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Tuesday, 8 August 2006 | Levent OZLER
Results and Trends of the Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2006
Quiet, subtle works win over expert jury
The results of the red dot award: communication design 2006 have been finalised. This year, the jury consisting of nine international design experts had to judge the design quality of 3,708 entries from 31 nations. Twohundred and ten works received an award, twenty-four of them a 'red dot: best of the best' for outstanding and path-breaking design achievements. In the field of the honorary prizes the suspense remains because the awardwinners of the honorary award 'red dot: grand prix', which is awarded to the best work of each category, as well as the 'red dot: junior prize' worth 10,000 euros (instead of 2,000 euros in the previous years) for the best student work will be announced no earlier than 8 December 2006 at the festive award ceremony in the Essen Philharmonic Concert Hall. From 9 December 2006 to 7 January 2007, all award-winning works will be presented to the interested public in a special exhibition at the Essen red dot design museum.
Less is more
Even though according to the jury the quality of the 3,078 entries was consistently high, the percentage of entries which finally received an award is only slightly above 5 percent. "The outstanding works of this competition are quiet but subtle; they are touching and get under one's skin with wit and humour," Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award, sums up the results of the competition. "Due to the richness of possibilities, good communication design has to combine a clear line and an individual touch in order to be able to reach the addressee with the message that needs to be conveyed in the work," explains Zec. Following the motto "Less is more" good communication design has to be above all informative and functional, while translating complex matters into a clear language of forms.
Emotional design also for business reports
This also applies when companies communicate with their customers or investors: According to the jury an emotional appeal in business is useful even in the case of business reports. Among this year's entries are fresh approaches with a lot of humour, in which design merges perfectly with the company's ideology. Humanity comes first and design makes it possible to give the company a reputable and likable appearance in public.
Nominated for the red dot: junior prize
The following four nominees can have hopes for the prize-money of 10,000 euros, which the winner of the red dot: junior prize will receive:
- Martin Gorka from Offenbach for "Erdzeiten - Atlas der Paläogeografie" ("Times of the Earth - Atlas of Paleogeography")
- Christoph Nardin from Vienna for his poster "The Essence 2006"
- Catrin Sonnabend from Offenbach for the newspaper "Hier + Jetzt. 64 Anregungen zur Zeitverschwendung" ("Here + Now. 64 Suggestions on How to Waste Time")
- Wolfram Wiedner from Vienna for the website http://www.klassehickmann.com
- Diana Zima from Dortmund for her book "Königskinder - Für die perfekte Familie" ("Royal Children - for the Perfect Family")
Award ceremony and special exhibition
The award-winners will be honoured at the festive award ceremony in the Essen Philharmonic Concert Hall and the opening of the special exhibition in the red dot design museum on 8 December 2006. From 9 December 2006 to 7 January 2007, the exhibition will present all award-winning entries in the red dot design museum.
Documentation on the competition
Just in time for the award ceremony the "red dot communication design yearbook 2006/2007" will be published. The yearbook has managed to become an established reference work of current design. This year, the yearbook will be for the first time published by the in-house publishing company, the red dot edition, with a new, extended concept.
The Red Dot Design Award
With altogether more than 5,000 entries in its disciplines 'red dot award: product design', 'red dot award: communication design', and 'red dot award: design concept', the red dot design award is one of the leading and largest design competitions worldwide. Since 1955, outstanding design quality has been publicly honoured and presented in an exhibition by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen on an annual basis.
Red Dot Design Award: http://www.dexigner.com/directory/detail/3454/
Trend Spots - Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2006
"Less is more" - in the face of almost unlimited possibilities, good design is characterised by clarity and an emphasised message, according to the jury of this year's red dot award: communication design. Due to the richness of possibilities in communication design, today good design has to define a clear line and show individual character. According to the experts, good communication design has to be above all informative, without being confusing, and it should translate complex matters into a clear language of forms. The outstanding works that have received a red dot this year are quiet but subtle; they are touching and get under one's skin with wit and irony.
Editorial - The Book reaches New Design Dimensions
In the 'Editorial' category the jury ascribes a new, very high quality to the book. The materiality of books gets a completely new meaning in times of the Internet. The constant development in production opens up new dimensions of design, and makes unusual formats and innovative forms possible. A return to craftsmanship is staged artfully and executed in high-quality with perfected typography. Almost unlimited design variations allow interesting dramatic compositions put together from the most diverse kinds of styles. High-quality works, which try to translate complex matters into a simple form, reflect the demands on the designer.
Poster - Design for Design's Sake
The contemporary poster specialises mainly in the cultural field. Often disconnected from it original, mainly informative role, in the age of electronic mass media the poster appears to mostly exist for its own sake. This freedom allows designers to set examples with unusually designed posters. Among this year's entries are works characterised by outstanding craftsmanship; good ideas were realised successfully. Due to the subtle humour employed, the message can often only be accessed at a second glance. Another striking aspect is the interplay of many cultural influences in poster design. Different communication habits of different cultures create very diverse designs as well as an interesting variety.
Packaging Design - Elegance in spite of Bar Codes
Fun is to the fore in the field of packaging design, despite the manufacturers' clear and strict requirements. A noticeable aspect is the reduction to the essentials, which is carried out in original ways. Colours, clear lines and forms and a concise typography are captivating; a modern-looking simplicity gives the packaging a precious character. In the medical field, high functionality and user-friendliness are the most important factors, such as for example in the case of cleverly thought-out pill packaging, which allows different portioning, thus sensitively adjusting to the patients' individual needs.
Corporate Design - Business Reports appeal to Emotions
Emotions and passion also have a place in business reports. If the tightrope walk between a tradition-oriented company presentation and a designer's individual creation is managed successfully, then they provide the perfect basis for a successful appearance. Among this year's entries are works with a lot of humour, in which design merges perfectly with company ideology. Humanity comes first and design makes it possible to make a company appear reputable and likeable in public at the same time.
Interactive Media - Moving Pictures on the Net
In the field of interactive media technical innovation is most obvious. Thanks to DSL many users now have fast Internet connections - this also opens up new possibilities for designers, since long loading times for flash animations or videos no longer have to be considered. What is noticeable in this year's entries is an enthusiasm for moving pictures. Following television programmes, the sequences of images are becoming more playful and the design is more experimental overall. Anything is possible, from an integration of complete videos and a psychedelic play of colours to minimalist, clear layouts. The acoustic background is also becoming increasingly important in the field of web-design, but a perfect combination of image and sound is (still) scarce. According to the jurors, the art is in the targeted use of the available technical possibilities. The most important requirement on web-design is successful interaction with the public which provides both sides with the greatest possible benefits.
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