Introduction to the Red Dot Awards

 Introduction to the red dot awards:

‘A brilliant idea, whether simple or complex, manifest with good design as a product that could one day be made available in the market has real value. With this fundamental belief, the red dot design award calls upon designers, companies, design institutions and design studios to submit their latest and best idea, as a product with good design, to the competition. The aim of the award is to be the defining platform that separates good ideas with good design solutions from the mediocre, to provide a professional evaluation and internationally recognised seal that gives an advantage to the design and designer in the competitive market. The focus on real market value clearly distinguishes the red dot award: design concept as the most professional international design concept competition today. It is also this focus that attracts not just designers, but companies, institutions, design studios and research centers to compete with their best work every year. In 2011, we received a total of 3,536 works from 54 countries. In addition to designers, the participants include 230 companies, and 90 universities. I encourage you to send your best idea and be counted as one of the most creative designer, company or school in the world. Professor Dr. Peter ZecInitiator of the red dot design award

 Jury Insight

We asked our jury members, past and present, “Why is a design concept competition like the red dot award: design concept important?”:

• “Conceptual design is of utmost importance to designers and companies, but only in the area of real innovation and not when related to styling or mere beautification of marketing gimmicks and things no one really needs”.  – Prof. Axel Thallemer (Germany)

• “This award has been gaining more importance year-by-year in the industry and market of design, because every year it allows companies, stakeholders, designers, and students to envision new products and/or services aimed or able to fit new demands or potential requirements. These demands or requirements are basically associated with changes in the market and social context, as well in the technology and production scenarios”.  – Prof. Carlos Hinrichsen (Chile)

• “I think the red dot award: design concept will become more important in the future. The reason is that the competition among designers and design studios will make it more challenging to differentiate by design factors, such as form and function. Therefore, at the very beginning stage of the development of a new product/service, the total resources of an organisation should focus on creating an innovative concept. Then other design factors would follow to realise the concept. As Daniel Pink asserted in his book A Whole New World, we are approaching the conceptual age from the information age much faster than predicted. Also, as the iPhone has brought a new paradigm for business to the world, the opportunity for innovation is wide open to everybody with a good concept. In conclusion, the concept award will be not only for young designers but also for older designers with young minds”.  – Prof. Ken Nah (South Korea)

• “It is a way of putting your products to the test prior to manufacture, it is not for nothing that large companies participate and have their products looked at by top jury members that are invited from all over the world. It is an expense they save by entering this competition and for young designers it is a way of testing their ideas and creating possible future collaborations with producers”.  – Danny Venlet (Belgium)

• “It is my ambition that events and activities, such as the red dot award: design concept should help inspire new ways of thinking about product development and innovation”.  – Nils Toft (Denmark)

• “Design is becoming more and more important as a profession and there is more design in the world. Huge corporations are more concerned about the future because to plan for the future, you cannot just do it from day to day. They need designers to see what is coming ahead, what is coming next. So what I see is that this award is more important than many other awards in the world”.  – Werner Aisslinger (Germany)

• “iPhone has brought a new paradigm for business to the world, the opportunity for innovation is wide open to everybody with a good concept. In conclusion, the concept award will be not only for young designers but also for older designers with young minds”.  – Prof. Ken Nah (South Korea)

Reasons to Win for Companies 

‘The red dot design award is an independent and established quality seal for design. Winning a red dot at the red dot award: design concept communicates to the public at large that your company leads in the development of innovative products and new design. In addition, the award is a popular source of content for editorial content, your company can gain valuable press coverage in magazines, dailies and televised news.

Competing for the award challenges and motivates the design team of the company to compete against the best in the world. Winning the award benchmarks the design team and improves morale, as it is an independent endorsement that they have achieved the highest standard of innovation and design. In addition, it provides effective communication to the management of the company on the value of innovation and research, and the positive contribution by the design team.

For smaller companies that are design and innovation oriented, the cost of protecting new designs is high. The red dot award: design concept offers a cost effective platform to obtain an independent evaluation of the value of a new design or innovation.

Companies are able to leverage on the expertise and experience of the panel of jury to provide an indication of which design ideas has a better chance of market success, thus directing investment in the protection of the design or even to further develop the design concept for the market. A winner is informed about 3 months ahead of the public when the design won the award. This allows enough time to file for protection before it is revealed to the public. If a design does not win the award, it is kept a secret, as the adjudication is a strictly confidential and private event.

The red dot design award offers winners extensive marketing services to leverage on the success of winning a red dot. In addition to a prominent feature in the award yearbook and year long exhibition at the red dot design museum in Singapore,  the red dot team also aggressively pursues media opportunities for our winners with its database of more than 800 press contacts, of which, 75 are design centric media.’