red dot Strengthens its Community in Taiwan

Early in December, the Taiwan Design Center in Taipei experienced an exclusive red dot dinner party at the invitation of red dot together with the Taiwan Design Center (TDC). Tony Chang, CEO of the Taiwan Design Center in company with Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award and Icsid Senator, welcomed guests from 70 different companies to strengthen the cooperation between Taiwanese designers, industry and the red dot community. The Taiwanese award-winning products of this year’s red dot award: product design were presented in a small exhibition on the occasion of the red dot dinner.

Taiwan is an important example to show that the red rod design award as barometer of performance is increasingly gaining influence also in Asia. Since 2006, the number of product entries from Taiwan has increased by 50 per cent.

“China and Taiwan are getting stronger every year. They are no longer satisfied with playing the role of a subcontractor for the western industrial nations. Meanwhile, they even stand out by their own excellent design”, Professor Dr. Peter Zec commented on the results of this year’s red dot award: product design. This design boom was particularly noticeable in the product categories ‘Media and home electronics’ and ‘Computers and accessories’, which were clearly dominated by the Asian manufacturers. “The increase in quality by original design concepts from Asian manufacturers proves the growing strategic importance of design as a competition factor in the age of globalisation; design can be characterised as the central driving force behind innovations in the industry,” said Zec.

Thus the number of red dot awards which went to Taiwan is impressive: 33 products received an award in the red dot design award: product design 2007, mostly in the categories ‘Media and Home Electronics’. Zec explained, “this means that Western competitors have to prepare for tougher times: they have to become more innovative and act with more creativity.”