CleverMade Wins 2025 Red Dot Award for Product Design

CleverMade is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Red Dot Award for Product Design.

“This award validates the design philosophy we live by at CleverMade—every line, fold, and feature has a purpose. We focused on solving real problems for real people—delivering high-performance coolers that are easier to use, store, and carry. It’s exciting to see that mission recognized on a global stage.” - Abraham Peters, CleverMade’s Director of Product Design

As a Red Dot winner, CleverMade’s cooler line will be exhibited at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany, featured in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, and showcased on red-dot.org.

The awards ceremony took place on July 8, 2025, during the Red Dot Designers’ Night celebration in Germany.

Here is our interview with Abraham Peters.

What inspired the idea behind your award-winning design?

At CleverMade, our mantra is “Make Things Better.” We’re always looking to improve our own products or identify opportunities in the market where we can solve a problem, bring joy, and add value to everyday life. Whether it’s spending the day at the beach, doing laundry, heading off to college, or organizing your garage – we aim to make your day better.

When it came to redesigning our Collapsible Pacifica Cooler, we already had an existing collapsible design that worked fairly well but left room for improvement. The original version featured an innovative collapsing SnapHinge, structured rim, and waterproof insulating lining that allowed it to click open or pop closed for storage. However, it still required several steps to collapse.

We knew we could improve this by creating a true one-step process – a cooler that could click open and pop closed instantly, without sacrificing cooling performance or structure. That goal became our starting point, and it ultimately led to further realizations and opportunities that made the new Pacifica Cooler significantly better.

Was there a specific problem you aimed to solve?

Coolers generally need to deliver on four pillars: ice retention, capacity, style, and price. Achieving all four at a higher price point is easier, but doing so at an accessible price is a challenge. We wanted to achieve all four while also making the cooler collapsible.

The issue with collapsible coolers is that they often take up space when stored or are a hassle to fold down. Our solution was to create a one-step collapsible design that maintains excellent ice retention without bulk.

[We achieved this by:]

• Improving the insulating liner [with] patented flex-fold lines into the sidewalls, which activate and collapse smoothly with our SnapHinges.
• Taking inspiration from camping gear - like sleeping bags that use "air gaps" for insulation.
• Creating CoolShield, a six-layer system with reflective foil that delivers verified ice retention for 1-2 days under normal conditions.
• Integrating recycled polyester fabric into the body material, reinforcing our commitment to sustainability. 

Can you walk us through your design process from ideation to execution?

One of my favorite parts of working at CleverMade is the team I collaborate with. We’re nimble, creative, and always hungry for new product ideas. Our Product Team includes myself (Product Design), Patrick Cox (Category & Sustainability Manager), and Jamison Miller (VP of Product Development). [Together, we] bring a wide assortment of products to life.

As a product designer, I constantly research and absorb new ideas through blogs, news, social media, and personal experience. My background spans sporting goods—designing baseball bags, batting gloves, and ball gloves—as well as DJ equipment gear, personal electronics and wearables. I’m always building, tinkering, and taking things apart—whether it’s electronics or my own car—to understand how parts work together and how they can be improved.

As a team, we regularly share products we encounter online, in stores, or at trade shows. We critique, compare, and brainstorm around what works, what doesn't, and how we could make it better. Once we land on a concept, we highlight key features and functions, narrow in on the best solution and then build tech packs for our factory partners. Together we refine prototypes until they're ready.

Since  CleverMade started with collapsible crates, "collapsibility" is in our DNA - we're always asking how a product can benefit from it or from a similar functional innovation.

What motivated you to submit your work to the Red Dot Awards?

I first learned about the Red Dot Design Award while attending ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA. As students, we often studied past Red Dot winners – from both student and professional categories – and I was inspired by the way they pushed the boundaries of design and sustainability. I knew then that one day I wanted to submit something worthy.

Years later, while working at CleverMade, I traveled with our CEO, Mike Carlson, to Europe to meet retail partners and attend Ambiente in Frankfurt. There, we saw leading brands proudly displaying their Red Dot emblems. Mike challenged  me to submit our own designs. At the time, we were working on exciting new products that we felt confident about, so we prepared samples and assets for submission. Personally, I felt our designs had the right ingredients, and I was thrilled to finally enter.

How did you feel when you found out you had won?

I was ecstatic! I woke up to an email from Red Dot, and my stomach dropped with excitement as I opened it. We had submitted three entries, and I was thrilled to see that two of them had won. I immediately shared the news with the team, who were just as proud and excited. It felt like validation for the hard work, long hours, and dedication we had poured into these designs.

What does this award mean to you personally and professionally?

For me, this award is huge. Professionally, it signals to our retail partners that CleverMade is committed to design, sustainability, and innovation – and that we can back it up with recognition on a global stage. In categories where margins are tight, competition is fierce, and differentiation is difficult, accolades like this help set us apart.

Personally, it means the world. It shows me that the decisions we made resonated with the design community and reinforces that our work is meaningful. It motivates me to keep pushing forward. As designers, we have the responsibility to shape what's next - whether it's more sustainable, easier to manufacture, more affordable, or simply more enjoyable to use. This award reminds me to choose wisely and stand firmly behind those choices.

What advice would you give to other designers considering entering the Red Dot Awards?

Keep it simple. [Believe] in your idea 100% and champion it harder than anyone else. It doesn’t need to be perfect or fully realized – what matters is that it’s meaningful and strong enough to stand on its own.

The submission process is straightforward and approachable, so don’t let it intimidate you. And remember, Red Dot accepts student entries at a reduced fee, so you don’t need to be part of a company to submit. If you’re on the fence, my advice is simple: go for it!

Any future product and/or award goals?

We have several exciting products in development that I can’t wait to share once they launch. Looking ahead, we also plan to enter other design competitions such as the iF Design Award in Germany, the James Dyson Award, IDEA, and Core77. Our focus remains the same: to bring fresh, meaningful concepts to life that not only improve our customers’ lives but also make everyday moments better.

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Read the Full Press Release: CleverMade Wins 2025 Red Dot Award

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