Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award, was recently awarded the Cross of Merit on the ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for contributions to the design discipline. The honour was bestowed by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and presented by Essen’s Lord Mayor, Thomas Kufen, at a ceremony held on 19 December.
Zec has transformed the Red Dot seal of quality into an international symbol of award-winning design quality, thus facilitating access to such award-winning quality for those interested in design.
During the ceremony Mayor Kufen thanked the design expert for his decades-long involvement in the field of design culture. The Order of Merit is awarded in recognition of and as a tribute to individuals for services to the German nation. It can be awarded for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for all kinds of outstanding services to the Federal Republic of Germany.
By establishing the Red Dot Award, Zec used an award for good design to create an international brand. Each year, outstanding designs are selected as part of the international design competition and are given a Red Dot. Through the Red Dot Design Museum at the Zollverein UNESCO world heritage site, Zec has also put the City of Essen on the map as an internationally recognised design location. Under his leadership, Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen has become one of the world’s most important and high-profile design institutions. In addition to his role as Managing Director of Red Dot, Peter Zec is also an author and editor, as well as a design advisor and speaker who is sought after all over the globe.
