BEST OF DUTCH DESIGN IN RED DOT DESIGN MUSEUM

Eindhoven, April 2010 - The finalists and winners of the Dutch Design Awards 2009 will be on show in the Red Dot Museum in Essen. From April 8 through to May 2 this venue will host the ‘best of the best' of Dutch Design, as part of an international tour of the exhibit, showing design by renowned designers as Studio Wieki Somers, Maarten Baas, Thonik, Philips Design, Gert Dumbar, Jelte van Abbema (young talent 2009), and many others.

Trends in design

For many years now, Dutch design has been recognized internationally, and often regarded as trendsetters. Two major trends are themes in this exhibit. First of all we see that Dutch designers are more than ever searching for meaningful products. Their ideas slowly break free from the established themes, and the cultural statements made in design are increasingly focussed on social issues. On the other hand, a penchant for the perfectly designed and executed form seems to bloom. In both cases, participants are clearly striving for authenticity: renewed attention is given to the origin of the product as well as the development process. Themes such as sustainability and ease of use are highly recognisable across all categories: Communication, Product, and Spatial.

Dutch Design Awards

The Dutch Design Awards are the prestigious awards for the very best products in the field of Dutch Design. This annual event is comprised of a competition, the exhibition, a catalogue and a travelling exhibition of Dutch Design. The selection committees selected the finalists per sub-category from over 700 entries of scouted work and online entries, after which the international jury ultimately decides which design deserves one of the twenty awards in the main categories of Communication, Product, and Spatial. The jury also awards the special prizes, among which the Audi Design Award (Public Award), the Rado Young Designer Award (incentive prize for young talent), the Best Client Award, the Toon van Tuijl Design Prize, and the BNO - Piet Zwart Life Time Achievement Award. The international jury awarded the Golden Eye - the award for the best Dutch design in 2009 - to Studio Wieki Somers. 

The selection committees of the Dutch Design Awards consist of professionals from the fields of Communication, Product, and Spatial select the finalists per sub-category from the total supply of the work scouted and the online entries. The international jury led by Karien van Gennip (Chairwoman, the Netherlands) is comprised of Li Edelkoort (France), Cara McCarty (USA), Marcus Fairs (UK), Christoph Zellweger (Switzerland), Ilse Crawford (UK), James Woudhuysen (UK), Rajesh Kejriwal (India), Ravi Naidoo (South Africa), Axel Enthoven (Belgium), Will Erens (Belgium), Timo de Rijk (Chairman selection committee Product), Bert van Meggelen (Chairman selection committee Spatial), Ton Kooymans (Chairman Rado Young Designer Award), and Vincent van Baar (Chairman selection committee Communication).

First edition Dutch Design Yearbook

This bilingual publication will be on sale in the red dot design museum and is a collaboration between NAi Publishers and the Dutch Design Awards. An expert, independent editorial team selected the designs to be included in this essentially authoritative yearbook drawing on the expertise of a large group of specialists. Paperback | Illustrated (colour) | 216 pages | Size: 22 x 28 cm, English/Dutch edition | ISBN 978-90-5662-698-3 | € 35.00, Design: Studio Dumbar, Produced with the support of the Mondriaan Foundation Amsterdam and the Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund.

red dot design museum

With its more than 1,500 exhibits on an area of more than 4,000 square metres the red dot design museum is the largest exhibition of contemporary design worldwide. The museum-like atmosphere of the building is mostly the result of its impressive architecture. The former boiler house of the Zeche Zollverein colliery (UNESCO world cultural heritage since 2001) was redesigned for the red dot design museum by the British architect Lord Norman Foster. The red dot design museum is a magnet for design and architecture lovers and records more than 120,000 visitors annually. Exhibition Dutch Design Awards - Essen, 8 April - 2 May 2010 has been made possible by support of the Dutch Design Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA).

Design Connection Brainport in Eindhoven is responsible for the project management of the Dutch Design Awards, by order of the Municipality of Eindhoven. Dutch Design Awards has been made possible by the Municipality Eindhoven, BNO, Design Connection Brainport, Audi, Rado, Studio Dumbar, Lecturis printing company, BϋhrmannUbbens, Toon van Tuijl Design Prize, Brainport Development, Dutch Design Week, Eigen Huis & Interieur, Items.