design museum "red dot"

trying to find the space and time for mini-trips and museum visits - that's what i started in January and each time, i was glad for it. so when i was Essen city earlier this month, for a meet-up, i remembered that there is a design museum not far from there: the "Red Dot Museum". i noticed it last year already, and this time, made time to go there.

the museum is part of an old mining complex which now is turned into offices and museums. here's how it looks from outside (and here's more about the area: comic coal metropolis)

and here's an inside view, 

this is a part of the permanent exhibition 

the thing is, the architecture and the "steam noir" touch of the mining time dominates each space in the museum, which is interesting, but also distracting. and from sheer size, the objects on display are sometimes rather small compared to the halls and elements from the mining past:  

altogether, the museum felt fascinating, a bit overwhelming, and also a bit weird and unsorted (how to design exhibitions …. ?). but it was good to have this extra time. and the question “what is good design” of course relates to so many layers of our days, especially when it comes to the different elements of design, the combination of form and function, of look and usability

a part of the exhibition also focused on "communication design": 

and this was my favourite spot: the white sculpture resembles a paper/note tree.
it is created as a symbol for communication:

Previous museum trips

• museum trip 4: JR in Baden-Baden (street art, history + a road trip)
• museum trip 3: space / art / territories 
• museum trip 2: old stones & a square museum 
• museum trip 1: art, selfie + the first exhibition: Baumeister
• more museum trips