anyone else feel they are getting scammed by the Red Dot Organisation?
Glenn
depends if your going to pay themâŚand then pay them some more if you win.
yes - you pay to enter - you pay if you win - and then you pay to exhibit - and then you have to cancel - with confusing rules to say the least, etcâŚ
Its just one big ad in the end. Is a Red dot winner a really the best of the best? As it must put a few people of entering, so tis not really a level playing field is it?
Is any competition really the best of the best? Normally you get the same few studios/corporate companies submitting the same things over and over. Just check out the ID annual or any other competition.
Filled with the usual Apple, Nike, IDEO, Frog stuff, and perhaps a handful of other interesting truly independent work.
Sure its been discussed here before, but in any case, I feel awards donât really get you anywhereâŚ
R
I donât think the payment is wrong. We all know what this award thing is all about, so do it if you like it. Itâs like paying for the branded clothes that you put on.
However, I would think that they should be completely free for students whose entries arenât meant to be commercialized(eg. school or individual projects).
If we all boycott the awards they would go broke.
I say we have Core77 viewers judge good design and make it free.
I think Core77 does a better job at promoting ID than any of those professional pay organizations. IDSA doesnât have a site even close to this but still want hundreds of bucks a year for some newsletters.
Kudos to Core!
âEasy to Useâ and âIntuitive Designâ are common traits of award winning designs. Yet, these characteristics canât be said about the exhibit fees of Red Dot. Why does Red Dot require winners to cancel the design museum fee 3 months in advance, yet they donât tell you of a fee until itâs due? Unlike a magazine subscription, when the bill arrives you can pay or cancel, Red Dot forces payment and says one can cancel for the next year. Has anyone been able to find the loop hole around paying, without ruining future entries?
Company lawyers shouldnât have to read the fine print of award contests!
haha that is one of the big problems with the red-dot award. I would call it a winners curse, win and you pay. I have know designer not entering just in case they might win!
Nonetheless, my sister did buy an umbrella because it was tagged with the red dot sticker. It wasnât cheap either.
When I asked her, what exactly is the value of this umbrella after using it. She couldnât say much.
IDSA does a better job at organizing actual events/conferences and the likes. Although core certainly has the online presence wrapped up, i donât think that IDSA is that far behind and could certainly catch up. probably not when it comes to coroflot but in terms of blogging for sure. in some previous thread, someone floated the idea of a core/idsa colab, which would be great imo
i sometimes think all these is about money⌠just like branded goods.
but branded goods may not be better then the less reputable oneâŚ
Newsflash
Industrial Design is about MAKING MONEY!!!
Is Red Dot a big advertising campaign? Yes.
Are the IDEAs? Yes.
Is 1HDC? Yes.
Is [insert any competition here]? Yes.
I have never entered Red Dot so I have had zero exposure to their fees. Can someone explain what the fee structure is? A âhiddenâ charge for winning sounds silly, especially if it is sprung on the winner without prior knowledge.
As for having a lawyer read a document before entryâŚI have to say that I have trouble believing that that this âhiddenâ charge is hidden. It is more likely that someone just clicked the little box next to âHave you read the termsâ without reading and hit send.
The real ironic part about it is that anyone who doesnât win bitches about entry fees, or voting structure, etc. But as soon as they win, they are asking for the EPS file of the competition logo so they can plaster it all over their packaging or website. How many people here wear an IDEAs award as a badge on their Resume?
I donât, but would if I could 
ExactlyâŚas would I.
I use my patent numbers, but seems that damn red dot carries more weight. ID, PDD, street corner hookerâŚall about making $$$ .
I feel the exact same way.
The people who run it are very professional and excellent to work with but after we paid the final fees I did feel a little bit like I bought a trophy. Almost like when they ask you to pay to be in Whoâs Who. Did you know that you have to pay to maintain your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
is that true about Whoâs who (uk)?
I agree that all these competitions are a scam.
Itâs not really sinister, but its not openly indicated. They call it a winnerâs package, and it includes marketing, putting it in the museum, badges, advertising rights, plaques etc. It is by the way somewhere at the back of the entry brochure in the fine print.
if i remember right its over 2K USD.
AhhhhâŚthe truth starts coming out. Its documented. Its $2K. It covers a museum fee, ADVERTISING rights, placques, etc.
So what are we complaining about here? Not getting something for free?