Design Concept

 

What Is the Red Dot Award

• Red Dot is one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions. It has three main categories: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design, and Design Concept. The latter is focused on forward-looking, visionary design ideas and prototypes rather than just finished commercial products. Autoweek+2Automobili Pininfarina+2

• Submissions are evaluated by a jury of international experts. These include designers, professors in design/engineering schools, specialist journalists, etc. They judge not only aesthetics but innovation, concept originality, function, emotional appeal, craftsmanship, sustainability, and how the design addresses future needs. Automobili Pininfarina+1

  
  
  

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How the B95 Was Evaluated and Why It Won

According to sources, these are some of the key factors the jury considered with respect to the B95:

1. Design Concept Excellence
   The B95 was selected as the winner in the Design Concept category for 2025. That means it stood out among visionary and conceptual designs, not just among production cars. Automobili Pininfarina+1

2. Innovative Interpretation of a Classic Theme
   The B95 revives the Barchetta tradition (open-roadster style) but reinterprets it in an all-electric hypercar format, combining cutting-edge EV engineering with classic coachbuilt design cues. The jury likely recognised this blending—heritage and innovation—as a strong asset. carrozzieri-italiani.com+2Automobili Pininfarina+2

3. Form, Proportions, and Sculptural Bodywork
   Descriptions of the B95 emphasise its “sculptural bodywork, dramatic lines, and exquisite detailing.” These are qualities juries tend to reward, especially in concept categories. The emotional effect of the design matters, not just raw performance. Automobili Pininfarina+2The EV Report+2

4. Craftsmanship and Bespoke Detailing
   Each detail is designed with bespoke craftsmanship in mind; the B95 is hand-produced in Cambiano, Italy, following the PURA design philosophy. That brings with it expectations for finish, material quality, and design unity. Automobili Pininfarina+2carrozzieri-italiani.com+2

5. Consistency with Brand Vision & Continuity
   Automobili Pininfarina had won the Red Dot: Design Concept with its PURA Vision concept in 2024, so the B95’s win continues a pattern. This suggests that Pininfarina’s design direction is coherent and consistently of high quality. Automobili Pininfarina+1

6. Emotional & Visual Impact
   The open cockpit (“hyper Barchetta” form), dramatic proportions, lack of a roof, and strong visual identity contribute to an emotional reaction—something design juries always look for. It’s not just “what the car can do,” but how it makes you feel. The EV Report+1

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Quotes from the Designer / Automobili Pininfarina

• Dave Amantea, Chief Design Officer, said: “Winning the Red Dot Award: Design Concept is a tremendous honour and a reflection of the passion and talent behind the B95. This car embodies our vision for the future of luxury and performance, where timeless design meets cutting-edge innovation.” Automobili Pininfarina+1

• The B95 is described by Pininfarina as a “unique interpretation of the hyper Barchetta — a fully open, radically styled vehicle, blending elegance, emotion, and extreme performance.” Automobili Pininfarina

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Why This Matters / What It Signifies

• Reaffirmation of Pininfarina’s Design Credibility: Agencies, clients, collectors—everyone sees these awards, and winning them isn’t just prestige; it signals that your design house has vision and execution. For a brand like Automobili Pininfarina which is young (in terms of manufacturing its own cars), this helps a lot.

• Differentiation in the EV Hypercar Market: Many electric hypercars are chasing performance metrics—power, acceleration, top speed. But design awards emphasise the less tangible attributes: emotional resonance, form, coherence, craftsmanship. The B95’s win helps position it as not just a performance object, but as artistic and design-led.

• Momentum & Brand Narrative: As mentioned, the win follows last year’s Red Dot for PURA Vision, so there’s increasing momentum. It builds up a storyline: Pininfarina is not resting on its heritage; it is evolving it in the EV era.

• Influence on the Broader Design Discourse: By winning such awards, examples like the B95 influence peers and competitors. What counts for good design in hypercars, especially EVs, may shift—more openness, more sculptural surfaces, more blending of coachbuilding tradition with modern tech.

Where Award-Winning Ideas Become Public Culture

 

The Red Dot Design Museum

The Red Dot Design Museum isn’t a single venue—it’s a global showcase for the Red Dot Award’s best work, with permanent homes in Essen (Germany), Singapore, and Xiamen (China). Across the three sites, visitors can see, touch, and try thousands of products, brands, and concepts that have cleared one of design’s toughest juries. red-dot.org

Essen: industrial heritage meets contemporary design

The flagship museum occupies the former boiler house of the UNESCO-listed Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex. Built in 1928–1929 by Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer, the vast power plant was later repurposed to exhibit contemporary design—its raw steel, brick, and soaring volumes creating a dramatic foil for precision objects. The conversion, led by Foster + Partners, kept the building’s muscular logic while threading in galleries, bridges, and light to serve a new cultural program. The result is a rare conversation between industry and innovation that anchors the museum’s identity. red-dot-design-museum.orgfosterandpartners.commetalocus.es

Inside, you’ll find annually changing exhibitions drawn from recent Red Dot winners—turning a 20th-century engine room into a 21st-century index of what “good design” looks like in real life. (Red Dot’s yearbooks and museums together form a long-running chronicle of contemporary design culture.) Wikipedia

Singapore: a glass pavilion on Marina Bay

In Singapore, the museum sits on the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in a sharp, glass-and-steel pavilion—an architecture that mirrors the city’s forward tilt. The galleries present ongoing exhibitions and a permanent collection of award-winning designs, alongside a well-curated shop and café; it’s a compact, hands-on way to sample products and concepts shaping daily life. The museum’s location and program also make it a natural stop on an evening walk around the bay. Red Dot Design Museum Singapore+1red-dot.org

Crucially, Singapore foregrounds the Design Concept stream—prototypes and future-facing ideas that haven’t yet hit the market—so you can track emergent behaviors and materials before they become mainstream. red-dot.org

Xiamen: Red Dot’s young, fast-growing outpost

The Xiamen museum extends the network’s reach into one of China’s liveliest coastal hubs. First opened in 2018, it relocated and reopened on 28 November 2023 with refreshed spaces that continue to present international Red Dot winners. The new venue, in Xinglin Bay (Jimei District), integrates galleries into a commercial podium—bringing design directly into the city’s daily flow. red-dot.org+1red-dot-design-museum.orgarchello.com

What you actually see inside

Across all three museums, the curatorial principle is simple: everything on show has won a Red Dot. That means each object has been examined by independent juries for function, usability, responsibility, and emotional pull. Unlike many museums, the Red Dot spaces actively invite visitors to interact with a surprising number of exhibits—because design is best understood in use. red-dot.org

Expect:

• Products you can touch (from furniture and lighting to mobility and tools).

• Brand and communication systems made legible via signage, packaging, and digital media.

• Futures on display—design concepts that preview how we might live next. red-dot.org+1

Why these museums matter

1. They translate awards into public value. The leap from jury room to gallery lets non-designers benchmark quality—useful for students, buyers, and anyone making choices about what to bring into their homes and cities. red-dot.org

2. They preserve design history as it happens. With yearbooks and exhibitions feeding each other, the Red Dot network has built a living archive of global design since the 1980s. Wikipedia

3. They root design in place. Essen ties design to European industrial heritage; Singapore foregrounds the city’s innovation economy; Xiamen links global award culture with China’s coastal dynamism. red-dot-design-museum.orgRed Dot Design Museum Singaporered-dot.org

Planning a visit (quick pointers)

• Essen (Germany): Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex—don’t miss the contrast between the building’s monumental machinery and the delicacy of contemporary objects. red-dot-design-museum.org

• Singapore: 11 Marina Boulevard—compact, waterside, and perfect for pairing with a Marina Bay walk; check the site for current exhibitions and hours. Red Dot Design Museum Singapore+1

• Xiamen: Newly reopened in late 2023—look out for rotating showcases of recent winners in the new Xinglin Bay location. red-dot.orgarchello.com

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In short: the Red Dot Design Museum network makes the abstract idea of “award-winning design” tangible. Whether you’re in the Ruhr, on Marina Bay, or along the Taiwan Strait, you’ll see how objects earn their red dot—and how thoughtful design quietly improves the way we live.