The Red Dot Design Museum Essen is a museum in Essen dedicated to Design. The museum's collection is made up of products awarded by an international jury of experts in one of the largest design competitions in the world : the Red Dot Design Award. From robots to coffee machines, from furniture to gyrocopters hanging from the ceiling: the immense collection of the museum is spread over five floors, covering a total area of 4,000 square meters . The museum is committed to conveying a fundamental concept, which is that almost everything that surrounds us in daily life is design: every product or poster, every interior design or website has been carefully designed. Within the collection, the contrast between old and new, between current product culture and historic industrial architecture makes everyday objects appear in a completely different light.

The decision of which new objects to enter the collection is based on several criteria, such as the degree of innovation, functionality, durability or self-explanatory quality. Only products that meet these competition criteria receive the coveted quality seal and secure their place in the Red Dot Design Museum. The exhibition has a long tradition: as early as 1955, the "Permanent exhibition of well-made industrial products" was inaugurated in the Villa Hügel. Even then, the presentation documented the state of the art in product design.