Design studio Neko has won a prestigious Red Dot for outstanding design in the Red Dot Award for their ‘Wave’ play sculpture: Product Design 2020. This makes Neko one of the winners in one of the world’s most renowned design competitions.
A play sculpture to spark the imagination
‘Wave’ is a play sculpture from Neko’s recently launched Playwaves line, an innovative new playground concept which sparks the imagination. The unique cushioned and weather-resistant play surface provides children with endless possibilities for creativity.
Children are full of ideas, and we believe that their play areas should respect and encourage that. With our own children as inspiration, we created playgrounds that they are excited to play on,
said Hiroshi Ikenaga, co-founder of Neko and Creative Director in Europe.
Neko, which has offices in Valencia and Mexico City, has been designing products for the urban environment since 2005.
Renowned international design competition
The Red Dot Award offers designers and manufacturers from all over the world a platform for assessing their products. In 2020, designers and companies from 60 countries entered more than 6,500 products in the competition. The international jury comprises experienced experts from different disciplines and has been convening for 65 years in order to select the year’s best designs. The adjudication process lasts several days, and the jurors test all the entries in order to assess not just the aesthetic but also the materials selected, the level of craftsmanship, the surface structure, ergonomics, and functionality. True to the motto “In search of good design and innovation”, only the best designs receive an award.
The winners of the Red Dot Award have proved that they have created excellent products worthy of winning an award. The products won over the jury not only through their aesthetic, but also thanks to their incomparable functionality. With their designs, the award winners are setting new standards in their industry. I wish to congratulate them most sincerely on their success.
Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot
‘Wave’ in exhibitions, online and in the yearbook
On 22 June 2020, ‘Wave’ will be added to the exhibition “Design on Stage” in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen, in Germany, where all the award-winning products will be on show. The museum is a hot spot for best-in-class industrial design. The winning product from Neko will also be presented in the online exhibition on the Red Dot website. The Red Dot Design Yearbook 2020/2021 will be published in July 2020.
About Neko
Design studio Neko has been creating industrial design projects with a focus on eco-design since 2005. Their own extensive product range includes urban furniture, cycle parking and playgrounds. The internationally award-winning studio has offices in Mexico City and Valencia, Spain, and celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.
About the Red Dot Design Award
In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award breaks down into the three disciplines of Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. With more than 18,000 entries, the Red Dot Award is one of the world’s largest design competitions. In 1955, a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. In the 1990s, Red Dot CEO Professor Dr. Peter Zec developed the name and brand of the award. Ever since, the sought-after distinction “Red Dot” has been the revered international seal of outstanding design quality. The award winners are presented in the yearbooks, museums and online.