Croatian design named best of the best in Berlin

(Photo credit: Domagoj Kunić)

The Red Dot Award is widely regarded as the most sought-after international mark of design quality.

On Friday, 1 November 2024, this year’s edition of the prestigious Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design ceremony took place in a concert hall in Berlin.

The Red Dot Awards, established in 1955, are recognised as one of the most significant accolades in the world of design.

They provide a global platform for showcasing top products, brands, and communication projects, all evaluated by an international panel of design experts.

Red Dot sets the standards for innovation, creativity, and functionality in design, acknowledging work that brings quality and aesthetic value into everyday life.

For years, Croatian designers have consistently earned awards at this ceremony.

This year, the agency Bruketa&Žinić&Grey won two awards: one for the project “A Story Worth Every Letter” and another for the packaging of Maslinika V olive oil.

The project for Marodi – A Story Worth Every Letter – received a special honour, the “Red Dot Best of the Best” title, awarded only to those among all Red Dot winners who demonstrate exceptionally high design quality.

(Photo credit: Domagoj Kunić)

This project drew inspiration from the fact that in 2018, the Međimurska popevka was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, where it will remain protected as long as it continues to be performed.

(Photo credit: Domagoj Kunić)

To support its preservation, a limited-edition collection of five books containing Međimurska popevki songs was created under the title A Story Worth Every Letter. Each book is packaged with a special box of Marodi alphabet soup pasta, containing precisely the letters needed to spell out the song.

(Photo credit: Domagoj Kunić)

The packaging for Maslinika V olive oil tells the story of a small olive grove dedicated to producing the purest extra virgin olive oil through hand-picking and same-day pressing of the olives.

To prevent oxidation, speed is essential; the freshly picked olives must be brought to the mill as quickly as possible.

The label design interprets the olive grove itself, with white segments symbolising the dry stone walls that enclose the grove and a bronze segment representing its entrance.

(Photo: Bruketa&Žinić&Grey)

At the centre of the bronze segment is the olive grove’s logo, depicting an olive tree with its roots. The oil in the bottle embodies the essence of the olive tree, and the packaging is designed to highlight the care and effort invested in preserving the oil at its highest quality – hand-picked and pressed on the same day.

To date, Bruketa&Žinić&Grey has won a total of 30 Red Dot Awards, underscoring their ongoing presence and influence in the world of design.