Award-winning design: Red Dot Jury selects best brands and creative works of the year

Red Dot Best Brands - Polestar car side view

Unique design and outstanding creativity – that’s what the brands and works chosen by the jury for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2020 have in common.

6,992 projects from designers, brands, agencies, and companies from 50 countries were entered in this year’s competition. The Red Dot Jury assessed all of the entries at the end of June using an online judging process.

The experts were particularly impressed by car manufacturer Polestar, which was awarded the highest distinction “Red Dot: Brand of the Year”. The tension in the “Communication Design” section will continue to mount until the end of October when the winners of the Red Dot: Grand Prix are announced.

Red Dot Best Brands - Prof Dr Peter Zec — Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder, and CEO of the Red Dot Award

Intensive scrutiny of all entries

This year, all of the entries were evaluated online, in line with the motto “In search of good design and creativity”. The 24 international experts assessed each brand and each piece of work individually and extensively in a professional manner over a period of several days. “The fact that we received so many high-quality works again this year underscores the relevance of the Red Dot Award for companies, designers, and agencies around the world. I would like to thank the jurors for joining us on this new journey of digital judging and wish to congratulate all of the laureates very sincerely on their accomplishment,” said Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder, and CEO of the Red Dot Award.

This year’s online jury session was a new experience for the Red Dot jurors. Jury member Kelley Cheng, owner of the publishing and design consultancy “The PressRoom”, had this to say about the evaluation process: “Of all of the jury sessions worldwide, I can say with certainty that Red Dot has the strongest culture when it comes to assessing the entries. The jury members have become part of an extended family over the years and decades. We have wholly embraced the values and principles of Red Dot, putting us in a position to take thoughtful and empathetic decisions.

This strong sense of connectedness means that there is no difference whether we assess the products online or on-site. The same values and principles apply. Like every year, we carry out a fair assessment, and it is always our duty as gatekeepers of Red Dot to ensure that the best entries emerge victorious from the competition.”

Curious to know about the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2020? Don’t miss A spotlight on the year’s best products: celebrating the winners of the Red Dot Award on Instagram.

Red Dot Best Brands - Kelley Cheng — Kelley Cheng and Prof. Michel de Boer, Red Dot Jurors

Red Dot Best Brands - Michel de Boer — Kelley Cheng and Prof. Michel de Boer, Red Dot Jurors

Only 13 per cent of entries receive an award

This year, 854 of the brands and communication works entered won a Red Dot. The jury awarded the Red Dot: Best of the Best for very high design quality to just 55 entries – this corresponds to a mere 0.8 percent of entries. In the “Brands” section, the experts bestowed the highest distinction “Red Dot: Brand of the Year” on just one entry: Swedish car manufacturer Polestar won over the jury with the design quality of its brand presence.

Prof. Michel de Boer, Red Dot juror and Creative Director at De Boer & Wang Studio, explained the experts’ decision as follows: “Introducing a new brand in the already saturated automotive market is no mean feat. Polestar was able to convince us that the brand did not emerge overnight. The brand presence is cool, electrifying, and designed with long-lasting style. That’s very fitting for a subsidiary of Volvo as a brand rooted in northern Europe. Polestar is simple yet rich in subtle details. The clear brand message and the purity of the design are what ultimately prompted us as the jury to name it Red Dot: Brand of the Year.”

Red Dot Best Brands - Polestar products — This year, all of the entries for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2020 were evaluated online, in line with the motto “In search of good design and creativity”

Frontrunners in communication design

The frontrunners in the “Communication Design” section will be announced in October: The winners of the Red Dot: Best of the Best are nominated for the top award in communication design, the Red Dot: Grand Prix. This special distinction will go to seven creative works in 2020. The name of the up-and-coming designer to receive the Red Dot: Junior Prize and prize money of 10,000 euros will also be made public at that time.

The announcement of the laureate of the sought-after honorary title of Red Dot: Agency of the Year is a very special highlight. Every year, Red Dot recognizes an agency that has won it over through above-average design achievements, either as part of the current competition or over several years. It is not possible to apply for this title, thus adding to the excitement surrounding its announcement each year.

Red Dot Best Brands - Polestar comunication — The experts bestowed the highest distinction “Red Dot: Brand of the Year” on just one entry: Swedish car manufacturer Polestar

Presentation of the award-winning works

All of the award-winning brands and communication works will be presented in the online exhibition on the Red Dot website from October 2020. Alongside curated images, the exhibition will include detailed descriptions of the projects and additional information on the designers, agencies, and clients. The accomplishments of the laureates will also be shown in various exhibitions as well as in the International Yearbook Brands & Communication Design 2020/2021, which will be published in November.

If you want to know more about winners of the Red Dot Award 2020, don’t miss The visual identity of World Design Capital Valencia 2022 wins two Red Dot Design Awards.