Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2024 Results
Initiated in 2005, the Red Dot Award: Design Concept marks almost twenty years of recognising outstanding design projects that will shape our future. Design concepts are manifestations of our inner values, convictions, and visions. They reflect the journey from possibility to reality, transforming ideas into tangible outcomes. Upholding its dedication to celebrating design excellence, the award continues its tradition of honouring the best in the field.
“Design concepts are mental experiments and sometimes small things can make a big difference. The future depends on today’s creatives and their visions.” explains Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot. “Therefore, it is important to support existing talents and empower them to fully flourish.”
Red Dot: Next Gen Award
This year, the Red Dot: Next Gen Award was introduced as part of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept, specifically for projects by young designers under the age of 30. This new category ensures a more precise evaluation of their work, considering the different circumstances of young designers versus professional teams. Emerging designers now have the opportunity to measure themselves against their peers, as well as to benchmark their skills alongside established professionals.
Red Dot: Peter Zec Prize
The most convincing design concept in the Red Dot: Next Gen Award is honoured with the Red Dot: Peter Zec Prize, which is the counterpart of the Red Dot: Luminary. This prestigious distinction comes with a prize of 10,000 Singapore Dollars. Several projects by young designers have been nominated for the Red Dot: Peter Zec Prize this year. Among these are an interactive audio installation book series titled “The Sounds of Taiwanese History” from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, “Flytram”, a hybrid vehicle combining tram and cable car features from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Hungary, and a modular, portable equipment system for forest firefighting titled “Innovative Design of Products and Systems for Forest Fires” from Jiangnan University in China. These projects demonstrate the innovative potential and creativity of the next generation of designers, marking these young winners as talents to watch in the future.
Red Dot: Luminary
Five projects have been nominated for the Red Dot: Luminary, the highest distinction in the Red Dot Award: Design Concept. Selected from the Red Dot: Best of the Best, these projects represent some of the most exciting developments worldwide and exemplify the pinnacle of professional design work. Among the nominated projects is “Expandable Touchdown” by Expandable B.V. from the Netherlands, a customisable and aesthetically pleasing mobile unit that offers a customisable, aesthetically pleasing mobile unit without long lead times or high costs. From the UK, “Ventete aH-1 Cycle Helmet” by Ventete Limited stands out for its foldable design, enabling it to fit easily in a pocket. The “Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle 190” by Canoo, based in the US, is a Class 2 EV (electric vehicle) with a compact, multi-purpose platform designed to maximise cargo space. “Future-X” by HD Hyundai XiteSolution Design Center in South Korea presents a vision of autonomous construction with its cabinless machinery, tailored for future worksites. Meanwhile, Droga5 Tokyo of Accenture Song in Japan has introduced the “Down-Less Down Jacket”, the world’s first solar-powered smart jacket.
Award ceremony at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore
Designers and design teams from across the globe travelled to Singapore on 10 October to celebrate their accomplishments. This year’s Red Dot: Luminary was awarded to the Ventete aH-1 Cycle Helmet, an inflatable, micro-collapsible cycle helmet, marking the first major departure from traditional helmet materials in over 50 years. Prof. Dr. Peter Zec and Mr. Ken Koo presented the Red Dot: Luminary trophy to the design team from Ventete Limited on stage at the ceremony. The Red Dot: Peter Zec Prize was awarded to Flytram, a hybrid vehicle combining the features of both tram and cable car. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of the Red Dot Award: Design Concept winners’ exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum Singapore, overlooking Singapore’s Marina Bay waterfront promenade.
A reference to the best in design
All award-winning design concepts are featured in the Red Dot Design Yearbook for Design Concept 2024/2025 and online at www.red-dot.org. Both the yearbook and the exhibitions are long-standing traditions of the Red Dot Design Award, offering designers a valuable reference to the finest work in the field. The online exhibition not only showcases the best in design but also provides detailed descriptions of the projects and information about the designers behind them.
About the Red Dot Award: Design Concept
In 2005, the Red Dot Design Award recognised the importance of identifying and celebrating new design concepts and innovations – the forerunners of tomorrow’s groundbreaking products. With the belief that design concepts should be evaluated solely on their merit, without bias, the award established an unparalleled platform open to entries from both companies and design students. Today, the Red Dot Award: Design Concept has grown into the largest and most prestigious professional competition for design concepts and prototypes globally.