And the winner is ... “drupa report“ wins RED DOT for outstanding design results

Issues Nos 3 and 4 of the “drupa report” were awarded one of the most coveted international design prizes, the “red dot” for outstanding design. Mr. Holger Giffhorn of Giffhorn Design, Wuppertal, is responsible for the design work of this publication, which already received other design awards previously. The quality seal is awarded annually during the international “red dot award: communication design“ to products with ambitious and innovative design work. This year, the jury of 14 international expert designers had to adjudicate on the quality of almost 6,000 samples submitted by 39 nations. Awards were bestowed on a total of 381 design works. A solemn prize giving ceremony was held in early December this year in the festive Gala hall of Essen’s Casino Zollverein. An exhibition at the “red dot design museum” in that city will host an exhibition of the decorated design works till 11 January 2009.

Mr Manuel Mataré, the Director in charge of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, commented on this result in the following words: “As organisers of “drupa” we are especially gratified with this award. This “drupa report” plays a major role in our communication activities, in that it is a flagship of our image, serves as a medium of information and of course, it is also a mirror, reflecting the dynamic printing industries”. This success also underlines very close co-operation over quite a number of years between the customer, Messe Düsseldorf, the designer and manufacturing expert (Design office Holger Giffhorn, Wuppertal) and the printers (Druckstudio Düsseldorf). Theme-related and printing-specific matters will be debated in the early stages already and will be settled during the layout-stage between designer and the printers (such as the choice of papers, finishing techniques or any other special effects).

In the words of Professor Dr Peter Zec, head of the North-Rhine Westphalia Design ZENTRUM, who also initiated the “red dot desigb award”: “This year’s applications underline the brisk demand enjoyed by the “red dot” quality label. Awards went out to only a little under 6.5 per cent of all works submitted. This is a tough competition and only the best and most creative works submitted in a dozen of competition categories lived up to the critical opinions of the jury”.

“red dot design award”– background information
With over 9,000 works submitted the “red dot design award” is one of the leading and largest designer competitions worldwide. It is subdivided into a “red dot award” for product design and a “red dot award” for communication design and a “red dot award” for design concepts. Every year since 1955 the Design Zentrum of North-Rhine Westphalia has awarded prizes to outstanding design quality results, which are then shown in an exhibition for approval by the public. For further information please consult www.red-dot.de/presse.

Facts concerning this year’s “red dot award: communication design 2008”
Works submitted: 5,885 (2007: 3,880)
Countries participating: 39 (2007: 34)
RED DOT awards given out: 343 (2007: 336)

Awards
“red dot: Best of the Best“: 38 (2007: 27)

Special exhibition:
4 December 2008 till 11 January 2009
RED DOT design museum, Essen

Jury of the “red dot award: communication design 2008”
• Kelley Cheng, Page One Publishing, Singapore
• Cathérine Faucheaux, Mona Lisa, Belgium
• Martin Gassner, Interone Worldwide, Germany
• Rainer Hirt, Anemono Kommunikation, Germany
• Lim Sau Hoong, 10 A.M. Communications, Singapore
• Thomas Kurppa, Pharmacy Sthlm AB, Sweden
• Tyron Montgomery, Augenreiz, Germany
• Jean Jacques Schaffner, Schaffner und Conzelmann, Switzerland
• Bettina Schulz, novum World of Graphic design, Germany
• Jennifer Tsai, Proad Image Design, Taiwan
• Michael Tupay, Yalos Quality Solutions, Greece
• Prof. Kurt Weidemann, Germany
• Holger Windfuhr, WirtschaftsWoche, Germany
• Prof. Peter Wippermann, Trendbüro - Beratungsunternehmen für gesellschaftlichen Wandel KSW, Germany


Award categories:
• Corporate Design
• Annual Reports
• Advertising
• Packaging Design
• Editorial
• Posters
• Information Design / Public Space
• Websites / Interactive Advertising
• Interactive Games / Tools
• Graphical User Interfaces
• TV & Cinema
• Sound Design