Characterful brands are based on outstanding product design
Strong brands are distinguished by their outstanding character. This unique identity is caused by the perfect interaction between company and product. Thereby, a designer has a key position. Every year, the significance of this role is made clear in the Red Dot Award: Product Design, especially with the honouring of the design team of the year.
The understanding of the designer as a defining element within a corporate culture has grown considerably. This also proves the German journal "Werben & Verkaufen" (26, 205) by highlighting "value creators" and "brand makers" such as Judith Borowski from the luxury watchmaker Nomos Glashütte and Gorden Wagener from Mercedes.
For many years now, both companies prove their design quality in the Red Dot Award: Product Design. In 2015, Nomos Glashütte has been awarded with the Red Dot for the understated, hand-wound watch "Metro Datum Gangreserve". The unpretentious watch indicates the time with elegantly tapered hands. The Red Dot jury stated: “the precise remodelling of this watch has given it a cosmopolitan air, presenting excellent features in a refreshing new way”.
For Gorden Wagener "sensual purity as a definition of a modern luxury" is the centre of his design approach. The Red Dot jury has realised this aspiration on the Mercedes-AMG GT which was bestowed with the highest single award, "Red Dot: Best of the Best", in 2015: “The proportions of the Mercedes-AMG GT perfectly unite to form a statement of purity and precision.” It is also emphasised: “Each detail is assigned a corresponding functionality in the design, and nothing appears superfluous or artificial. Thus, the Mercedes-AMG GT embodies a very good example of a sophisticated sports car design”. According to W&V, Wagener sharpness with this “masterpiece” the Mercedes brand at all levels. The special role of a designer summarises Wagener in a Red Dot interview: "As a designer, I think about my work all the time. I live design, because as designers we are shaping part of the future”.
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