The highlights 2024

Colours of Our Time – Identity and Difference in Design

The year started with a vibrant exhibition: from 22 February to 2 June 2024, the Red Dot Design Museum explored the question of what role colour plays in the design of products, brands and our cultural identity. 

Colours not only shape well-known brands, but also provide insights into lifestyles and values. They connect us with others or set us apart and reflect the times and culture of different generations. The exhibition showed how colours, from brand-specific tones to the colour worlds of different generations, influence the aesthetics and perception of products.

39 jurors from 20 countries gathered in the Ruhr area for the jury session to independently and individually review the submitted products. During the judging process, the experts contribute the extensive design expertise they have acquired over the course of their careers as professors, consultants, industrial designers, and journalists. Their wide-ranging experience and objective approach once again contributed to a fair and well-founded evaluation of each individual product in 2024. The result of this meeting was an outstanding competition, which was the result of a joint dialogue and reflects the high design quality of the winners.

Award ceremony with international design icons

On 24 June 2024, international designers, including the head designers of global brands such as Fiskars, Hilti, Ducati, Philips, LIXIL, Thule and Logitech, gathered in Essen for the award ceremony of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024. At the Aalto Theatre, Professor Dr. Peter Zec, together with the jurors Luisa Bocchietto, Omri Bar-Zeev and Nina Mihovec, presented the trophies to the winners of the Red Dot: Best of the Best. Designers and manufacturers from 20 countries were honoured to receive a distinction this year. The Aalto Ballet performed an excerpt from the piece In-Between, choreographed by Armen Hakobyan, as a cultural enrichment of the gala evening.

Designers’ Night

The after-show party at the Red Dot Design Museum on the premises of the Zeche Zollverein offered a diverse atmosphere. Guests could explore the museum, relax in the beer garden or party on the dance floor – something for all tastes.

Guests had the opportunity to explore the award-winning products of this year’s winners. The exhibition “Milestones in Contemporary Design” presented the best products of 2024, selected by the Red Dot Jury from the 51 categories of the competition. Around 1,500 other products that received an award in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2024 were also presented in the special exhibition “Design on Stage”. Both exhibitions are open to visitors until 1 June 2025.

One highlight was the special exhibition on the ground floor of the Red Dot Design Museum, which brought the Thule success story to life. The exhibition offered a fascinating insight into the work of the design team and presented the company’s iconic products. It was a magnet for design lovers and Thule fans until September 2024.

European Football Championship in Germany

For football fans, the UEFA European Championship in Germany was the highlight of the year – a tournament that, in addition to sporting highlights, also underlined the importance of design in football. In an exclusive interview with Professor Dr. Peter Zec, this aspect was examined in more detail and the complex connection between football and design was highlighted. Football has long been more than just a game: it is a global phenomenon in which design becomes a stage for innovation, identity and emotion – an impressive example of how sport and creativity inspire each other.

» to the interview 

Red Dot Gala in Singapore

2024 was a special year for the Red Dot Award: Design Concept, as it saw a number of exciting premieres:

For the first time, the award ceremony took place at the Capitol Theatre in Singapore. Under the motto “We cannot predict the future, but we can create the future”, Peter Zec, Ken Koo and, for the first time, Jova Zec, who has been joining Red Dot as Vice President since 2024, hosted the evening.

The Red Dot: Peter Zec Prize, which honours the most convincing design concept of the Red Dot: Next Gen Award, was also awarded for the first time. The “Flytram” project, an innovative hybrid vehicle that combines tram and cable car functions, is the first design concept to be honoured with this newly introduced award.

The Red Dot: Luminary, the highest distinction in the competition, was awarded to the Ventete aH-1 bicycle helmet. The helmet uses an air system that allows it to fold to less than 3.5 cm. It can be inflated again in 30 seconds using a USB-C pump. It provides particularly good protection against rotational forces, which often lead to brain injuries. The helmet, developed under the direction of Colin Herperger, is the first departure from classic helmet materials in around 50 years.

The award ceremony ended with the presentation of the Winners’ Exhibition at the Red Dot Design Museum Singapore and an impressive view of Marina Bay.

Jury session of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design

24 jurors came together live for the evaluation of the entries, in order to consider and evaluate each project and each brand individually.

On the basis of various criteria and in consideration of their socio-cultural background, their professional focus and their design expertise, they decided which of the submitted designs and brands met the requirements for a Red Dot, a Red Dot: Best of the Best, a Red Dot: Grand Prix or a Red Dot: Brand of the Year.

He accepted the “Stylus” challenge cup from Thomas Clever, co-founder of CLEVER°FRANKE and last year’s title holder. Peter Zec had words of praise for the work of the design team: “The team’s strategic design approach combines empathy, sustainability and innovation in a remarkable way and is based on an in-depth understanding of consumer needs.”

The laudatory speech was held by the renowned architect Fabio Novembre, who praised the global impact and cultural relevance of the PepsiCo design team in his speech: “Since the team’s founding in 2012, PepsiCo Design has expanded from a single New York office to a global team across five continents, with 17 Design Hubs in cities like London, Shanghai, Sao Paolo, Mexico City, Istanbul and many more. The team includes more than 400 multidisciplinary creatives on the ground in every region of the world helping building brands with a deep understanding of local nuances. Designers are empowered to design and innovate for their own local cultures, resulting in authentic cultural relevance and pride.”

International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design 2024/2025

On 18 November 2024, the 30th edition of the “International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design 2024/2025” was published – the standard work for communication design, which has been documenting the award-winning projects of the Red Dot Award since 1995. With over 700 award-winning works and exclusive insights into the creative processes of the “Best of the Best” winners, the yearbook reflects current trends and is also a valuable archive of design over time. “It is something like the manifestation of a design memory that makes the social significance of the industry visible to the outside world,” says Professor Dr. Peter Zec.