Design award honours Kia and Ferrari with Red Dot: Best of the Best
What do a Ferrari 488 GTB and a Kia Optima have in common? Both were recently honoured at the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2016 in the category “vehicles” with the highest distinction, the Red Dot: Best of the Best. It is awarded for groundbreaking design and only to the best products in a category. While manufacturers and designers entered a record number of around 5,200 innovations, only 79 objects were bestowed the honour of the top award. Part of this year’s Red Dot jury was Ken Okuyama, industrial designer and CEO of KEN OKUYAMA DESIGN. He has worked among others as a chief designer for General Motors and as a senior designer for Porsche AG.
The Ferrari 488 GTB convinces with an aggressive styling
The berlinetta was designed by the Ferrari Styling Centre, directed by Flavio Manzoni. Although it is trimmed for maximum aerodynamic efficiency, it has the typical clear and elegant lines that distinguish the cars from Maranello. The front is characterised by a double grille, which leads the air to the two coolers. The double spoiler is based on the racing cars from the Formula 1. Especially for the model, a new paint was developed: Rosso Corsa Metallizzato. The color gives the Ferrari 488 GTB a striking depth and a special gloss which is reached by a triple-layer formulation in which millions of micro-particles are suspended in the paint.
The design of the Kia Optima underlines its sporty identity
With significantly less horsepower than the Ferrari, the new Kia Optima nevertheless presents itself sporty: the silhouette, the longer, wider headlight units and sharply drawn lines and edges - all these attributes enhance the modern, sporty shape. From the front, the powerful front grille and side air intakes in the bumper dominate. Equally dynamic is the interior with a pure, driver-oriented design and the latest technologies. The new model has a longer, wider and firmer suspension, which improves drivability and handling.
The best products of 2016 were honoured
41 experts from all over the globe came together in the Ruhr region at the end of February 2016 to form the largest Red Dot jury in the history of the Red Dot Award: Product Design. The jury selected the best products of the year. Winning an award involves an extensive package of activities, such as the publication in the Red Dot Design Yearbook and the presence in the exhibition of the Red Dot Design Museums. The official award ceremony is the Red Dot Gala in Essen, which takes place on 4 July 2016 at the Aalto-Theater.
