Different Scales. Different Contexts.
From 27 February to 31 May 2026, the Red Dot Design Museum Essen presents “World’s Best Communication Design 2025”, featuring more than 800 awarded brand and communication design projects from 39 countries.
What would usually circulate as a case study, reel or PDF takes shape in a public space here.
The exhibition brings together printed works, objects and digital applications in a curated selection: brand books can be browsed, packaging designs are presented as a physical objects, while moving image and online projects are shown on screens. The projects are not displayed in isolation but within a shared framework that reveals the breadth of contemporary brand and communication design.
International agencies meet regional studios, established brands encounter emerging initiatives. Distinct design approaches and visual languages become tangible in their direct juxtaposition.
From Mumbai to Bielefeld
All works on display were awarded in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2025 and subsequently selected for presentation in the museum.
The spectrum ranges from “Pollinate Labs” in Mumbai, whose logo translates a bee’s flight into a precise visual movement, to the visual identity of Eindhoven University of Technology by CLEVER°FRANKE, and on to the international campaign “One Step Further”, with which INNOCEAN Korea marked Hyundai’s 100 millionth vehicle.
Projects with a social dimension are also part of the exhibition. “Rainbow Wool” by Serviceplan Germany develops a unique product line from the previously underused wool of homosexual rams, combining economic initiative with a clear social stance.
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A project that highlights the moral dimension of design is “The Revived”. Developed by the Peter Schmidt Group in collaboration with Brand Ukraine and TEAMBBDO Germany, the AI-based campaign honours athletes who lost their lives as a result of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the project restores visibility to these individuals and counters the anonymity that often accompanies large-scale tragedy.
With 66 awards, North Rhine-Westphalia leads the German federal state ranking in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2025. Agencies such as beierarbeit (Bielefeld), heureka (Essen), Elastique. (Cologne) and D’art Design Gruppe (Neuss) are represented in the exhibition, alongside Folkwang University of the Arts and the Lehmbruck Museum.
Agency of the Year 2025: Accenture Song
Immediately catching the eye in the museum’s black-painted boiler hall is the vivid brand identity of “GhostNetZero”, guiding visitors to the section dedicated to Red Dot: Agency of the Year 2025, Accenture Song.
Alongside GhostNetZero – the AI-powered platform for locating and recovering ghost nets from the oceans – the presentation also features OpenAI’s first-ever television commercial, which premiered during the Super Bowl 2025.
Accenture Song is also responsible for the exhibition’s key visual, which references the cover of the International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design 2025/2026.
Vernissage as a meeting point for the industry
Numerous awarded designers travelled to Essen for the exhibition opening on 26 February. Between poster walls, display cases and projection screens, conversations unfolded around processes, technologies and ideas. For many of the teams present, it was the first time they encountered their work within a museum context.
The exhibition thus becomes a physical point of reference for the industry. Projects from different countries and disciplines are brought together within a shared context, inviting visitors to form their own view of current positions in communication design.
The Red Dot Design Museum Essen
With “World’s Best Communication Design 2025”, the awarded works are placed within a public, curated context. For professionals, students and anyone interested in design, the exhibition offers a concentrated snapshot of international brand and communication design.
Find out more about the Red Dot Design Museum Essen: https://www.red-dot-design-museum.org/essen/museum/about-us
Exhibition at a glance
Title: World’s Best Communication Design 2025
Venue: Red Dot Design Museum Essen
Duration: 27 February – 31 May 2026
Images from the exhibition are available here.
