The first signs of Nokia's strategic partnership with Microsoft are beginning to show. Microsoft's Bing Maps team announced the introduction of a unified maps design for both companies' online maps experiences today. Bing Maps designers worked closely with Nokia Maps and the Windows Phone team to unify all map elements, including improved contrast, colors, and typography.

The new maps design is available immediately on desktop and mobile versions of Bing and Nokia Maps, and includes the use of Nokia's Pure font for all map legends. We saw some initial signs of Nokia's influence on the Windows Phone platform with the introduction of Chinese Windows Phones at Mobile World Congress this week, but its mapping work shows just how close the companies are working together. Although the new Maps design doesn't bare the Nokia name just yet, we expect to see a lot more integration of Nokia's services into the Windows Phone platform and across Microsoft's online services in the coming months.