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Kia Corporation has recently secured two wins in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design 2023 for its design philosophy exhibitions and events and Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC). Every year since 1993, international agencies, designers and companies have been invited to take part in the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design. The Red Dot Jury assesses brands and communication design works.
Kia was recognized for the continuous endeavours the brand has taken to communicate its ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy through a series of creative exhibitions and events.
The company’s daring ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy was first revealed in 2021, taking inspiration from the contrasts found in nature and humanity. The philosophy transcends the design of Kia vehicles to communicate the brand's determination to compatibly further two vital fields that have come to be at odds with one another – human wellbeing and environmental sustainability.
Equally ambitious and creative is how Kia chooses to communicate the design philosophy. This has taken the form of a series of groundbreaking exhibitions held at venues such as the Gwangju Design Biennale, the Busan International Motor Show, and the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Korea, followed by Milan Design Week in Italy. The caliber of Kia’s continuously evolving design philosophy exhibitions has thus led to the receipt of a Red Dot Award – Brands & Communication Design 2023.
The second award presented to Kia is in recognition of the next-generation Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) technology that was introduced on the EV9, the brand’s first three-row seat electric flagship SUV. The pioneering infotainment system delivers game-changing new features such as quick control, integrated search, and new EV mode to take driver usability and convenience to the next level.
The integrated infotainment system elegantly expresses graphic components and vehicle user interfaces with a consistent design concept, completing a differentiated graphic design unique to Kia. This visual concept, ‘Ki,’ is based on the ‘Bold for Nature’ pillar of Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. ‘Ki’ translates as ‘rise’ or ‘to begin’ and is represented by a diagonal line applied to infotainment elements, icons, and fonts as key visuals.
Optimized for driver safety and usability, Kia’s ccNC system also serves as an intuitive touchpoint through which customers can access the Kia Connect Store. This enables them to keep their EV9 constantly updated by upgrading the SUV’s digital features and services without any need to take the vehicle to a dealership.
Kia’s latest double Red Dot win is a testament of more than a decade of success for the brand. The brand’s recent recipients of a Red Dot award include the Niro Plug-in Hybrid, which took victory in the ‘Product Design’ category in April, and the all-new EV6, which was hailed ‘Best of the Best’ for its pioneering and forward-looking design last year.
