of bezel-less Infinity Display and symmetrical, curved design creates a more immersive mobile experience.
• The Frame Visual Identity System – the concept of blending into home clearly communicates the real value of the Frame with consumers.

Galaxy Note8 (left), The Frame Visual Identity System

Organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), the IDEA began in 1980. Product submissions are based on a comprehensive evaluation of design innovation, user experience, benefit to the client, benefit to the society and aesthetics.

Samsung Electronics has been recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) in its prestigious International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition. Samsung has won a total of five accolades including one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze awards. Twenty-one other Samsung products encompassing various categories ranging from home appliances to printers were also selected as finalists.

The IDEA competition is one of the most influential in North America and puts design innovation at its core. Each year, Samsung Electronics is recognized for its forward-thinking, innovative design products and initiatives through IDEA.

This year, Samsung received a Gold award for its Serif TV, a device best known for its ability to blend into one’s living space thanks to its simple design, and understated colors and materials. Easy to display on a shelf or a table, Serif adjusts itself to a user’s lifestyle. And, with detachable legs, it can just as easily be placed on the floor in the center of a room.

The Galaxy S6 edge smartphone and the Gear 360 camera were also recognized, both receiving Silver awards. The world’s first dual-edge screen smartphone pushes the envelope in design as well as technological innovation, while the compact and easy-to-use Gear 360 captures 360-degree images of one’s surroundings for a truly immersive photographic experience.

The Gear S2 and portable SSD T3 external drive were presented with Bronze awards. The mixture of analog and digital on the Gear S2 has much to owe to its UX design, which makes it feel more like a wristwatch than a smart device. The SSD T3 external drive, meanwhile, boasts a stylish two-tone color combination and slim-line design about the size of a business card.

Besides the award-winning products, 21 additional products were selected as finalists, illustrating Samsung’s commitment to innovation and design.

These products include: the Family Hub Refrigerator with a full HD touchscreen that covers much of the right exterior door; the 360 CST Air Conditioner that delivers cool air evenly to all parts of the home; the 2016 Smart TV, which has an out-of-box experience (OOBE) UX that greets users in their own language; and the MX3 A3 printer that enables quick and easy control with its 7-inch LCD touch screen.