Winners of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2018 honoured at the Singapore awarding ceremony

Founder and CEO of Red Dot Prof. Dr. Peter Zec on the runway
Members of the design team for SCHOTT® LuminaLine.
Zaviè Design Studio receiving the Red Dot: Best of the Best for Cookacross.
MOTOROiD winning the Red Dot: Luminary for Yamaha Motor.

Recognising the need to identify and celebrate new design concepts and innovations in 2005, Red Dot Award for Design Concept have created an unprecedented platform that accept new ideas, design research projects and prototypes from institutions, companies, design teams and designers.

“Red Dot Award: Design Concept has been an indicator for the future of product and communication design—from electric and autonomous driving cars to smart technologies and robotics. “ Founder and CEO of Red Dot, Prof. Dr. Peter Zec explains. “Only in this internationally unique competition is it possible to offer the ideas of tomorrow a professional framework.”

Red Dot Award: Design Concept received a record 5,640 entries this year, a 19% increase in submissions from 55 countries. Only concepts with the highest design merit which won over the Red Dot jury were awarded the Red Dot. Comprising of 20 design experts worldwide, the international panel of distinguished jurors selected 333 concepts to be recognised this year. 265 concepts were awarded the Red Dot, 40 concepts consisting 0.7% out of the entire submissions were being honoured the Red Dot: Best of the Best for their exceptional design excellence, and 28 concepts were credited with Honourable Mentions. Prof. Dr. Peter Zec and Mr. Ken Koo, President of Red Dot, Asia, gave out the awards at the awarding ceremony in Singapore.

Three concepts were nominated for this year’s Red Dot: Luminary from the 40 Red Dot: Best of the Best laureates. The Red Dot: Luminary is the highest achievement at the design competition and serves as an inspiration to aspire towards. The nominees include MOTOROiD from the mobility category by Japanese Yamaha Motor Co Ltd, a proof-of-concept electric motorcycle prototype that employs AI and Yamaha-exclusive technologies aimed at creating an entirely new personal mobility experience; SCHOTT® LuminaLine from the illumination category by German SCHOTT AG, an aesthetic high-tech lighting concept that shines with its versatility and improves life in many ways; and  Cookacross from the culinary category by Iranian Zaviè Design Studio, a built-in cooktop with a fully customisable heating surface for more enjoyable cooking experience.

This year’s Red Dot: Luminary honours the MOTOROiD by Yamaha Motor Co Ltd from Japan. “This is a perfect example of cooperation between multiple disciplines of engineering and design where styling is not superimposed to give a better look in order to force marketing or advertising to drive sales, but an integration of many actuator and sensor interfaces for a fully automated, artificial intelligence controlled motorcycle which can come to the rider, keep its full stability even while in motion just by active real time controls.” Red Dot juror Professor Axel Thallemer explains. “This is unique and probably a good example for a lighthouse beacon of technology fused with design, and achievable in the mobility field.”

The Red Dot: Luminary trophy is then presented to Yamaha Motor Co Ltd by Prof. Dr Peter Zec, initiator and CEO of Red Dot and Mr Ken Koo. The night concluded with the presentation of Red Dot Award: Design Concept winners’ exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum which overlooks the waterfront promenade of Singapore’s Marina Bay.

Red Dot Award for Design Concept 2018 winning concepts are also presented at the online exhibition at the Red Dot Award: Design Concept website as well as on Red Dot Design Yearbook for Design Concept 2018/2019. The yearbook and exhibition are traditions of the Red Dot Design Award, providing designers with a reference to the best in design.