Old Telephone Room

Old Telephone Room

CANADA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 1985 FRAMED PLAQUE

In Northern Telecom - BNR

Received on August 30, 2025, from the private collection of BNR Industrial Designer Cliff Read.

CANADA AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 1985

FINALIST IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

Presented to:

NORTHERN TELECOM CANADA LIMITED
London, Ontario

Design:

DESIGN INTERPRETIVE
BELL NORTHERN RESEARCH

For:

The development, design and marketing of a new basic residential telephone – “The Harmony”.

Sponsored by the Department of Regional Industrial Expansion in recognition by significant achievement in the development and the successful marketing of a Canadian product of design excellence on the domestic and the international markets.

The Honourable Sinclair Stevens
Minister of Regional Industrial Expansion

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A Plaque of Recognition: 1985 Canada Awards for Excellence

This historic plaque that represents a proud moment in Canadian industrial design. In 1985, Northern Telecom Canada Limited of London, Ontario was recognized as a Finalist in Industrial Design in the Canada Awards for Excellence.

The award was presented for the creation of a new basic residential telephone known as the Harmony. The project brought together the talents of Design Interpretive and Bell Northern Research (BNR), whose combined efforts resulted in a product that was innovative, accessible, and highly marketable both at home and abroad.

The Harmony Telephone

Introduced in the early 1980s, the Harmony was designed as a modern, affordable telephone for Canadian households. It represented a shift away from the heavy, utilitarian phones of earlier decades toward something lighter, friendlier, and more contemporary.

Key features of the Harmony included:

  • Compact, ergonomic form – Its sleek shape was easy to hold and blended comfortably into home environments.
  • Colour options – The Harmony was offered in a range of fashionable colours, appealing to customers who wanted more than just a standard black or beige  of the 500 telephone.
  • Cost-effective design – Northern Telecom built the Harmony to be economical to produce while still reflecting quality and style, making it accessible to a wide market.
  • Market success – The phone was not only a hit in Canada but also exported, reinforcing Canada’s reputation for high-quality telecom design.

Recognition on a National Stage

This recognition was sponsored by the Department of Regional Industrial Expansion, with the Honourable Sinclair Stevens, Minister at the time, noting the achievement. The Harmony telephone was celebrated for embodying Canadian design excellence while also succeeding in international markets, an important milestone during a decade when Canada was eager to showcase its design and technological capabilities.

A Lasting Legacy

The plaque itself is more than just a commemorative piece, it serves as a tangible reminder of Northern Telecom’s forward thinking philosophy in the 1980s. The Harmony phone stands as a symbol of how good design can merge form and function, backed by thoughtful research and development, to create something both practical and iconic.

For collectors and telecom historians alike, this plaque represents not just the recognition of a single product, but also a moment in time when Canadian telecommunications design made its mark on the world stage.