In search of excellence product design

red dot award: product design 2013 In search of excellence product design

2 red dot award: product design 2013 3 Welcome to the world of design It may be a little way off yet but I am already looking forward to writing in the spring of 2013 to those responsible for the best products of the year and telling them: You are winner of the red dot design award! Because I have known for more than 20 years now just what our competition means to the designers and entrepreneurs and how enthusiastically they communicate their success and will celebrate it at our awards ceremony. And with good reason. You and your winning products will be presented extensively in our yearbooks, at our exhibitions and not least in the media. The main public and private television broadcasters and magazines in Germany as well as numerous international print and online media reported widely on the red dot award: product design winners and awards ceremony in 2012. But the red dot label is not just a marketing tool. It defines, recognises and differentiates the best products of the year as evaluated by a jury with a reputation and a level of internationality that is second to none. If you want to prove the quality of your new products, then you need to convince our jury. Measure yourself in an international comparison and take part in the red dot award: product design 2013. I wish you the very best of luck! Yours sincerely, Prof. Dr. Peter Zec Initiator and CEO of the red dot design award

4 red dot award: product design 2013 5 Essen, Germany red dot design museum see page 16 World of red dot With its origins dating back until 1955, the red dot design award ranks among the largest and most renowned competitions in the world today. In 2012 alone, it received more than 15,000 applications from 70 nations. Thus, red dot documents the most remarkable trends and best designs in the world in three disciplines today: from product- to communication design to concepts. The internationally accepted seal is reserved exclusively for the competition s winners. An advantage that has to be secured! Singapore red dot design museum see page 18 Participating countries in the red dot design award 2012 Argentina Australia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia-Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Columbia Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jordan Latvia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mexico Montenegro Netherlands New Zealand Norway Peru Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Russian Federation Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates Uruguay USA

6 red dot award: product design 2013 7 A closer look at design-focused brands red dot design ranking Exceptional design competence and economic success go hand in hand. A successful participation in the red dot award: product design increases the visibility of the participating designers and the awarded products as well as the design value of the distinguished companies. Each red dot award is included in the calculations performed by the red dot institute. Here, red dot design rankings are calculated and published on request. They are received with great interest by competition participants and the media alike. For the clients, changes in the ranking provide a cause to check their strategic orientation and to re-evaluate their own business figures. Those who score well in the ranking of one of the largest and most renowned design competitions prove themselves, the employees and also the competitors the importance of first-class product design. = + qualifying by selecting and presenting Qualifying by selecting and presenting This formula is the leitmotif in the red dot world. Itemised, it means: An independent expert jury selects products of highest design quality and awards these with the red dot. The so selected is presented to a broad public via different channels. This way, the laureates as well as the consumers get qualified.

8 red dot award: product design 2013 9 The distinctions of the red dot award: product design 01 Living rooms and bedrooms 02 Households 03 Kitchens 04 Tableware and decoration red dot: best of the best The red dot: best of the best is awarded for groundbreaking designs. Only the outstanding products of a category receive this highest distinction of the competition. In 2012, 1.3% of all submissions to the red dot award: product design were honoured with the red dot: best of the best. honourable mention The red dot jurors recognise particularly well-executed aspects of design works with the honourable mention. Products which convince them with thought-out detail solutions are honoured with this special award. 05 Bathrooms, spas and air conditioning 06 Lighting and lamps 07 Gardens 08 Outdoor, leisure and sports red dot The red dot is the renowned distinction for high design quality. A jury of international experts awards the coveted quality seal only to products which set themselves apart significantly from comparable products thanks to their excellent design. red dot: design team of the year Since 1991, a very special appreciation has been awarded: With the title of honour red dot: design team of the year, the achievements of one design team that shapes markets around the world through consistently innovative design performance has been rewarded annually. In recent years, such renowned companies as Apple, Nokia, Pininfarina, BMW, Bose, Tupperware, Grohe or currently Porsche have lined up in the hall of fame of design. 09 Fashion, lifestyle and accessories 10 Watches and jewellery 11 Interior design 12 Architecture and urban design 13 Offices 14 Industry and crafts 15 Life science and medicine 16 Automotive and transportation The product categories 2013 From fashion and accessories to world-scale plants to vehicles, electronics and furniture the entire range of product design and architecture is represented in 19 categories. The novelties submitted are assessed in each single category by internationally renowned experts. The results of the judging process thus reflect the future of the respective industry and create trends and direction for manufacturers, designers and consumers around the world. They serve as a benchmark and emphasise the link between a sustainable design policy and economic success. 17 Entertainment technology and cameras 18 Communications 19 Computers and information technology

10 red dot award: product design 2013 11 Fair and independent The jury of the red dot award: product design The jury is the heart of the red dot award: product design, because the renowned specialists from all over the world guarantee with their expertise the high quality level of the competiton as well as the expressiveness of the red dot seal. The composition changes from year to year, whereby the jury members always pledge to a Code of Honour and are excluded from taking part in the competition. In addition, to avoid conflicts of interest, the jurors may generally not be employees of the manufacturing industry. In a several days lasting process, the international luminaries test, discuss and evaluate each single submission of the many thousands live and on-site a logistic feat, as there is no preselection. The procedure follows a canon of adjudication criteria which is constantly adapted to the latest findings in formal, technical, manufacturing, societal, industrial and ecological requirements. These criteria provide a guiding framework, which is filled in individually by each juror: due to their different backgrounds, the jurors consciously also assess the special intercultural aspects of design. Adjudication criteria Degree of innovation Functionality Formal quality Ergonomics Durability Symbolic and emotional content Product periphery Self-explanatory quality Ecological compatibility

12 red dot award: product design 2013 13 red dot gala This stage belongs to the best: Once a year, designers, CEOs, media and marketing managers cheer for the most successful awardees in the competition. In the spotlight: Over 1,200 guests from all over the world follow the awards ceremony at the Aalto-Theater.

14 red dot award: product design 2013 15 Success needs to be celebrated During the glamorous red dot gala at the Aalto- Theater, the opera house in Essen, Germany, the laureates of the red dot: best of the best are in the spotlight on stage: they receive both recognition from the international design scene and, with their trophy and certificate, the deserved reward for excellent design achievements. Further highlights of the event are the awarding of the honorary title red dot: design team of the year with the traditional presentation of the challenge cup Radius as well as a top-quality cultural entertainment, among others by the Aalto Ballett Theater Essen. With more than 1,200 guests from all continents of the world, the festive awards ceremony also features an extraordinary networking character: design stars and experts, politicians, CEOs and marketing decision-makers as well as representatives of the international media come together to celebrate the winners of the red dot award: product design on this special evening. Subsequently to the awards show in the Aalto-Theater, they also meet at the Designers Night. In the exceptional scenery of the legendary red dot design museum, they celebrate the successes of the year until the wee hours. The glittering party also marks the launch of the exclusive winners special exhibition: Over a period of four weeks, the awarded products of the red dot award: product design 2013 will be presented to a broad public. The red dot gala takes place on 1 July 2013. and the Designers Night! at the red dot gala

16 red dot award: product design 2013 17 red dot design museum in Germany Cathedral of industrial culture Only the top-products of the year are presented in the world s biggest exhibition of contemporary design. With more than 2,000 exhibits from 50 nations, the red dot design museum houses the world s largest presentation of contemporary design. Every year, about 180,000 guests visit the exhibition, which has its origins in the Ständige Schau Industrieform of 1955. The house, which is located in the former boiler house of UNESCO world cultural heritage Zeche Zollverein, was rebuilt by British star architect Lord Norman Foster specifically for the purpose of a museum. Today, the red dot design museum presents latest product culture in the midst of old industrial culture on an area of approximately 4,000 square metres: an impressive setting in which all prize-winning products of the red dot award: product design are presented for at least one year. The red dot design museum is located on the grounds of UNESCO world heritage Zollverein in Essen, Germany.

18 red dot award: product design 2013 19 red dot design museum in Singapore Proud winners in the red dot design museum Singapore. Creative centre in the heart of Asia The Asian region offers a large number of future markets, is pulsating with energy and has a huge reservoir of creativity and innovative ideas. The red dot design museum in Singapore was opened in November 2005 in order to offer the design scene and its creative works an exclusive exhibition location. The museum is situated in the red dot traffic, an impressive colonial-style building that is painted bright red and is seen as Singapore s present-day creative centre. Its unique architecture also makes it one of Singapore s most fascinating event locations, which regularly hosts design conferences, events and spectacular parties for the creative industry.

20 red dot award: product design 2013 21 Winners privileges red dot label A red dot is not only a recognition for a lot of hard work, but also a superb marketing tool which is reserved exclusively for the competition winners. Already at first glance, the usage of the internationally known and highly esteemed label generates the most attention possible thanks to its striking appearance. Whether it is utilised on the packaging, in advertising campaigns, on websites or in TV commercials: the red dot guarantees a high level of recognition worldwide. This contributes to raising the level of awareness of a product immensely and ensuring that a brand is associated with excellent design quality in the long term. Communicating success The recognition of a product with a red dot enables winners to be part of the international red dot community and opens the gates to an international network. Reserved for red dot winners: The label for excellence in design

22 red dot award: product design 2013 23 22 red dot award: product design 2013 red dot design yearbook The most important reference work and must-have is the annually published red dot design yearbook which documents the trends in product design. The worldwide distributed volumes living and doing present the award-winning works, but also interesting background information as well as detailed portraits of the designers. Companies, journalists, architects, planners and designers from all over the world use the yearbooks for their day-to-day work and keep them over the years as collectors items and almanacs of contemporary design. red dot edition The publications of the red dot edition, the specialist publisher in the field of design, are highly esteemed by starters and professionals alike.

24 red dot award: product design 2013 25 PR and press red dot online Successes need to be communicated: Besides the laureates own PR campaigns, red dot guarantees a competent PR work and thus continuous presence of its laureates in the national and international media. Press releases to the daily press as well as to specialist and general press ensure maximum visibility. In addition, winners benefit from worldwide media partnerships, such as those with the Japanese AXIS Magazine, the Australian Curve as well as various international design portals like Yanko Design or Design42Day and the German business magazine WirtschaftsWoche. Regular specials in these publications inform about outstanding products before design-interested readers from around the world. red dot also informs online about the competition s winners, trends and news from the world of design. For business, the media and consumers, the website www.red-dot.de serves as one of the most important contact points and research tools for contemporary design. Besides the presentation of the award-winning works in the online exhibition, the red dot design store turns out to be an excellent distribution channel. Also in social networks such as Facebook and in the red dot newsletter, ten-thousands of design fans are informed constantly about the laureates.

26 red dot award: product design 2013 27 red dot on tour In order to carry the idea of design around the globe, red dot goes on tour again and again. In its luggage is always a selection of prize-winning products. In recent years, some of the stops were Tokyo, Moscow, Seoul, Kortrijk, Sydney, Prague, Xiamen and Hong Kong. The special- and travelling exhibitions provide the competition s winners with extraordinary stages for presenting their creative know-how in the most promising growth markets of the future. For years, red dot is successfully pursuing the goal to expand contacts in the most exciting economic zones continuously and to foster the communication between international design studios, the media and companies for the laureates benefit.

28 red dot award: product design 2013 Registration Eligibility to participate Manufacturers and designers from around the world, whose products are being fabricated in an industrial production process, are invited to participate in the red dot award: product design 2013. The products must have been launched on the market after 1 January 2011 and need to go into production before 1 July 2013. Non-industrial unique items are barred from participating in the red dot award: product design. Every participant of the red dot award: product design can submit as many products as they want to. Product categories 01 Living rooms and bedrooms 02 Households 03 Kitchens 04 Tableware and decoration 05 Bathrooms, spas and air conditioning 06 Lighting and lamps 07 Gardens 08 Outdoor, leisure and sports 09 Fashion, lifestyle and accessories 10 Watches and jewellery 11 Interior design 12 Architecture and urban design 13 Offices 14 Industry and crafts 15 Life science and medicine 16 Automotive and transportation 17 Entertainment technology and cameras 18 Communications 19 Computers and information technology Registration Find further information on the red dot award: product design as well as on the participation and the competition s terms and conditions at www.red-dot.de/pd Registration fee: Early Bird: 220 euros Regular: 260 euros Latecomers: 290 euros These prices are net of statutory VAT. The registration fee includes the basic presentation for judging. The products will be evaluated at the same time and on-site. Dates Registration through: Early Bird: 7 December 2012 Regular: 18 January 2013 Latecomers: 6 February 2013 Judging: February 2013 Notification of the results of the judging process will be given at the beginning of March 2013. Awards ceremony: 1 July 2013 Special exhibition: 2 July 2013 28 July 2013 Permanent exhibition: from 30 July 2013 Online exhibition: from 1 July 2013 red dot design yearbook: from 1 July 2013 For questions regarding the registration and the competition, please contact the red dot team: Phone +49 (0)201 30 10 4-27 Fax +49 (0)201 30 10 4-40 E-mail team@red-dot.de www.red-dot.de/pd product design