The first few hours before the award ceremony are spent on networking and photography. For the winners, there are two special photo zones with professional photographers and makeup artists. It’s practically impossible to leave the ceremony without a good photo holding your diploma. And it’s best to go through the photo zone early, so you can later chat with someone over drinks.
The ceremony itself lasts about an hour and a half. Very calm. No show, no interludes. Everything is divided into blocks. This year there were three large blocks presented. Before each block’s awards, there is a short dialogue, a couple of jokes, and then straight to business: awarding and showcasing the winners’ cases.
The jury gives comments on many works, explaining in very simple words why a project deserves, for example, the Grand Prix. Otherwise, the focus is entirely on the winners. Each one gets a video and photo on stage, so they have a memory and can share their victory in their own media.
After the ceremony comes the afterparty in a club, where you can flip through the fresh two-volume book featuring the winners’ works. During the first hour it gets maximum attention, and then it’s all about networking, celebrating the victory, and light entertainment. Not much of that: a photo booth, cocktails, and a slideshow of fresh photos. The emphasis is on communication, discussing the works, meeting new people, and small talk.
On the second day, the Museum of Communication and Design opens an exhibition where you can see the actual winning works and once again browse the catalog. At the exhibition it becomes clearer why certain projects received high awards. Mockups, especially for printed products, don’t fully convey the idea and execution. Before the exhibition opening, several winning cases especially highlighted by the jury are presented, followed again by networking.
This year marks our third Red Dot. The previous two we received for the branding project of the Miory District and for the identity of the Dynamo football club. This time it was for the branding of Burger House. All of the works are distinguished by systematic design. The entire identity is built on clear, simple rules based on the core idea.
Why is Red Dot such a special award?
It is one of the oldest awards in the field of brand communication and design. It’s like the Oscars, but in this sphere. More than 7,000 works take part in the competition. Winning this award means recognition by an international jury of experts for the high quality of design and creativity.
