Red Dot Award: Product Design

The Red Dot Jury

The Red Dot Jury comprises some 40 international experts. They test, discuss and evaluate each entry individually.

 

Insights into the jury session 2023

For two years, the jury could only work online. In 2023, for the first time, the process went live and on-site again. Professor Dr. Peter Zec, the founder and CEO of Red Dot, emphasises the difference: “When you jury online, you primarily evaluate photos or images, sometimes even renderings. But in product design or industrial design, you have to be able to experience the products. Testing cars outside, being able to hold technical devices in your own hands – that’s important for a qualified and serious decision.”

Judging Qualities

Good design is multifaceted, and a product needs to be able to win over the Red Dot Jury on several levels. To do this, it must combine the four qualities of good design, described in more detail by Peter Zec in his book “The Form of Success” (2019):

•    The quality of function: What purpose does the product fulfil?
•    The quality of seduction: Is the product aesthetically convincing?
•    The quality of use: Is the product self-explanatory and easy to use?
•    The quality of responsibility: Is the product sustainable or durable?

These qualities are present in different proportions in each product, but none of the four aspects can be lacking entirely.