The results of the red dot award: communication design have been finalised: 6,112 works were submitted to the competition - one of the most important and biggest design competitions worldwide - by communication designers and agencies from a total of 42 countries. Only 471 works successfully passed the critical assessment of the international top-class jury comprised of 18 designers and design experts, thus receiving the sought- after quality seal. In addition, the jurors awarded the "red dot: best of the best" for particularly outstanding design quality 56 times. The winners of the honorary award "red dot: grand prix", which all winners of a "red dot: best of the best" are nominated for, will be announced at the festive awards ceremony on 9 December 2009 in the gala hall of the Casino Zollverein. The "red dot: junior prize", which comes with a prize money of 10,000 euros, goes to the best student work. This year, once again a design company or communication agency will receive the honorary title "red dot: design agency of the year" for continuously above-average design achievements. At two special exhibitions at the red dot design museum from 10 December 2009 to 10 January 2010 the award-winning works as well as excerpts from the creative oeuvre of the "red dot: design agency of the year" will be presented.
An increase in entries from a larger number of nations compared to the previous year: "Despite all gloomy forecasts against the background of the continuing global crisis and its results, we have once again recorded an increase in the number of registrations," says Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award. "The crisis appears to spur on the creativity of communication designers; the standards of the submitted works have been as high as never before," the design expert explains, commenting on the quality of the design achievements that had to be evaluated. However, the international competition for the sought-after quality seal is tough - in the end, the jury deemed only approximately 8.5 per cent of all entries worthy of an award.
In the face of the constantly increasing demands on communication design in the era of globalisation and the resulting complexity of the works submitted to this year's competition 25 categories in total were defined. "This makes it even easier for the jury to compare the entries and further increases the fairness of the adjudication," says Peter Zec explaining this decision. "Thus we achieve the highest degree of objectivity."
The newly introduced categories take into account the progressing technologisation currently occurring in the sector of communication design.
Besides traditional communication design in the fields of editorials, advertising and posters, design achievements that are tailored to the young medium of the Internet and the virtual world play an increasingly important role and promise high innovative potential for the future.
Awards Presentation and Exhibition
The award-winners will be honoured on 9 December 2009 at the festive awards presentation in the gala hall of the Casino Zollverein and at the vernissage of the exhibition "Design on stage - winners red dot award: communication design 2009" at the red dot design museum in Essen, Germany. The special exhibition featuring all prize-winning works will be on display at the red dot design museum from 10 December 2009 to 10 January 2010.