The winners of the 2009 red dot: product design awards have been announced in Essen.

With 683 products red dot awarded and 49 ‘best of the best’ awards across 17 categories, this year’s ‘red dot: product design’ awards recognise trends towards “good, honest product design”.

Around 17% of all red dot awards went to Asia this year, something which Professor Dr. Peter Zec – red dot initiator – puts down to a realisation that to compete globally in the current economy they need to invest in good quality design.

“Whether in the field of electronics, automobiles or products for home use, the Asian countries have come up with product ideas that are consistently inspiring and have the potential to set international trends,” Zec says.

“The results have wholly convinced our red dot jury that Asia is the market of the future.”

The 2009 awards note that design trends are reflecting the merging of different living spaces, innovating with new materials and technologies and drawing from nature for colour inspiration.

They also note the increasing importance of the garden as a continuation of the indoors (a notion Australians are very accustomed to), the boundaries between kitchen and dining areas are relaxing and bedrooms and bathrooms are being transformed into “wellness oases”.

“The results of the ‘red dot award: product design 2009’ are a clear indicator of where
the creative potential for the future lies,” Zec says.

A selection of the best of the best awards can be seen below, or you can download the full list of winners here.

red-dot.de