2012 iF Design Award– Which Korean Designs joined the Winners Circle? (Part 1)

Since 1954, the iF Design Awards have been honoring products in four categories: product, communication, material, and packaging, under the supervision of the International Forum Design in Germany, established in 1953. And its worldwide authority is recognized as one of three global design awards along with Red dot design award and IDEA design award.

This year, 4322 submitted works from 48 countries that made for a fierce competition, and a total of 1218 products received the honor of an iF award. Right now I will introduce to you the Korean companies and brands that received iF design awards. This year, around 20 companies were recognized for their product designs. I will introduce 8 companies that received an iF design award in today's post.

Cowon - Product Design Award

Cowon's iAUDIO 10 received an award for the 'audio, video' category that includes TV and sound system. iAUDIO 10 was the product that actualized UI with a new concept of color therapy and design that maximized the beauty of curve, and it was evaluated that it gave new value to the product through the design with stable feeling of grip and easy control. Especially, iAUDIO 10 received iF design award after receiving 2011 Good Design Award in Japan, receiving two awards out of four international design awards.

Daesung Celtic Enersys - Product Design Award

VRS FREE, which is an integrated boiler for exporting to Europe and a temperature controller air sterilizer, received iF Product Design Award from iF Design Award 2012. Daesung Celtic Enersys received the award for the second time after Vaillant (Germany) in the category of boiler and temperature controller.

Boiler for exporting to Europe that is one of the award winners was designed with a concept of elegant kitchenware, accentuating European countries' characteristic that they keep boiler in the kitchen and use it. While attaching the control panel, which users use often, in the front, it provided a cover so that it can maintain premium image and cleanness.

Doosan Industrial Vehicle - Product Design Award

Concept Forklift (CF), the futuristic model of Doosan Industrial Vehicle received 2010 iF Product Design Award after receiving Red Dot design award. CF that was designed, targeting the market of 2010, under the key words of eco-friendly, revolution, and human centered, decreased the emission of CO2 and noise by using the second generation battery. And it provided the vision of futuristic forklift by reflecting navigation for work on the front glass of the driver.

GS Construction - Communication Design, Product Design Awards

Four products from GS Construction received one Communication Design Award and three Design Awards from iF Product Design Award 2012, receiving awards fives years in a row from 2008. FAMI-TOGRAM that received Communication Design Award is a sign program within an apartment complex that introduces various community facilities within the apartment complex as if a person introduces his/her home to a visitor.

Safekeep, Flexball, and Origami Ground received Product Design Awards. Safekeep is a system that keeps the parcel when the receiver is absent, and Flexball and Origami Ground are playground that considered children's safety and creativity.

This is the Safekeep

Hankook Tire - Transportation Design Award

High-performance premium tire Ventus S1 Evo 2 from Hankook Tire received Transportation Design Award from iF Product Design Award 2012, which is one of three international design awards. It is the second time for Hankook Tire to receive the design award after receiving the design award for the first time in international tire industry in 2009.

Ventus S1 Evo 2 that received the design award is the product that is evaluated as that it satisfied both performance and environment at the same time by maximizing the stability of control and minimizing the rotational resistance. It was introduced for the first time in the world at Frankfurt Motor Show in last September.

Hanwha Engineering & Construction - Communication Award

Hanwha Engineering & Construction received Communication Award for three years in a row with Eco Messenger, which is a parking lot graphic design, at the iF Product Design Award 2012. Eco Messenger from Hanwha Engineering & Construction is a graphic design that is utilized in a parking lot, expected to send messages on environment and warm emotion to people, composed with five objet such as Manchurian sika and Crested lark that are known as endangered animals.

Nautilus Jun Hyo-seong - Communication Design, Online, Offline Application category

Nautilus Jun Hyo-seong received an award in communication design, online, offline application category, and it is the first time for ATM company to receive such an award. The screen design of ATM transaction that received the award is composed of graphics that give the feeling of executing transaction with the actual banker, not the existing feeling of rigidity and business-like, enabling consumers to feel more familiarity. It is operated with direct expression that allows users who does not know ATM that well to approach easily and with the method of touch and drag.

Hyundai Elevator - Product Design Award

SMART D.S.S. is the design of destination selecting system. The upper part of the high-tech design that suggests a smartphone increased the durability by using a tempered glass at the full touch screen, and at the bottom part, free selection of specifications is possible by the use of ID card. It is noticeable that it applied a new method of putting in a new floor, which casted off the original method of putting in floor for elevator, for the convenience of usage. Also, it calls for the elevator at the entrance of the elevator by pushing the button, so it removed the inconvenience of pushing buttons inside the car, increasing the convenience of the users.

Kia - Winner of Mobile Application of Communication Design and Transportation Design

Kia Motors was the winner of Mobile Application of Communication Design at International Forum Design Award 2012 with E-Catalogue Application in Morning (Picanto). It is the second time for Kia Motors to win an award after Morning winning an award in Transportation design category of Product Design.

Kia Morning's E-Catalogue Application for the iPad in the App Store last August is receiving quite the response because it allows customers to receive the information on the product wherever and whenever based on the sophisticated design and neat construction. Kia Motors is planning to strengthen the communication with customers in the world by introducing E-Catalogue of new cars that will be launched in the global market in the future, registering E-Catalogue application of the new model Rio in App Store.

Congratulations to all the winners of the iF Design and we hope to see even more great product design come out of Korea in the future.